Battle for Caribbean Sea

Today, the Caribbean region appears to us as a confluence of peoples, cultures, languages, religions, diversified economies and plural political ideologies—in short, a veritable mosaic of cultures.

This cultural identity has been woven over the course of the last five centuries. To a large extent, it is the result of colonisation and slavery, which occasioned a large movement of international migration, voluntary and forced, across the Caribbean Sea.

This sea itself has been the casualty of a series of wars and confrontations between powers who have sought political and maritime hegemony in the region. It is in this sense that the Dominican historian Juan Bosch characterised the Caribbean Sea as an “imperial frontier.”

In effect, the Caribbean Sea, from the time that we call the Modern Era to the present, has been a geopolitical sea of primary importance. All of the seas of the world have a geopolitical importance. However, the geopolitical value of the Caribbean Sea is noteworthy in more than one way.

Since the 16th century, the Caribbean Sea has been a prestigious possession for any state with a certain influence in international relations. From the moment any state comes to dominate the Caribbean Sea, it is promoted to the status of a world power.

Over the course of the last five centuries, the battle for the domination of the Caribbean Sea has been fiercely contested.

After the events of the “discovery,” Spain dominated the entire Caribbean Sea and, consequently, the whole of South America. This domination was enshrined in the Treaty of Tordesillas, signed in 1494, between Spain and Portugal and with the Catholic Church as mediator. Spanish domination lasted for the whole 16th century.

At the beginning of the 17th century, Spanish hegemony in the region began to be questioned by various European monarchs. For example, the French king François I declared, “Can anyone show me the testament of Adam that excludes me from sharing (the Carib-bean)?”—a direct allusion to the Treaty of Tordesillas.

From then, the monarchs of the old continent did all they could to encourage, by any means, so-called voyages of discovery in the New World. England, France, Holland, Sweden, Denmark set off resolutely in the race. Certain countries fared better than others.

It followed that during the rest of the 17th century, the Caribbean Sea was an open battlefield among European powers who wanted a slice of the Caribbean cake. During the 18th century, two main forces emerged: France and England.

In the 19th century, England became the undisputed master of the seas, with total control of the Caribbean, and of an infinite number of islands and territories across the length of the Caribbean littoral.

At the end of the 19th century, new powers such as Germany and the US would look for a strategic foothold in the Caribbean Sea. Finally, the US won out.

After the Cuban-Spanish-American War (1895-1898), which signalled the end of Spanish presence in the Caribbean, the US took advantage. In the 20th century, the Caribbean Sea came under American control. From a strategic point of view, this sea is considered as the third frontier of the US.

As we can gather, the Caribbean Sea has never truly belonged to the Caribbean people who inhabit the region. But we can appropriate this great common heritage over time. By the development of political sovereignty and by appropriating Caribbean space, the Caribbean will increasingly belong to Caribbean people.

Let us begin appropriating Caribbean space by defending its marine environment which is continually degraded by the wrongdoings of many. This is the latest battle for the Caribbean Sea, fought by its own inhabitants.

Dr Watson Denis is political adviser at the Secreta-riat of the Association of Caribbean States. The views expressed are not necessarily the official views of the ACS. Feedback can be sent to mail@acs-aec.org