Dutch Caribbean: Prospects Demo by Betty N Sedoc- Dahlberg

Author:Betty N Sedoc- Dahlberg [Dahlberg, Betty N Sedoc-]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Political Science, General
ISBN: 9781134293186
Google: n7dLEAAAQBAJ
Goodreads: 59331076
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2021-11-14T00:00:00+00:00

DOGMA AND REVERSION 1981-84

The reversion of the U.S. government to simple, old certainties expressed itself in unilateralist postures in relation to friends, foes, and dependents alike. The old certainties were that capitalism was good, socialism was evil; that developing countries had to be saved from socialism—by force if necessary; that the United States was the ultimate guarantor of goodness in world politics; that strategic superiority was the best basis of this guarantor's role; and that the unrestricted operation of capitalist markets, domestically and internationally, was the best means of ensuring economic progress in both developed and developing countries. Unilateralism in Western Europe meant pressuring those governments to conform to U.S. prescriptions for dealing with the U.S.S.R., such as extensive trade sanctions and an end to the Siberian gas pipeline project. Unilateralism with the Soviet Union meant attempting to relate from a position of strength rather than as strategic equals.27 Unilateralism with the Third World meant subverting or abandoning negotiations in public international forums concerning North-South economic relations and the Law of the Sea, and an emphasis on bilateral—and therefore more unequal—negotiations on aid.28

In the Caribbean, too, there was a search for old certainties. AH across the region nationalist and reformist policies had brought neither increased economic independence nor permanent gains for disadvantaged social groups. Old certainties were that attracting foreign direct investment and foreign aid by adopting conservative economic and political postures would lead to economic growth. The early 1980s saw moves in this direction in the Caribbean, through changes in policy or changes in regimes. The notable exceptions were Guyana, Suriname and Grenada, as well as Nicaragua in Central America, albeit that the political bases of these exceptions varied.29

This complementarity of moods and dogmas in the United States and the Caribbean was important as context to the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI). The essence of this initiative, announced in 1982 and adopted in 1984, was that eligible Caribbean countries could export a specified range of products duty-free to the U.S. market for twelve years. Products such as textiles, garments, footwear and other leather goods, and canned tuna were excluded in order to protect these industries in the U.S. The idea was that the initiative should attract new investors to the Caribbean to produce eligible goods for the U.S. market. 'Assistance' would take the form of private investment rather than governmental aid. Socialist and nationalist Caribbean countries were excluded from CBI; i.e. Grenada, Nicaragua, Cuba, Guyana and Suriname. Hence, the CBI was an updated version of containment via economic growth, this free market version being consistent with prevailing dogma. Indeed, in its earlier forms the proposals that led to CBI were couched in Cold War allusions, as when Prime Minister Seaga of Jamaica called for a "Mini-Marshall Aid Plan" for the Caribbean.30 The 1980s saw a changeover from diversified foreign assistance to an emphasis on U.S. aid and investment, attempts to embark upon export platform strategies through the old technique of industrialization by invitation—in Seaga's words, "The Puerto Rican Model"—and attempts

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