A Struggling Economy: Jamaica and U.S. Relations Essay -- Essays Paper

A Struggling Economy: Jamaica and U.S. Relations Introduction: In â€Å"Jamaica : a guide to the people, politics, and culture† Marcel Bayer asserts that almost every country in the Caribbean since colonialism has been affected, in one way or another, by the rule of the United States. According to Bayer, the United States’ influence on the Caribbean has been perpetuated by four American interests: 1) the encouragement of trade, 2) the protection of U.S. investments, 3)the formation of alliances to prevent intervention and 4) the promotion of regional support for U.S. international goals (Bayer, 39). In alignment with Bayer’s statement, many historians, politicians and economists alike have traced the history of the United States in the Postcolonial Caribbean and have shown how U.S. affairs through trade and policy have differed from island to island. For instance, due to the fear of communist expansion, the United States has invested a considerable amount of time and energy in countries, like Jamaica, that have seemingly sh adowed Cuba’s â€Å"oppressive† government. As a result, this paper will provide a historical examination of how Jamaica’s economy has been influenced by U.S. relations during the postcolonial era. Within this essay, I will address the following sectors: agriculture, manufacturing, emigration, textile and entertainment. In addition, to further my analysis of Jamaica’s devastating economy, I have also included responses from three Jamaican members of Stanford’s Caribbean Student Association (CSA). To protect my informants’ right to confidentiality, I will not include their names in this essay. Yet, before addressing this topic any further, I will now give a brief overview of Jamaica’s history of colonization, i... ...ersity of California, Los Angeles, 1979. Reckford, Mike. â€Å"White Reggae: Cultural Dilution in the Record Industry.† Popular Music and Society. Spring 2000. Rodriguez, Clara E. â€Å"The Shifting Color Line† Changing Race: Latinos, the Census, and the History of Ethnicity in the United States. New York: New York University Press, 2000. Self, Sayida. â€Å"Rastafari: An Ethos of Black Resistance.† (Ecology and the Conservation of Natural Resources, 3) Last Modified Friday, 12-Dec-2003 01:57:47 CST http://www.utm.edu/departments/ed/cece/ecology/Q4.shtml World-Aluminium.Org Home of the International Aluminium Institute. ***http://www.world-aluminium.org/production/index.html World-Aluminium.Org Home of the International Aluminium Institute. http://www.world-aluminium.org/environment/economic.html Self, Sayida. â€Å"Rastafari: An Ethos of Black Resistance.†