A secure, stable and peaceful southern flank is what the Unites States has traditionally tried to establish. It is important for the United States’ strategic interests because these bases were established to prevent hostile foreign powers from creating facilities to further their footprint. They also wanted to destabilize these groups from supporting subversive activities. If the United States were successful in obtaining a greater grasp on the Caribbean they would be able to protect their American territories in the Unites States Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico as well as promote development economically in the region through their gained access to raw materials, investment opportunities, transportation routes and trade. During the mid 1980’s
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They also recognized that despite seeking independence from British rule, the majority of the people in the English-speaking Caribbean were still being identified culturally and politically with the British. During the presidency of Jimmy Carter, his administration had made developments at the beginning of the 1980’s, which in turn created more interest in the Caribbean. By the 1980s the United States government knew that they had a increasing problem with traffickers using the Caribbean islands as transport points for smuggling narcotics into the United States. “Such experienced and hardened criminals pose a new challenge to Caribbean societies, particularly Belize, Guyana and Jamaica, countries that are already burdened with other dimensions of the drug trade. For some Caribbean countries, such as the Bahamas, Belize and Jamaica, attempts to curb the drug trade have been intimately linked with the maintenance of good relations with the United States, which has not only provided necessary material support, but often linked such cooperative efforts with economic assistance for the region.” (Ramharac, 1997, pg …show more content…
This zone was very important during the 70’s and 80’s for transporting narcotics from island to island as these Caribbean islands were situated very close to Florida and other Southeastern states. “The Bahamas, with a population of 275,000 people in an archipelago only 40 miles away from southern Florida, along with hundreds of banking and trust institutions, thousands of off-shore registered companies and strict bank secrecy laws, make it another important center for money laundering in the region. “ (Ramharac, 1997, pg 95). The majority of the smuggled drugs came through private boats or aircrafts. The Bahamian archipelago is ideal for drug smugglers due to the islands containing 700 islands spread out over 260,000 square kilometers. The drugs would travel in cargoes that would voyage through Southern Bahamas to the Caicos, Crooked Island or Mayaguana. They also could take a longer route to the eastern end of the Caribbean by navigating through the Mona Passage. During the 1980’s they knew that drug smuggling was a major problem so the law enforcement agencies and the governments of the Bahamas and Jamaica in particular have been constantly working together to combat trafficking. The United States needed the assistance of the Caribbean islands to interdict trafficking of narcotics. The United States used over 8 million (1980’s dollars) in fighting drug
They also recognized that despite seeking independence from British rule, the majority of the people in the English-speaking Caribbean were still being identified culturally and politically with the British. During the presidency of Jimmy Carter, his administration had made developments at the beginning of the 1980’s, which in turn created more interest in the Caribbean. By the 1980s the United States government knew that they had a increasing problem with traffickers using the Caribbean islands as transport points for smuggling narcotics into the United States. “Such experienced and hardened criminals pose a new challenge to Caribbean societies, particularly Belize, Guyana and Jamaica, countries that are already burdened with other dimensions of the drug trade. For some Caribbean countries, such as the Bahamas, Belize and Jamaica, attempts to curb the drug trade have been intimately linked with the maintenance of good relations with the United States, which has not only provided necessary material support, but often linked such cooperative efforts with economic assistance for the region.” (Ramharac, 1997, pg …show more content…
This zone was very important during the 70’s and 80’s for transporting narcotics from island to island as these Caribbean islands were situated very close to Florida and other Southeastern states. “The Bahamas, with a population of 275,000 people in an archipelago only 40 miles away from southern Florida, along with hundreds of banking and trust institutions, thousands of off-shore registered companies and strict bank secrecy laws, make it another important center for money laundering in the region. “ (Ramharac, 1997, pg 95). The majority of the smuggled drugs came through private boats or aircrafts. The Bahamian archipelago is ideal for drug smugglers due to the islands containing 700 islands spread out over 260,000 square kilometers. The drugs would travel in cargoes that would voyage through Southern Bahamas to the Caicos, Crooked Island or Mayaguana. They also could take a longer route to the eastern end of the Caribbean by navigating through the Mona Passage. During the 1980’s they knew that drug smuggling was a major problem so the law enforcement agencies and the governments of the Bahamas and Jamaica in particular have been constantly working together to combat trafficking. The United States needed the assistance of the Caribbean islands to interdict trafficking of narcotics. The United States used over 8 million (1980’s dollars) in fighting drug