Communist Revolution Yields Democratic Nation
What began as a communist revolution ended as an ironic rebirth of democracy. With the help of American and peace-keeping forces located in the Caribbean, Governor-General Paul Scoon — who had been rescued by American troops — was able to appoint a temporary prime minister in December of 1983 (Nicholas Braithwaite), until proper elections could be held. Said democratic proceedings were held in 1984, at which point, Herbert Blaize, of the Grenada National Party, was elected as the first prime minister of a newly democratic Grenada. Today, due to the intervention seen in Operation Urgent Fury, Grenada still remains a free, parliamentary democracy. Furthermore, the halt of communism in Grenada, quite arguably discouraged the spread of communism throughout the rest of the Caribbean and in South America as it helped to define the military strength and influence of the United States in the region.
Democratic Stability Fuels Economy
With Grenada's prosperity no longer halted by internal confrontations and power struggles, economic advantages (such as those mentioned in the interview below) were observed as the result of the intervention of the United States and its Caribbean allies. The Island of Spice, as Grenada is commonly known due to its impressive exportation of nutmeg and mace, was given the opportunity to grow its economy through tourism — a plentiful industry for those in the Caribbean.
"Actually, before this hostage situation, nobody had ever even heard of the island of Grenada. So, actually, now it's probably one of the biggest tourist spots in the Caribbean. Before, it was just a medical school; that was the only thing the whole island had going for them and their economy. So, the invasion actually brought a name to the island and is now -- like I said — one of the hottest vacation places in the world. They have tourist trade and everything else so their economy has been greatly boosted by what the United States did."
Rick Fitzgerald, first sergeant (ret.) U.S. Army
Audio: Rick Fitzgerald, interview, April 1, 2012 |