Why the Caribbean Needs to go Green
December 19, 2013
NO, THE FOCUS of the following is not going to be on the impending doom of global climate change and the peril that island nations will face due to rising sea levels and warming ocean currents. While a discussion of the merits of the climate change argument may be worthy of engaging in and the consequences of its possible effects may be devastating, that conversation alone has not been enough to motivate many to see the need to invest in renewable energy sources throughout the Caribbean. more...
Tourism & the Caribbean Economy
September 30, 2013
The theory, which has it that nations which are “blessed” with an abundance of natural resources (oil is the paramount example) end up plagued by poor governance, rampant corruption, etc., was first popularized in the 1990s and early 2000s.
It has reappeared as a point of debate in light of the potential sub-Saharan Africa oil boom, even garnering a lengthy discussion in a recent Foreign Affairs article.
While there is no absolute definition of the resource curse, common themes do exist, such as ineffective governance, lack of economic diversification, underdevelopment, revenue volatility, and excessive borrowing. Noting the commonality of problems that exist, the question then must be considered: Is tourism a natural resource and, if so, are the island-states of the Caribbean subject to the resource curse? more...
The Caribbean's Incarceration Problem
September 7, 2013
Every now and again, a report or statistic comes along that presents something genuinely surprising. A few weeks ago, that statistic came by way of a graphic shared through social media. The graphic showed the nations with the highest incarceration rate globally.
This graphic was an illustration of a study by Britain’s International Centre for Prison Studies. What it revealed was that, while the United States topped the list, the incarceration rate amongst Caribbean nations was one of the highest in the world. more...
The Business of Caribbean Cricket
Sport is big business, especially in the Western Hemisphere. Forbes recently released its annual list of the most valuable sport franchises in the world. The value of the franchises that made the list often exceeds the GDP of some of the nations of the Caribbean. Sport has been transformed from more...
The Future of PetroCaribe
At the end of June, leaders from around the Caribbean region met in Nicaragua for the 8th PetroCaribe Summit. Created with the largesse of Hugo Chavez, the cornerstone of PetroCaribe has been the discounted prices on oil sales granted by Venezuela to the Caribbean member-states along with favorable terms for more...
Is Trinidad the Capital of the Caribbean?
On Tuesday, United States Vice President Joe Biden met with CARICOM leaders in Port of Spain as part of a regional tour with scheduled stops in Colombia and Brazil. Perhaps even more intriguing is the fact that the Vice President of the United States is not the most notable diplomatic visit of the week, as the President of China, more...
Op-Ed: From Haiti to Cuba, A Vision For the Caribbean in 2030
AS A REGION, the Caribbean stands at the threshold of opportunity. As with all moments of opportunity, they also come with the simultaneous risks of not achieving the possible and instead, sliding backwards and losing the chances that were once so readily available. In looking towards the year 2030, the Caribbean region more...
Op-Ed: Trinidad Falls Short of Leadership Potential on CCJ Decision
This week, Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced that the Partnership government of Trinidad would move forward on a plan to abolish the appellate jurisdiction of the London-based Privy Council. It was a move that had been widely debated and anticipated ever since the Caribbean Court of Justice more...
Op-Ed: Why the Caribbean Matters
When it comes to US foreign policy, most of the focus tends to be on the Middle East and, increasingly, China. There is rarely a cursory glance offered in the direction of Latin America and the Caribbean, aside from discussions of the border with Mexico. Unfortunately, this is due to the fact that most people do not recognize more...
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