The Relevance of U.S.-Caribbean Relations

Three Views

Summary

 

CSIS held three off-the-record roundtables on Caribbean policy based on the premise that the passage of the United States–Caribbean Strategic Engagement Act of 2016 needed to trigger expert analyses of key policy issues. There were also two practical considerations: first, a need to provide support to those in the executive branch tasked with drafting the outlines of U.S. policy and report to Congress, as required under the terms of HR 4939; and second, an assumption that policymakers would welcome this kind of input, if only to help formulate longer-term views of policy, which Washington often finds difficult to envision, let alone sustain. This report provides a thorough summary of three key policy issues on which the U.S. government must focus as a result of the passing of the legislation: strategic Caribbean security issues; U.S.-Caribbean economic issues; and the future of Caribbean energy.
 

David E. Lewis

Anthony T. Bryan

Nicole Ghazarian

Evan Ellis

Michael A. Matera

Scott B. MacDonald