Foreign relations between the United States and the Dominican Republic have historically been confusing at best and hostile at worse. More often than not, relations between the two countries have been tense and defined by the conflict of interests between a superpower desiring to maintain control over the Caribbean basin and a small, impoverished country attempting to preserve its independence.
This research examines the development of foreign relations between the United States and the Dominican Republic. In order to understand the present status of this relationship, some of the historical watersheds of cooperation and conflict between the two countries will be discussed, followed by an assessment of current relations between the United States and the Dominican Republic.
The Dominican Republic first established itself as an independent nation in 1843 when it broke out from under the occupation of its neighbor, Haiti. The Dominican Republic and Haiti have been placed in the unique position of sharing an island, generally known as Hispaniola. Immediately following its new-found independence, the Dominican Republic was once again under siege by the Haitians. Haiti lived in fear of the imperialistic tendencies of the world's greatest slave power, the United States, and opposed any presence of foreigners on or near Hispaniola that could lead to reenslavement (Nelson, 1988, p.235). Haitian political leaders believed that the Dominican Republic was becoming too receptive to foreign interests and initiated another invasion of the country just a few years after the Dominicans' original independence.
Ironically, the aggressive skirmishes of Haiti fortified the political standing of conservatives in the Dominican Republic who advocated closer ties to the United States and Western Europe. They sought to be included within a protective umbrella of an advanced industrial power to save the Dominican Republic from Haitian occupation. The ...