Monarchy of Barbados - Stability

Stability

A claim made by supporters of the monarchy is that the Queen "keeps the line of stability open." When Barbados become independent in 1966, the cold war threat meant small islands in the region were unusually vulnerable to coup d'états or invasions by foreign powers. The Queen's continued association to Barbados meant that if the country were ever invaded, the Constitution's provisions for empowering the Monarchy with reserve powers should mean the continuity of the executive authority as the Queen is located safely across the Atlantic Ocean. This is especially useful if the entire government became incapacitated or was unable to function. Such a continuation of the executive authority for Barbados has not been tested, however it may have helped if the Operation Red Dog-invasion plot which targeted the Commonwealth of Dominica and likely Barbados was not halted. By virtue of the Monarch not being located within Barbados means more difficulty for the entire Barbados government to fall.