This week I pulled from two sources to provide me a clear picture into one of Thatcher's decision. During the Cold War, Grenada, a British commonwealth, had experienced political turbulence. The Soviet Union wanted to establish Grenada as a soviet satellite, while Reagan felt nervous about the ramifications the political unrest had on the United States citizens residing in the country at the time. As Ramphel explains in The United States in the Caribbean: Thirty Years after American Fury. Round Table, Regan worried that the unrest in the area near American college students would lead to a complete shamble and a press disaster. Therefore, Reagan chose to send a small force into the island to protect the students. The long-term ramification of Operation Urgent Fury included independence for Grenada and a public shaming of the West.
I chose the audio from the two's phone call because it highlighted Thatcher's decision making process. When listening to the apology Reagan gave Thatcher, she remained quiet, stern, and maternal. Reagan kept apologizing and trying to explain why he wanted to invade and Thatcher's responses were always a stern silence. A component of this was that Thatcher worried the Soviets wiretapped the communications, but another reason highlights the attitude Thatcher had towards the situation. Rather than angrily berating Reagan, she understood his failure came about his decision-making process.
Reagan used the first model in deciding to invade. He felt that the Marxists in the country were creating havoc for the citizens whom were rational actors. He believed that invading would show them the power of the West and they would embrace the assistance. To a certain extent, Reagan even used the second model in evaluating his invasion decision. He analyzed the Marxist government and knew that a small force would easily conquer the islands. However, none of this took the third model into account. On an international scale, the even was an embarrassment to the West. It appeared to be two western countries battling over hegemony.
Thatcher, however, used the third model in evaluating her decision. She didn't want Reagan to send troops because she took into account the governmental reactions to the invasion. Grenada saw the invasion for an opportunity to claim their independence and responsively did so. Moreover, Ramphel explains the broader ramifications the invasion had on trade routes within the Caribbeans and trade deals with other Caribbean islands.
