Moscow Eyes the Caribbean

Publication Date: August 1983

Publisher: Heritage Foundation (Washington, D.C.)

Author(s): Edward Lynch

Research Area: International relations

Keywords: Russia and Eurasia

Type: Report

Coverage: Soviet Union

Abstract:

The Soviet military threat in the Caribbean is mounting. The U.S. must redress the mistakes of the last twenty years which have allowed U.S. superiority to slip away. Unless Washington acts now, the Soviets may be in a position to demand a larger role in the Western Hemisphere. They could use their growing advantage in the region as leverage to force the U.S. to include the USSR in regional arrangements. Moscow could also demand that the U.S. sign nonaggression pacts with Soviet satellites on unfavorable terms. With each concession the U.S. makes, the Soviet presence in this hemisphere becomes more entrenched and legitimate in the eyes of the world.