The conventional wisdom is that small developing countries exert limited-if any-influence on the foreign policy of superpowers, in particular the United States. This book challenges that premise based on the experience of the small developing country of Jamaica and its relations with the United States. It raises the question: if the foreign policy of the United States can be influenced by even a small developing country, should Washington be worried?

This book provides a history of the WTO US-EU banana dispute through the lens of a major actor: the US-owned multinational firm, Chiquita Brands International. It documents and explains how Chiquita succeeded in having the Clinton administration pursue a trade policy of forcing the European Union to dismantle its preferential banana import regime for exports from the small English-speaking Caribbean (ESC) countries. The export of bananas was critically important to the social stability and economic viability of these countries and that was in the national security interest of the United States. The experience indicates that succeeding in this goal was detrimental to U.S. national security interest in the Caribbean.

This book provides a history of the WTO US-EU banana dispute through the lens of a major actor: the US-owned multinational firm, Chiquita Brands International. It documents and explains how Chiquita succeeded in having the Clinton administration pursue a trade policy of forcing the European Union to dismantle its preferential banana import regime for exports from the small English-speaking Caribbean (ESC) countries. The export of bananas was critically important to the social stability and economic viability of these countries and that was in the national security interest of the United States. The experience indicates that succeeding in this goal was detrimental to U.S. national security interest in the Caribbean.

Globalization, Trade, and Economic Development: The CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement is the most in-depth study of the economic partnership between the European Union and the fifteen Caribbean developing countries that make up CARIFORUM. The CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) is the first trade agreement of its kind, as it is a new type of WTO-compatible trade agreement between a group of developed countries and a group of developing countries. As a principal negotiator for CARIFORUM, Richard L. Bernal is uniquely qualified to provide a unique perspective on trade and economic development in the midst of globalization. In this book, he comprehensively explores the components of the EPA from all angles, explains how the agreement provides opportunities to strengthen and accelerate economic development, and outlines the policies which can allow the CARIFORUM countries to seize these opportunities. Bernal's explanation of the institutional arrangements for the conduct of the negotiations by CARIFORUM is invaluable to governments and regional organizations in developing countries for coordinating groups to advance common and joint positions in international negotiations.

The dominant school of thought is that the foreign policies of large nations, are - with the exception of symbolic gestures and acts of 'generosity' - impervious to the policy priorities of small states. Jamaica, as a matter of historical fact, turns this theory on its head. Bernal, as Jamaica's ambassador and key strategist, demonstrated a rare mastery of the subtleties, nuances and complexities of Washington, as revealed in the analysis and documentation in the book. He details the ways in which his small nation was able, between 1991 and 2001, to have an indisputable impact on the foreign policy of the world's sole superpower. This work is an invaluable resource for policymakers, students of international relations, those intrigued by the often maze-like character of US foreign policy formulation, and those curious about the insights and skills that enabled Jamaica to have so clear an impact. Randall Robinson, Professor, Penn State University School of Law With the publication of The Influence of Small States on Superpowers, scholar-practitioner Richard L. Bernal burnishes his well-deserved reputation for being a leading observer of Washington's great sausage factory: the unruly making of US foreign policy and the complex interplay among clashing domestic and varied foreign interests, most particularly with regard to non-crisis regions. Bernal brilliantly demonstrates his core thesis - that size need not matter, that ambition, brains, and strategy can carry the day - beyond a reasonable doubt.