The U.S. and the Dominican Republic

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 b

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lic, President Millard Fillmore was the first American administration to clearly understand American interests at stake in the Caribbean nation due to the proximity of the island. Several times during the latter part of the 19th century, American officials negotiated with Dominican leaders on proposed annexation agreements. One annexation agreement backed by President Ulysses Grant reached the floor of the U.S. Senate in 1870 but just barely failed to gain approval. More frequently, American and Dominican representatives discussed proposals for special trade relations and military concessions. The United States was granted, for instance, temporary military use of Samana Bay (Lowenthal, 1972, p. 8). A commitment to American expansionism i n Latin America began with the election of President Franklin Pierce in 1852, who proclaimed territorial aggrandizement as an aim of the incoming administration (Brown, 1980, p. 109). The United States initiated a number of incursions into Latin America and the Caribbean in the quest for imperialist expansion. Cuba was invaded at least three times by American-backed forces; and William Walker, with the assistance of the United States, established a dictatorship in Nicaragua in 1856. The Dominic

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