Barbados and the Militarization of the Eastern Caribbean, 1979-1985

Abstract

The countries of the English-speaking Caribbean have been militarized almost overnight. The term militarization, as used here, denotes a rise and steady growth in military potential which reinforces the role of military and paramilitary institutions both in national affairs, including the economic, social, and political spheres, and in international affairs. The military potential is measured by such indicators as military spending, military personnel, and military hardware. Empirically this process is reflected in a spectacular increase in security assistance to almost every country that comprises the Caribbean. This increase is more dramatic because many of these new nation-states received no U.S. military assistance prior to 1979, nor did most of them have armies or regular military units in their police forces. In addition to the numerous threats of insurgency that various Caribbean governments have had to their legitimacy, this military buildup, stoutly supported by the United States and aided-by Great Britain and Canada, has occurred because of the strategic value which the United States has placed on the Caribbean region since the Grenadian Revolution. Set in a cold war context, indigenous sociopolitical problems are viewed as threats to the vital security interests of the United States. This restructuring of U.S. military objectives is described by the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, David C. Jones, as a comprehensive strategic vision that integrates regional issues within a larger global framework (U.S. Department of Defense, 1981). Specifically, this policy of arms promotion to Latin America and the Caribbean, begun under President Jimmy Carter and heightened under President Ronald Reagan, has been intended to foster governments which are supportive of U.S. regional and global interests. As a consequence, Barbados and Puerto Rico have become two of the most important centers of U.S. military activity in the Caribbean to facilitate the reemergence of U.S. hegemonic military power (Rodriguez Beruff, 1982: 4). Honduras is the headquarters of U.S. military operations in Central America.