U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, in Barbados for a regional meeting of foreign ministers, unveiled the administration's $124 million Caribbean Basin Security Initiative on Thursday, intended to help countries counter the illegal narcotics and arms trade and help prosecute offenders.
Caribbean islands had one of their bloodiest years on record in 2009 as they battled drug-fueled crime, with Jamaica, the Bahamas and Puerto Rico hitting or coming close to all-time highs for homicides.
Clinton also expressed sympathy Thursday with Caribbean nations about the potential impact of the Gulf oil spill on their shores. Some scientists fear the spill could affect the Bahamas and Jamaica.