ABSTRACT
The most important part of Caribbean geography has been the sea, which has historically served less as the clichéd 'inner lake' than as a series of maritime highways linking the Caribbean to the rest of the world. The complexities of such an interdependent relationship should persuade us to ask a series of questions about US-Caribbean relations which are premised on the concept of a sphere of influence. Thus, it is not 'dependence' or lack of sovereignty which has often led Caribbean leaders to turn to the US leadership and initiative, but a coincidence or interdependence of interests. The important task for US-Caribbean relations today is to discern how this past affected and continues to affect the perceptual predispositions which govern contemporary international relations. The reality is that Caribbean responses to American actions over the years have varied among Caribbean states according to the particular nature of their unique contacts with the Americans.
