The Early Years

Examines Jamaica’s foreign policy between 1962 to 1972. This postcolonial period highlights two enduring themes of pragmatism and independence of thought. Pragmatism is reflected in Bustamente’s “we are with the West” response to the geopolitical and systemic realities of the Cold War and their implications for Caribbean countries such as Jamaica. This chapter discusses Jamaica’s cooperation and alignment with the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom in the face of economic, political and historical imperatives while preserving sovereignty and independence of thought. It also explores some of the local dynamics that supported the general thrust of alignment with the West, despite some individual aspirations and elements of political culture that aligned with the Eastern bloc. Finally, Chap. 2 discusses Jamaica’s foreign policy stance in relation to issues of anticolonialism, self-determination and human rights in Mozambique, Angola and South Africa respectively.