Central America and the Caribbean Area

7/31/2019 Central America and the Caribbean Area

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Central America and the Caribbean Area

I. Geography

Mainland, North to South: Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador,

Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama.

Major Islands (Greater Antilles): Cuba, Haiti/Dominican Republic (island of San

Domingo, Puerto Rico (US), Jamaica (independent) and Trinidad.

Island Systems (Lesser Antilles) North to South: Bahamas (Britain), Leeward

Islands, Virgin Islands (US and UK), Guadeloupe (France), Martinique (France),

Dominica (independent), Windward Islands, Barbados, and Grenada.

II. United States' historic policies

1. 1823 Emergence of the Monroe Doctrine supported by UK.

2. 1840s to 1850s Manifest Destiny ideas about Central America and

Caribbean.

3. 1898 Spanish-American War and tutelage of Cuba

4. Puerto Rico as US colony

5. Cooperation with European states' debt collection by threats and gunboats:

"Banana Republics."

6. Use of marines to collect debts of American citizens and to avoid

European intervention; propping up regimes.7. Intervention in Mexican Civil War (1912-1918) and in oil investors'

quarrels in 1920s.

8. Continued exploitation of illegal Mexican farm laborers.

9. FDR's "Good Neighbor" policy 1933-1940 (exporting New Deal).

10. The Second World War defense system in the Americas.

11. Cold-shouldering Peron in Argentina 1946+.

12. Overthrow of Arbenz Marxist regime in Guatemala in 1954.

13. Bay of Pigs (Cuban invasion) 1961.

14. Kennedy's alliance for Progress (foundered under Johnson, but not due to

USA; resistance of the ruling classes.

15. Cold-shouldering leftist regimes in Bolivia, Peru, & Brazil.16. Overthrow of Marxist regime in Dominican Republic in 1965.

17. "Destabilizing" Allende regime in Chile in 1973.

18. US ties to dictators in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala.

19. Panama Canal Treaty 1979 and delayed withdrawal.


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III. Fundamental Problems of the Area

1. Poverty

2. Population explosion

3. Divisions both geographic and cultural4. Dominance of small landowning, merchant class with education and ties ti

US (formerly to Europe)

5. Political culture of military dictatorship (not true in same sense for British

colonies)

6. Image of US as bully

7. Evolution of Castro's Cuba into Soviet proxy

IV. Strategic Problems

1. Guerrilla country2. High cost of development

3. Distance of Soviet Union from area versus closeness of the US

4. The "band-aid" or "Marines" strategy

5. The "colonial solution": subordinate integration into US economy

6. Future revolutions: the Guianas, Venezuela, and Columbia

7. Possibilities of partnership with US in Latin America as a whole


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V. Rightist Regimes

1. Rule by military juntas, with frequent changes.

2. Sometimes there is a long-term strong-man, but he is rarely a truly

charismatic leader.

3. Military rulers sometimes put in a civilian regime. Some regimes are morethan puppets, but they rarely can cope with overwhelming economic and

social problems by parliamentary democracy, and are swept away by new

juntas. Ideologies rarely expressed.

4. Former colonies and existing colonies are run by a small educated

minority with official democracy but little opportunity or education. See

VII.

5. When challenged by leftist or even democratic movements ruling juntas

and their upper-class landowner and merchant backers resort to hired thugs

("death squads") sometimes drawn from the armed forces or from special

police squads or "militia."

6. There is a dula track world in which an appearance of freedom andcasualness really applies to American businessmen and tourists and to the

small upper class; the lower class, peasants, workers, and leftists are more

or less secretly intimidated, controlled, and even murdered. This

resembles Nazi Germany. However, when armed resistance begins, the

dual track is exposed and broken: El Salvador.

7. The rhetoric of development is found here as in the middle east, but with

little wealth there is little to show for the promises. Current Reagan theme

is repetition of (1) Alliance for Progress and (2) FDR's "Good Neighbor"

policy -- neither of which worked.

8. US supplies arms, trains military and police, aids in fighting guerrillas.

VI. Leftist Regimes: The Mexican Model

1. One-party state but not totalitarian party; internal elections and fractions.

2. Mixed economy with government ownership and government partnership

in major branches of production; government owns land but rents it to

individuals and groups, helping with fertilizers, insecticides, seeds, and

marketing.

3. Investment by capitalists welcome but regulated in terms of wages and

working conditions.

4. Non-alligned status leaning towards US.

5. Latent nationalism.

6. All social classes encouraged; not a classless society but egalitarian goals.

7. Assimilation of Indians but not forcibly.


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VII. Leftist Regimes: The Cuban/Nicaraguan Model

1. One-party dominant (Marxist-Leninist); apparent "elections"; democratic

centralism.

2. State owned economy with the opportunity for foreign capital to enterneeded branches under strict controls; small service business allowed.

3. Collectivized agriculture with private plots.

4. Pro-Soviet; arms supplied from eastern Europe, Cuba.

5. Active nationalism; anti-Americanism.

6. Forcible integration of minorities.

7. Effort to eradicate bourgeoisie and create a new classless society;

development of a party-class.

VIII. Democratic Regimes (Non-Authoritarian)

1. Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Costa Rica.

2. Social class system open virtually all the way to the top.

3. Governemnt of law; equality of treatment.

4. Regular and peaceful change of regimes.

5. Strong middle class with good education for many, but not rural poor

(urban poor don't avail themselves of it).

6. Heavy dependence on USA; fear of Communism, terrorism.

7. Not very useful model for others but a place to start.

Documents

Central America and the Caribbean Area