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Often regarded as ‘America’s backyard,’ the Caribbean islands and wider basin have, and continue to be, a significant aspect of US foreign policy. From its location in the illegal narcotics trade, Cuba’s communist past and more recently, the Ukraine War, there is much discussion to be had surrounding this interesting relationship. The Bush Administration described the Caribbean as America’s ‘third border’, clearly speaking to the importance of the region to the US.
It is useful to first consider the citizens of this area, with many Cuban, Jamaican, Dominican, and Haitian people being found in communities all over the US. Approximately 4.5 million Caribbean immigrants lived in the USA in 2019, representing 10% of the nation’s 44.9 million total foreign-born population. 90% of US immigrants from the Caribbean come from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Haiti, therefore meaning the Caribbean has a very strong foothold in US culture.
Recent events have shown the Caribbean’s importance to US military activities and policy. Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine highlighted the strategic military significance of the Caribbean, given Russia’s indirect threat to deploy military forces there. This was seen in a statement by Russian deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov in 2022 in which he warned that Russia could not rule out the deployment of military assets on Cuba or Venezuela. This was followed up by a military cooperation agreement between Venezuela and Russia. The Caribbean is also situated close to several important US ports and military facilities and thus maintaining relations here is crucial for the world’s largest military spender.
The Caribbean has not escaped America’s ‘War on Drugs.’ The location of the Caribbean between South America (drug producers) and the USA (the market), means that many of the islands act as transit countries for narcotics such as cocaine and heroin. Marijuana is also prominent, with Jamaica taking the title of largest producer in the region. It is often the case that such countries have good cooperation with US anti-drug efforts. However, a 2006 US State Department report noted that ‘corruption and weak governmental institutions remained an impediment to controlling the flow of illegal narcotics’. This stills rings true today. Money laundering is inevitable in the world of narcotics and thus the Caribbean islands are very vulnerable to it, as demonstrated by countries such as the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti, often being the subject of US State Department investigations.
The Caribbean region is diverse in its economies and development levels, with GDP per capita ranging from $1,273 in Haiti to $34,864 in the Bahamas. While some countries rely on manufacturing to garner this money, others rely on tourism. For decades, the US has provided considerable economic assistance to the region, aiming to maintain good relations in hopes of aiding developing countries while securing the country. The 1983 CBI is a good example of this, which included the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act and the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act. This acted as a soft power initiative to strengthen democracies in the region against Soviet inroads during the Cold War. Today, the CBI provides benefits for 17 countries, granting them access to US markets and subsequently offering an opportunity to increase development in Caribbean countries. Haiti is a country which has particularly benefitted from US ties. Part of the CBI was amended in 2006 and 2008 which offered Haiti trade benefits for the apparel imports that, in 2019, accounted for 10% of Haiti’s exports. Without the US, the already poor Caribbean region would be far worse off.
The Caribbean’s place on the stage of international politics is often underestimated. For the US, the Caribbean will always be an important point of policy via security, narcotics, trade, and development as discussed, with the area’s geography being one of, if not the most important factor shaping the Caribbean’s importance. The 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis was arguably history’s way of showing this, with the Ukraine War emphasising the tenuous state of US-Russia relations. The Caribbean has quietly shaped much policy of one of the world’s largest powers and will likely continue to do so.
Image: Caribb, ‘League of Nations’ 2018 // CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
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