Publication

This paper provides a balanced account of the events in the 1970s and 1980s that defined the US-Caribbean security relationship during the later years of the Cold War. The author discusses the impact of the Cold War on the US-Caribbean security relationship and Caribbean responses designed to balance cooperation with the US and other regional powers in areas of mutual interest, while at the same time protecting their sovereignty. He also shows how the end of the Cold War has fundamentally changed the way the US views not only security, but also its partners in an emerging interdependent security relationship. The paper concludes that in comparison with regions such as the Balkans, the Middle East and Central Africa, the Caribbean is a peaceful region, but an analysis of tile dynamics of the region's complexity, changes, and challenges suggests that the security landscape is fraught with a variety of dangers.