The New Caribbean and the United States

Abstract

Most Caribbean states have produced new political leadership that is significantly different from the last generation in a number of ways. Relying more on the projections of technical competence than on charisma and gratitude, these new leaders face volatile domestic situations in which they find themselves challenged by increasing drug problems, local political indifference, weak party organizations, and a world dramatically altered by the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the precarious internal economic situation of the United States. The United States remains inordinately important as the major market for Caribbean products, although trade with the region represents only a small part of American foreign trade. The diversity of the various states makes unanimity in matters of foreign policy difficult among Caribbean leaders. Differences in scale will affect foreign policy concerns, although, on many major issues, Caribbean political leaders must work closely with the United States. The primary challenge will be to balance equitably their local interests with those of the larger state.