ABSTRACT
The United States's relations with the rest of the hemisphere manifest the profound shortcoming of a program without a policy— without a thoughtful, flexible, long-term policy toward Latin America and the Caribbean. In order to establish a new policy of cooperation, the United States must endeavor to demonstrate that its primary concern in the Caribbean is not only the support of "friendly governments," but also the welfare of the majority of people in the region. The Caribbean Basin Initiative has recognized and targeted the economic area, and it has gone a bit further to designate the Caribbean as a special region with which the United States will have virtually free trade. From the US point of view, the Caribbean peoples are neighbors profoundly affected by any action or inaction the United States takes in the realization of its global pursuits. Caribbean states attract attention only when their actions are perceived as contrary to the interest of the United States.
