BAHAMAS NOT CAPABLE OF ASSISTING NEW WAY FORWARD

C O N F I D E N T I A L NASSAU 000549 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR PM/RSAT, WHA/CAR RCBUDDEN E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/25/2017 TAGS: MARR MASS MOPS PREL PTER IZ BF SUBJECT: BAHAMAS NOT CAPABLE OF ASSISTING NEW WAY FORWARD ON IRAQ REF: A. STATE 55436 ¶B. STATE 54925 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires D. Brent Hardt for reasons 1.4(b) and (d) ¶1. (C) The Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas does not have the capacity to contribute military or civilian resources to support the New Way Forward on Iraq. The Bahamian military consists of only 1000 troops, two ships and no air force. The entire military budget for The Bahamas is $40 million per year, insufficient even to capably protect its own sizable territories from endemic drug and migrant smuggling. Civilian resources from this small nation of only 300,000 persons are similarly limited and overburdened. The Bahamas simply doesn't have the resources to help. ¶2. (C) Even if it could assist, The Bahamian Government has neither the interest nor the will to do so. An active member of CARICOM and the Non-Aligned Movement, Bahamian foreign policy is firmly grounded in non-intervention. While Iraq has a limited current profile in public debate, current coalition efforts within Iraq are not popular locally and any proposed involvement would generate insurmountable domestic opposition. HARDT