Drive to Hegemony

In the 1890s the Caribbean began to attract the interest of the great powers. United States leaders had both economic and strategic goals in the region, and they believed they could profit from Caribbean nations while leading them to democracy and prosperity. American citizens saw the lack of progress in the Caribbean as the result of the inhabitants' inferiority, and they feared that European countries--particularly Germany--might fill the region's power vacuum. The Spanish-American War crystallized U.S. interests in the region; soon there was an isthmian canal, a protectorate in Cuba, and a colony in Puerto Rico. But Washington's policy makers soon faced growing problems in the Caribbean: How to bring peace to these countries without being drawn into domestic squabbles? How to impose U.S. policy without the use of force? How to promote local democracy while retaining a controlling interest? Eventually the goals of local economic development and self-determination were sacrificed to the need for security and stability, often brought about through U.S.-supported dictatorships. Healy integrates these elements into a broad picture of U.S. policy development in the Caribbean: the differences between successive administrations from McKinley to Wilson; the role of the armed forces; inter-agency differences; and the role of private enterprise and private citizens. He considers the underlying assumptions of both U.S. policy makers and their Caribbean counterparts, forming a balanced and accurate assessmentt. -- Inside jacket flaps.