Mine field: Dominican Republic’s foreign policy

Santo Domingo.- The Dominican Republic’s foreign policy has been subjected to important tests in recent months. Haiti, Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela have experienced changes in their institutional life that are not alien to the country.

In some cases, the Dominican Government has decided to have a clear and direct participation, in others it has preferred to keep a low profile, which in the end is also a reaction to the political event taking place outside the national territory.

With different perspectives, Juan González, political scientist and university professor, and Eddy Tejeda, lawyer and expert in migration issues, analyze the extent to which Dominican foreign policy is walking through a mined terrain in the regional scenario.

For González, “The Dominican Republic has remained an actor of dialogue and agreement in the face of internal and bilateral conflicts in Latin American countries, since its policy has been characterized by respect for the self-determination of the peoples.”

The individual reflection of the cases, however, does not necessarily lead to that conclusion. In Tejeda’s opinion, the construction of a perimeter fence on the border with Haiti shows “an extraordinary aggressiveness.”