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The road to Caribbean integration
The road to Caribbean integration
History of Caribbean development and Caribbean identity
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CARIBBEAN POLITICS and SOCIETY
Caribbean Integration
Rationale for Integration.
The Caribbean remains fragmented both economically and politically as a result of competition and conflict among the European powers. Fragmentation is in part the product of a long history as separate colonies of a metropolitan power or powers. It is also in part the psychological effects on people of separation by sea.
The case for regional integration is both simple and irrefutable. First we are small and we need to achieve economies of scale. We need to achieve such economies in markets, production, the mobilisation of regional capital for regional use, university education, science and technology, sea and air transport to mention some areas.
We therefore need to pool as far as is feasible our markets and our financial human and natural resources. We need a single unified and truly common market for goods and services, capital, and trained manpower. In addition we need to coordinate not only the development of our productive sectors but also our economic policies. And we need both a common external tariff and a common set of external trade, economic and other policies.
Very basically put, we must come closer together because even the more economically advanced and biggest of us are mere specks of dusts in international terms. To admit that we are specks of dust does not however mean that we should sink ourselves in passive apathy in economic and international matters; rather we should get together to forma an object with more mass and more weight so that our presence could be more easily seen and more effectively used in the promotion of our own interests. We are small states by world and even Hemispheric standards, we are economically and politically weak individual units.
We must avoid the temptation if at any given time our individual national economy is more prosperous than those of our other partner states, to be so arrogant as to forget that our economic situation may be suddenly reversed and that therefore we will soon need close links with our partner states in matters concerning both the intra-regional and extra-regional spheres. West Indian history abounds with instances of countries suffering sudden reversals of their economic fortunes.
Advantages of Integration.
 a stronger voice internationally
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...ess and Hurdles: A European View, Kingston: Kingston Publishers.
West Indian Commission (1992) An Overview of the Report of the West Indian Commission: Time for Action, Barbados: West Indian Commission.
Issues to Think about:
What are your reasons for Caribbean Integration.
Is the integration process within CARICOM marred by cynicism, lack of political will and self-aggrandisement of the political directorate? Comment with regard to the issues confronting the realisation of the CSME.
What role can the OECS play in strengthening the Caribbean Community?
Can the goal of integration be realised without the building of trust?
What is the role of the ACS (Association of Caribbean States). Do you think the ACS will enhance or undermine CARICOM?
Questions to Consider:
1. “What God have divided no man can put together”. Discuss in relation to Caribbean integration.
2. Assess the approaches to integration in the region and consider what have been the main failures and benefits of the movement. What else needs to be done and why?
3. Should Commonwealth Caribbean countries politically integrate?
“Jamaica’s a country of great dichotomy. On the one hand you have a tourist industry with great beaches and resorts, but on the other you have such great poverty and the violence that goes along with that.”(Michael Franti) In this paper, I will talk about the geography, the history of Jamaica, the people that live there now and that lived there in the past, the lifestyle of the society, and the society, like the government and economy.
Thus, it has been an accumulation of events which continue to occur which has developed great tension between these neighboring nations. Works Cited Beckles, Dr. Hillary, Verene Shepherd. Caribbean Slave Society and Economy. The New Press, New York.
Knight, Franklin W., The Caribbean, The Genesis of a Fragmented Nationalism. 1990 Oxford University Press, N.Y., N.Y.
(q) Contribute to hemispheric integration and the fulfillment of the objectives of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (http://www.
...herefore, in order to solve the security issues and maintain the regional peacefully, the U.S. and China has to cooperate rather than compete with each other.
During the past few years the tourism in these countries has increased which helps them get more money in the country and make the economy grow a little but this is not going to help the country’s GDP increase a lot because this is only one part of the income that contributes to all of the Latin American and Caribbean countries. In “Regional Economic Outlook: Western Hemisphere Northern Spring, Southern Chills” It was stated that “Latin America and the Caribbean are the known spot for tourist destinations”. This shows us that the Latin America and the Caribbean are beautiful places but their economy just isn't doing the best. Also tourism is not the only source of income for the countries because these countries also hves oil which is one of the leading asset in Latin America and Caribbean economy. There was also a sharp drop in oil prices in 2014 and cheaper oil is creating significant relief, which is cutting import bills by 3-4 percentage points of the GDP on average. This helps other countries look at Latin America and Caribbean as places to get cheap oil. This will ultimately help Latin America and Caribbean get some money for their economy which will increase the
societies to reexamine their view of the Caribbean. In this paper the following topics in The
The history of Jamaica is extremely jaded with disease, buccaneering, and slavery. First discovered by Europeans in 1494, Columbus stopped on Jamaica on his second trip to the “New World” and encountered the indigenous Arawaks (Encyclopedia Americana, 2001, P 672). Later colonized by Spain in 1509, the land was abandoned when the lack of abundance of silver and gold was discovered. The indigenous Arawaks were overwhelmed with European disease and died out (Encyclopedia Americana, 2001, 672). These times will be some of the most peaceful times in Jamaican history. Buccaneers used Jamaica as a trade center for booty seized from different galleons. Soon following, England will seize as much of Spain’s Caribbean land as possible.
A good case study surrounding regional economic integration can be found in the trucking industries of the US and Mexico during the establishment of the North
According to Trevor M. A. Farrell, author of perspective, “Decolonization in the English-Speaking Caribbean”, colonialism is when organization of resources of a country being exploited is done for the financial benefit of the oppressor. All the power lies in the hands of the colonizing country (589). The tourism indust...
Browne, David V. C., and Henderson Carter. Atlantic Interactions. Kingston, Jamaica: I. Randle, 2008. Print.
Throughout history an even today, Caribbean scholars contend that Caribbean relations are characterized by an interplay of race, class and gender. Clarke agree with this statement and said that, “The social structure of the Caribbean region is based on differences associated with class, race or colour, ethnicity and culture (Clarke, 2013). These three (3) components of race, class and gender affect each other in one way or the other. In other word, one’s class position may be dependent on his or her race or gender or one’s gender may determine his or her class position in society. It is important to note that the interplay of race, class and gender in the Caribbean differs from island to island. This essay will discuss the extent to which
Caribbean music is formed based on the tradition of Calypso, Soca, Zouk, and Reggae. They own a diversity style music since being bordered by the islands of Jamaica, Haiti and Trinidad. Morden community has fight for their independence and some islands won their or being a part of invading country only. Specially is the freedom of Cuba, Haiti and Jamaica with their self-sufficient and others now belong to the United States. These things had happening at the sametime that broke the Caribbean culture apart and created a diversity history.
The social composition of the Caribbean is the result of the racial alliance and allocation of occupation. The plural society model becomes apparent to see in the consideration of the racial alliance and distribution of occupation. There is verification of all three theories in the Caribbean society but amongst them plural society is the clear choose to relate to the Caribbean society today, because it best explains what is taking place in society today especially in Trinidad and Tobago.
Modernization theory is an unworkable guide for facilitating Caribbean growth because of the many weaknesses, which have been highlighted. The modernization theory although is without a doubt one of he most influential theory, is in fact an unworkable guide to Caribbean development as it simply describes the development process without showing how it might be achieved. The theory is in fact a unilinear, ethnocentric theory and it is with all it's shortcomings which one can conclude that it provides an unworkable guide to Caribbean development.