Making the national security council "better in the Bahamas" to resolve illegal migration

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Authors
Henfield, Darren A.
Subjects
The Bahamas
national security council
civil-military relations
tourism
opportunistic maritime criminality
national security strategy
national insecurity
U.S.-Bahamian relations
Haitian migration
transnational and domestic crime
Advisors
Halladay, Carolyn C.
Date of Issue
2015-12
Date
Dec-15
Publisher
Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
The Bahamas’ economy depends primarily on tourism. Unchecked crime and cross-border threats jeopardize the country’s economic viability. The Bahamian government must find the solution for safeguarding the country’s relatively high standard of living. Nonetheless, no national security policy has been forthcoming for the yet-developing small island state just fifty miles off the Florida coast. Central to a secure Bahamas is instituting a comprehensive national security strategy aimed at mitigating threats to national security. More direct involvement of the National Security Council (NSC) with improved civilian control and leadership will better coordinate national security. Such an outcome will bring focus to the unrelenting Haitian problem that results from illegal Haitian immigration to The Bahamas. This thesis examines how the NSC and its processes might optimally engage to realize strategic-level resolutions to the country's challenges. Both strategic and operational recommendations are offered to mitigate the Haitian problem. It is concluded that while The Bahamas has strong institutions, its hesitancy in developing a comprehensive and coherent national security strategy will prove detrimental if not remediated. Bahamian authorities will then be less reflexive and more assertive in seeking to reduce national security threats to the island nation.
Type
Thesis
Description
Reissued 3 Mar 2016 with correction to degree
Department
National Security Affairs
National Security Affairs
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
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Format
Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
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Copyright is reserved by the copyright owner.
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