The whole world is watching with trepidation the puppet-show in the halls of power in the United States. The US remains the global hegemon, with President Donald Trump the puppet …
COMMENTARY — The Caribbean’s US-China ‘dance’
United States hegemony is on steroids with the election of Donald Trump last November. The Monroe Doctrine is back. Might is right. The West is the US’s vassal until Europe …
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COMMENTARY — ‘Angry young men’ seen to need guidance
There is a proverb that states, “A good father is worth 100 teachers.” A key component of the grave and sometimes fatal misbehaviour of Caribbean males is anger. When there …
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COMMENTARY — Trump sparks fear of world war
The world is on a nonstop news cycle. United States President Donald Trump and his actions are on the front pages daily. A related saga has hit home in the …
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COMMENTARY — United States seen as tech ‘hegemon’
The western world, especially Europe, has become a vassal of the United States economically and technologically. Accordingly, the US is the world hegemon, and talk of a multipolar world is …
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COMMENTARY— VI warned about dollar dominance
Will vast global debt lead to war? Time will tell! As the global reserve currency, the United States dollar and associated agencies are in a win-win situation. The US offers …
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COMMENTARY — ‘The dollar, debt and World War 3’
At a time when the Virgin Islands inhabits an increasingly unpredictable and dangerous world, the territory’s policy of forging strong links with Asia is a great vision. Asia is the …
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COMMENTARY — West seen to be in decline
The global south is made up largely of former colonies of European empires. Today they are emerging economic and military powers. China leads the global south in a world that …
COMMENTARY — MAGA seen to have Achilles’ heel
United States President-elect Donald Trump and his “Make America Great Again” agenda have one Achilles’ heel: the rise of the Global South. This weakness that will test the limits of …
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COMMENTARY — Trump seen as threat to world
The election of Donald Trump as the next United States president marks a new American governance model marked by impunity and machismo. Democracy is increasingly taking a back seat. Hubris …
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COMMENTARY — Expecting the worst from Trump
The United States has moved hard right with the victory of Donald Trump and the Republican Party in the country’s Nov. 5 election. The win has also ushered in an …
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COMMENTARY — Stats seen as path to a ‘clear vision’
The most successful societies in terms of social and economic measures are those with a clear vision. Such a vision derives from multiple origins: geography, culture, war, industry, science and …
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COMMENTARY — Call made for better data in VI
This commentary, which is the second in a series, seeks to discover why the most productive societies utilise data, especially statistical data, to drive prosperity. The Virgin Islands is a …
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COMMENTARY — Data seen as key to VI progress
This the first of a series of commentaries exploring why the most productive societies utilise data, especially statistical data, to drive prosperity. When was the Virgin Islands public last aware …
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COMMENTARY — Ideas offered to tackle cost-of-living crisis
Greater productivity, increased production and good governance are the panacea needed to lower the cost of living and increase living standards. For all the efforts of governments to manage living …
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COMMENTARY — ‘Seven pillars’ of capital explained
There are seven pillars upon which capital and growth rests and thrives. As explained in previous commentaries, the Virgin Islands’ capital includes the land, human resources, technology, learning and finance …
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COMMENTARY — Ideas offered for Prospect Reef project
Prospect Reef is the perfect model for studying the subject of capital and its value in driving the Virgin Islands’ prosperity. The management of capital is the key driver of …
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COMMENTARY — VI urged to gauge its productivity
Pursuing a national vision for a prosperous Virgin Islands means adopting an understanding of the territory’s capital mix — land, human resources, technology and other wealth-generating assets — as the …
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COMMENTARY — VI advised to assess its ‘capital mix’
It is important to assess how much of the territory’s capital mix — wealth-generating assets, with their associated supply and value chains — is in the hands of the public …
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COMMENTARY — VI’s ‘productivity’ analysed
The wealth of the Virgin Islands primarily depends on the productivity of its workforce. Productivity is simply the measure of human effort that increases a country or territory’s economic output …
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COMMENTARY — Culture seen as key to success
Social behaviour is culture, and culture decides the destiny of a society. Therefore, the destiny of the Virgin Islands primarily depends on its culture more than any other consideration. Culture, …
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COMMENTARY — ‘Jack the Billionaire’ scrutinised
A $500 million yacht moors off a remote Caribbean island. A helicopter takes off from its deck. A massive private jet sits silently on the tarmac of a private airport …
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COMMENTARY — COI reforms seen as road to better governance
As the Virgin Islands goes through the trauma of a Commission of Inquiry and its aftermath, the territory should remember that the exercise aims at strengthening governance. And getting governance …
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COMMENTARY — Capitalism under the microscope
“The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.” This cliché is useful in revealing the tendency of capital to drive social and wealth inequality. The reason the wealthy appear …
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COMMENTARY — ‘Hegemony of capital’ scrutinised
The hegemony of capital is nothing new. From the earliest days — in fact, the start of written history — the ruler of the tribe was the person who controlled …
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