A Brief Evaluation

Abstract

One may well ask, why study the international activity of fourteen Caribbean states that are today rather marginal in global security and economic affairs? But these are the same states that once were central to the world economy because of one product, sugar, and also came to occupy a key place in U.S. and global policy during the cold war. Geography, economics, and security considerations still make them important to North America and Europe, even if in the post-cold war period, such importance has diminished as attention continues to focus on the Middle East and East Asia. By continuing to analyze how all states act, despite the inevitable cycles of visibility and invisibility, we can better understand the constantly changing international system, the role of the large countries (in terms of how they impact and are impacted by the small), and the unique perceptions of the small countries themselves. As new small states in Europe try to find a global space in the post-cold war environment, it might be helpful for them to draw on the experiences of the older developing small states.