The politics of Caribbean Straits

Abstract

Abstract For a variety of reasons the Caribbean basin has emerged as a particularly volatile region of the Third World with many potential sources of conflict. The expansion of some local navies and intensified competition between the Soviet Union and the United States further complicate a conflict‐prone situation. Many weak states with token navies, including most Caribbean straits states, are highly unstable, being vulnerable both to domestic strife and to international rivalry. Superpower strategies toward Caribbean straits states have nonetheless remained fairly restrained, although U.S.‐U.S.S.R. competition in this area is intensifying. For example, the Reagan Administration has identified and reacted to alleged global implications of a Soviet bloc threat to Caribbean straits and sea lanes. It will not be easy to wind down this rhetoric, but evidence to the contrary may dissipate public anxiety and lead to cooperative measures to assist in the emergence of a more stable and mutually acceptable region...