During the 1980s, the nature of modern politics in the Caribbean changed in significant ways. New themes came to dominate political debate in the region, notably the emphasis on "democracy" as a political mechanism, "structural adjustment" on the economic front, and "security" in international relations. In all these spheres, too, the options open to Caribbean states were overlaid—almost overwhelmed—by the interests and actions of the United States.

In Modern Caribbean Politics Anthony Payne and Paul Sutton bring together a distinguished group of schalrs to review the events and legacies of this deacde of change in one of the classic arenas of international politics. In their introduction, the volume editors examine the origin of nationalist politics in the Caribbean and review the "crisis years" of the 1970s. Subsequent chapters focus on the 1980s, exploring the contradictions of liberal economics and electoral politics in Jamaica, the democratic progress of the Dominican Republic, the chaos and disorder of Haitian politics, and the odyssey of the revolution in Cuba. Others treat the interaction of political and economic problems in Trinidad and Guyana, Grenada and the Eastern Caribbean, and Suriname and Puerto Rico. Finally, thematic chapters consider the overarching economic crisis of the region, the growth of the new offshore Caribbean, and the politics of U.S. intervention, militarization, and security.