Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

The Dominican Republic and the United States: From Imperialism to Transnationalism

2001; Duke University Press; Volume: 81; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1215/00182168-81-2-434

1527-1900

Rosario Espinal,

Caribbean history, culture, and politics

Scholarship on the Dominican Republic has grown considerably in the last decade. This book by G. Pope Atkins and Larman Wilson is a welcome addition. Both authors have an extensive record of research and publications on the Dominican Republic and joined efforts in this project to produce an excellent historical study of U.S.–Dominican relations. Their task was to chronicle the evolution of these relations and analyze the major characteristics that defined them.A starting argument is that while U.S.–Dominican relations can be viewed as patron-client dependent, this does not entirely account for their historical complexities. They claim that the Dominican Republic has been able to pursue its own objectives and enjoyed some freedom of action with respect to the United States, and that while the United States has had much influence on the Domini-can Republic on issues related to immigration, economic affairs and drug trafficking, Dominicans have had an impact on the U.S. in these areas as well.The book is organized around eight chapters that cover a range of topics in U.S.–Dominican relations over a long period of time, beginning with the colonial and nineteenth-century foundations, and ending with a discussion of issues and challenges in the mid-1990s. The book concludes with a very useful bibliographical essay that evaluates the main works used in the preparation of the volume.United States’s interest in the Dominican Republic began after the U.S. civil war ended in 1865. This coincided with the end of Spanish colonial rule in the Dominican Republic, which allowed for stronger ties with the U.S., particularly at a time when the United States began its imperialist project and the Dominican Republic, still doubtful of its ability to secure independence from Haiti, sought the support of a powerful nation. The book provides a detailed account of the internal, regional conflicts in the Dominican Republic and the negotiations that went on to annex the Dominican Republic to the United States. However, in 1870, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted against annexation on the grounds that this would provoke conflicts with European powers, generate violence in the Domini-can Republic, and could also lead to the annexation of Haiti.United States imperialism was strongly felt in the Dominican Republic in the early twentieth century. The political chaos and instability that dominated the Dominican Republic, and the financial weakness of the country produced by excessive loans and government corruption, facilitated the increasing economic control of the United States. The main U.S. objectives in the Caribbean were to prevent further European control in the region and generate political and economic stability. In the Dominican Republic, this led to the U.S. intervention in customs collection to secure the payment of foreign loans, and later, to a full military occupation during which the economic infrastructure of the country was developed, the population was disarmed, local and regional caudillos were under control, and a national militia institution was established.After Trujillo came to power in 1930, the most contentious issue was the U.S.-administered customs receivership—the collection of taxes and the spending of revenues. Negotiations began in 1936 to revise, replace or abrogate the 1924 convention. The Dominican government claimed that receivership did not conform with the new political situation in the Dominican Republic or the Good Neighbor Policy. An agreement was reached in 1940 whereby the authority to collect customs revenues was returned to the Dominican Republic. The treaty was approved by the U.S. Senate in 1941 and the customs receivership was officially terminated on 2 April 1941. As this event illustrates, Trujillo sought independence from the United States in his efforts to develop his power.In the 1950s, U.S.–Dominican relations developed in the context of the Cold War. Trujillo was the target of attack for Dominicans in exile, and also for democratic governments that had emerged in the region. Trujillo felt the threat and responded aggressively. Worried about Castro’s rise to power in Cuba, the United States moved away from the policy of nonintervention with dictators and supported the condemnation of the Trujillo dictatorship by the Organization of American States (OAS) in 1960, after Trujillo’s attempt to kill President Betancourt of Venezuela. On 26 August 1960 the United States and other Latin American countries severed diplomatic ties with the Dominican Republic.The post-Trujillo period witnessed intense involvement of the United States in Dominican affairs. With Castro in power in Cuba, the Dominican Republic presented a test case for what was (or was not) politically possible in the region. Eliminating the remnants of the Trujillo dictatorship and establishing a stable regime was a challenge. The election of a democratic government did not settle the issue. Juan Bosch’s reform policies, including reducing funding for the National Police, was disliked by the United States. Lacking U.S. support, the Bosch administration faced increasing opposition from business, the Catholic Church, and the military. The overthrow of Bosch in September 1963 led to a period of chaos and political instability that ended with a U.S. military intervention. This facilitated the return of Joaquín Balaguer, a former collaborator of Trujillo, to power. At the time, the size of the U.S. embassy was particularly large given the size of the Dominican Republic, and the Dominican government could do little, particularly in the area of economic policy, without consulting with the U.S. embassy. This was followed in the 1970s and 1980s by an increasing North Americanization of Dominican society through immigration, travel, and the media. In the 1990s, the United States played a key role in the democratization of the electoral system, and other issues such as drug trafficking and immigration gained further importance.The book is an excellent source of information and analysis. It is clearly written and very well organized. The chapters follow a historical sequence, and each chapter is organized around major themes that defined the period.