Foreign policy and defense
Grenada is a nation in North America. Its capital city is Saint George’s. Grenada has been pursuing a Western-friendly policy since the US invasion in 1983, where relations with the United States and the Caribbean have been important. The United States has since been an important aid donor. In recent years, China has also expanded its cooperation with Grenada.
The need for financial support for reconstruction following Hurricane Ivan in 2004 prompted the government of Grenada to establish diplomatic relations with China in 2005. Grenada thus broke with Taiwan with whom it has had relations since the mid-1980s. Beijing has also assisted Grenada with various infrastructure projects, including the construction of a sports arena and housing.
- Countryaah: Overview of business holidays and various national observances in Grenada for years of 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
In 1999, diplomatic relations with Cuba resumed and the following year with Libya. These relationships had been down since 1983.
Grenada and Trinidad and Tobago agreed at the end of the 1990s on the border crossing at sea between the countries. The Grenadian government has subsequently increased the search for oil and gas in the sea area. Grenada has also initiated talks with Venezuela to determine the sea border between the countries (see also Natural Resources and Energy).
Grenada is a member of the Eastern Caribbean Organization (OECS). Member States have, among other things, a single currency, the eastern Caribbean dollar, and a common central bank located in Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Together with other OECS members, Grenada is also part of the larger Caribbean cooperation body Caricom (Caribbean Community) and in 2006 joined and started Caricom’s common market CSME (Caribbean Single Market and Economy). The purpose of the CSME is to increase the mobility of capital and labor to strengthen the region’s economies. However, the work on implementing the plans is slow.
Grenada and other OECS states’ police forces are trained by the British and US military in the framework of security policy cooperation, which aims, among other things, to stop the smuggling of drugs from Latin America via the Caribbean island world.
The defense consists of a police force of about 800 men. It includes a paramilitary unit of 80 men and a coast guard with 30 members. The latter two are trained and materially supported by the United States Army and Coast Guard.