ABSTRACT
In the analysis of the foreign policy of more powerful states, national capability factors and interests are stressed as paramount in foreign policy decision-making. "Level of development" is usually also cited as an important national attribute in discussing influences on foreign policy. In the Caribbean foreign policy actions implement decisions made within the context of the operational environment. As foreign policy concerns have broadened, ministries other than the foreign ministry have become involved in the foreign policy process. Caribbean foreign policy is also determined by systemic factors in that, the Caribbean nations, as small states, continue to be strongly influenced by changes taking place in the international environment. Comparative foreign policy theorists have classified political systems into "open" and "closed," positing that the former are more active in the international system than the latter. The decision-making structure and influence relationships just described and the operational environment, together suggest a model of how foreign policy is made in the Caribbean.
