Grenada
In 1983, a split in the governing left-wing party led to the overthrow and execution of the country's charismatic leader, Maurice Bishop. Six days after a Marxist military council seized power, the island was invaded by US forces and those of six other Caribbean nations, which quickly captured the ringleaders and their hundreds of Cuban advisers. Free elections were reinstituted the following year. The country is a parliamentary democracy within the Commonwealth, with the British monarch as head of state represented by a Governor General. There is a bicameral parliament made up of a 13-seat nominated Senate and a 15-seat elected House of Representatives.
Politically, Grenada has progressed well in recent years in its process of recovery from a period of uncertainty that culminated in the US-led military intervention of October 1983. Prime Minister Keith Mitchell and his New National Party (NNP) came to power in 1995 with a comfortable margin and won a landslide in the 1999 general elections for a second term. The election was triggered 18 months early when two of Mitchell's ministers defected to the opposition after it charged the government with corruption. Mitchell began a third straight term in office in late November 2003, although his win was a narrow one - eight out of 15 seats - and contrasted sharply with his landslide victory of 1999. He has been credited with overseeing economic growth and inward investment during his time in office.
The smallest independent country in the western hemisphere, Grenada has one of the fastest-growing economies in the Caribbean, yet poverty is widespread. A large growth in investment and tourism, and a construction boom, have helped to lower unemployment levels. However, the country was dealt a serious blow in 2004 when Hurricane Ivan swept through killing dozens of people, damaging 90% of the island's buildings and devastating the nutmeg crop.
Tourism has generated its own problems, raising threats to the rainforest and beach erosion caused by resort projects.
There are no specific threats to foreigners traveling to or residing in Grenada, but street crime is a concern (see below).
