Most people in the Caribbean are poor, and the economies of their countries, shaped by colonizing powers, remain highly dependent on international markets, Caribbean nations that have tried to follow a more autonomous course have found themselves at odds with the United States, which sees the region as part of its own sphere of influence. Washington has tried to bind the region more closely to the U.S. economy as a source of cheap labor and as a market for U.S. goods, while pushing Caribbean governments to repay onerous foreign debts at the expense of the living standards of their people. In...