MILITARY AID OR KILLER DEAL: U.S. WEAPONS TRADE AND MILITARY TRAINING IN THE CARIBBEAN, 1790 - 2001 Guest Speaker: Dr. Humberto Garcia Muñiz

MILITARY DESTABILIZATION: JAMAICA UNDER MANLEY

I am giving emphasis that they have been selling, donating, whatever--but there is also another part which I call military destabilization. The best example is Jamaica under Michael Manley. I´ll give an example. Jamaica, you will recall, made a military agreement with the U. S. in 1963 and they got some equipment there. But in the 1970´s when Michael Manley got into power in 1974 as a Social Democrat he starts an independent foreign policy. He goes to the non-aligned countries with Fidel, he supports Puerto Rican independence, whatever. So what happens in Jamaica--if you know Jamaican politics--it is mainly a two party politcal system--which is multiclass. You have the Jamaican Labor Party and the People´s National Party. And the violence in Jamaican politics has no name. So what happens is the U.S. started to destabilize Jamaica. They stop selling weapons, armaments, to Manley. Manley just could not get any. He only got a little. He just could not get there, while the opposition, the Jamaican Labor Party, was able by illegal means, to arm its forces. From 1976 to 1980 there is a civil war in Jamaica and Manley loses.

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