Caribbean Integration
Caribbean integration movement
I read with great interest a March 4, 2012 article in the Jamaica Gleaner by former Assistant Secretary General of the CARICOM Secretariat, where he argues that poor leadership – political, institutional, and business – has failed the Caribbean integration process. In a recent Facebook discussion I was engaged in, a learned colleague questioned the relevance of regionalism. That regionalism is now being put up to question is not only troubling, but also speaks to low-level institutional push behind the integration movement, and perhaps sadly a psychological retreat from it among Caribbean peoples. This is most manifest in the clear slowing of the once accelerated momentum to make the Caribbean single market and economy a reality.
Only 15 Caribbean countries are full members of CARICOM, while the five British overseas territories – Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands and the Cayman Islands maintain associate status. CARICOM must be expanded for it to remain viable. We cannot underestimate the importance of ‘scale’ in this new global community where trade and development are driven via regional political blocs. Although there are some individual examples of strong economies within the Caribbean, these governments would be foolish to believe that, on their own, they will hold weight among giant economies trade.
The example of Europe is a good one. Although these nations have fought many wars with each other historically, they recognised that in order to survive in the new world order, against the new dispensation (competition India, China, USA etc). they must band together. No European country, by itself, has the scale to compete, so they have to come together to compete. The European Union, despite its recent setback, remains a strong and viable institution. Europe knows it cannot go forward without it. They negotiate as one bloc – adopt free movement of goods and services, of capital. Economically
I read with great interest a March 4, 2012 article in the Jamaica Gleaner by former Assistant Secretary General of the CARICOM Secretariat, where he argues that poor leadership – political, institutional, and business – has failed the Caribbean integration process. In a recent Facebook discussion I was engaged in, a learned colleague questioned the relevance of regionalism. That regionalism is now being put up to question is not only troubling, but also speaks to low-level institutional push behind the integration movement, and perhaps sadly a psychological retreat from it among Caribbean peoples. This is most manifest in the clear slowing of the once accelerated momentum to make the Caribbean single market and economy a reality.
Only 15 Caribbean countries are full members of CARICOM, while the five British overseas territories – Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands and the Cayman Islands maintain associate status. CARICOM must be expanded for it to remain viable. We cannot underestimate the importance of ‘scale’ in this new global community where trade and development are driven via regional political blocs. Although there are some individual examples of strong economies within the Caribbean, these governments would be foolish to believe that, on their own, they will hold weight among giant economies trade.
The example of Europe is a good one. Although these nations have fought many wars with each other historically, they recognised that in order to survive in the new world order, against the new dispensation (competition India, China, USA etc). they must band together. No European country, by itself, has the scale to compete, so they have to come together to compete. The European Union, despite its recent setback, remains a strong and viable institution. Europe knows it cannot go forward without it. They negotiate as one bloc – adopt free movement of goods and services, of capital. Economically