This handy work, by a cultural geographer, attempts a geopolitical explanation of the Caribbean, broadly defined to include those independent states and dependencies that border the Caribbean.
Though he does not discount such traditional geopolitical components as military power or national objectives, Anderson persuasively argues that the Caribbean’s rich cultural diversity and colonial experience are far more compelling determinants for explaining its geopolitical character. As far as the author is concerned, the Caribbean’s proximity to the United States and its large number of separate political units constitute the key to its geopolitical importance.
At first glance, Geopolitics of the Caribbean looks much like a superficial tour d’horizon of the modern Caribbean, offering inadequate coverage of the broad range of political, economic, and social topics with which any survey of the region must deal. Necessarily, Anderson cannot probe deeply into any one subject, yet he has managed to write what might properly be called a Caribbean geopolitical primer, a book that is informative but not opinionated, persuasive (and consistent) in its central themes yet not overbearing.
A few examples of the author’s unconventional observations may suffice to convey the tone of this book. Cuba has accomplished much, he believes, but so have several of the other Caribbean states. Neither capitalist nor socialist “work ethics” conform very well to traditional Caribbean notions about setting one’s own work habits or the widespread obsession with private property. Anderson has his doubts about tourism as the economic salvation of the Caribbean (as do the Marxists), yet he is unimpressed with Marxist accomplishments in technology, industry, and agriculture.
Anderson is unambiguous in his conclusion: the United States retains its historic security concerns in the Caribbean in an age when the region is undergoing rapid changes. These changes, he contends, offer some peril but also much opportunity.
