Developing Bahamas-U.S. relations

Thu, Aug 10th 2017, 11:00 AM

Geography Now is an educational and vlogging YouTube channel hosted by Paul Barbato. The website for the edutainment site notes:
"Through its main series and namesake, it covers the geography, history, politics, culture and diplomacy of a sovereign country per episode, through the alphabetical list of United Nations members."
The episode on The Bahamas is circulating on social media, including on WhatsApp. Barbato begins the episode with parody, noting that The Bahamas is the Hawaii of the Atlantic.
He corrects himself by saying that The Bahamas is really not the Hawaii of the Atlantic. He also emphatically notes that The Bahamas is not a U.S. state.
The episode requires a few corrections. But the host seems to understand better than Doug Manchester, Donald Trump's nominee to be U.S. Ambassador to The Bahamas, that we are a sovereign, independent nation, not a protectorate of Uncle Sam.
In a series of articles this column will explore Bahamas-U.S. relations, inclusive of our general foreign policy and relations with the People's Republic of China, which requires its own series.
Our relationship with China is not a subset of our relationship with the United States of America. We should treat both countries with respect and maintain good relations with both with respect to our national interests.
We should see both powers for who they are and for what they want. They are both our allies. They both have their particular interests in The Bahamas.
We should not be hopelessly starry-eyed in dealing with our U.S. neighbor. Nor should we reflexively demonize China, which often comes with a xenophobic and racist cast of mind.
The Bahamas-U.S. relationship is more layered and often mutually beneficial. The U.S. customs and immigration preclearance facilities in The Bahamas are of benefit to both countries. We have been a reliable partner and a good friend to the U.S., though such friendship and partnership has often been taken for granted by our northern and western neighbor.
There are intimate ties of history and culture, with most slave descendants in The Bahamas arriving with the Loyalists. Like Mexico and Canada we share borders, albeit in our case, a maritime border.

Sheriff
Because of this, the U.S. necessarily and understandably places a premium on security issues such as gun, human, drugs and other forms of trafficking.
This was on dramatic display when Carol Boyd Hallett arrived in The Bahamas like a sheriff to take up her appointment as U.S. ambassador.
The May 12, 1988 L.A. Times story by Don Schanche on Hallett's arrival entitled, "Anti-Drug Battle Tops Agenda for Outspoken U.S. Envoy to Bahamas", sounded the U.S. alarm.
The story read:
"NASSAU, Bahamas -- When the new U.S. ambassador came to Nassau to oversee American interests here, mainly the war against narcotics traffic, she did it in appropriate style.
"In an unspoken but blunt announcement that she was serious about her role in the drug war, Ambassador Carol Boyd Hallett chose a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration airplane to bring her over from the mainland.
"Hallett's pointed choice of carrier scandalized a few Bahamians. 'It insulted a whole nation of people,' complained Dr. Elwood Donaldson of the Bahamas Concerned Citizens Assn....The press and most community leaders applauded her.
"The applause, and the complaints, have continued almost unabated in the 19 months since the slight, 50-year-old former California legislator arrived. And so has Hallett's determination to make a major dent in the enormous quantity of drugs, mainly cocaine and marijuana, that pass through the scattered and hard-to-police islands of The Bahamas en route from Colombia to the United States."
Over the decades, the U.S. has become fixated on the security aspects of our relationship, and now maintains a significant footprint in terms of U.S. government agencies present in The Bahamas.
J. Richard Blankenship served as U.S. Ambassador to The Bahamas from December 2001 to July 2003. Appointed by former U.S. President George W. Bush, his was a colorful tenure. The Wikipedia page on his time as ambassador is telling.
His page includes this introductory note: "The neutrality of this article is disputed. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until conditions to do so are met."

Cruising
Blankenship's page deserves to be quoted at some length. It is a curious read.
"He [Blankenship] was often seen cruising the streets of Nassau in his State Department vehicle, with flags flying as an indication the safety of U.S. citizens was paramount and to those who participated in the illicit smuggling of narcotics, America was again active and effective in prosecuting those individuals.
"While serving in The Bahamas, Blankenship became best known for his emphasis on drug interdiction. Under his leadership, record amounts of cocaine were seized and more drug smugglers extradited to the United States than in the entire relationship between The Bahamas and United States."
The Wikipedia piece continues:
"He could often be found in the producing countries of South America coordinating operations in the jungles or on isolated islands with law enforcement authorities."
At the highest levels of the U.S. government, including in Congress, The Bahamas is mostly seen in terms of security or as a playground for luxury tourists, including members of congress, former high-ranking U.S. officials and former presidents.
U.S. officials often fail to see that many of the threats to our security are fueled by American habits, such as a voracious appetite for drugs. This does not exclude complicity by Bahamians facilitating the drugs trade.
Further, the American appetite for guns, including high-powered weapons and ammunition, has wreaked havoc on The Bahamas.
Given recent relations between The Bahamas and the U.S., it is little surprise, though no less disturbing, that Manchester views The Bahamas as a protectorate. Bahamas Foreign Minister Darren Henfield responded generally well to Manchester's insulting claim.
Curiously, the foreign minister labeled Manchester's remarks as a Freudian slip. Was his rejoinder a Freudian slip? Was he being purposeful in this remark? If so, it suggests that he believes that Manchester really does view The Bahamas as a protectorate. The foreign minister and others will have to school Manchester about The Bahamas.
The May 15 announcement from the White House on Manchester's nomination reads:
"If confirmed, 'Papa' Doug Manchester of California will serve as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.
"Mr. Manchester is a leading industrialist with accomplishments on a national and international scale in telecommunications, radio broadcast, medical instrumentation, publishing, and real estate development.
"Since 1970, he has been chairman of Manchester Financial Group, which has multiple divisions, including Manchester Grand Resorts and M Commercial Properties. He leads the Manchester Charitable Foundation and currently serves on the Board of Trustees of The Sanford Burnham Medical Research Institute."
Manchester is a businessman and philanthropist. The Minnis administration should engage him and the U.S. on a broader agenda, especially an economic one. It is time for a more balanced relationship, a matter we should urgently pursue for the mutual benefit of both countries.
The U.S. may come to realize that an enhanced economic partnership may also help to improve the national security of The Bahamas, and security cooperation between longstanding neighbors and allies.

o frontporchguardian@gmail.com,
www.bahamapundit.com.

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