"The light that comes from wisdom never goes out"
Earlier this month at a conference on Caribbean security, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Motley spoke about the consequences of the war in Ukraine and the now unavoidable impact it will …
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For most, a passport denotes citizenship, belonging, certain rights, and residence. For others, especially the world’s wealthy, obtaining a “stronger” additional passport than the one provided by their country of …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — ‘Citizenship by investment’ under fire”
Nothing better illustrates the divide that exists between today’s Caribbean and its past than two unfortunate images of Prince William and his wife Catherine during their recent visit to Jamaica: …
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Caribbean Community heads meeting in Belize recently could not have been clearer about the “perfect storm” that is about to strike the Caribbean. Speaking at a post-summit press conference, Belize …
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It is no exaggeration to say that education has made the Caribbean what it is today. From rebellion through emancipation to the creation of unions and political parties, in revolution …
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Imagining a better future for the Caribbean is not hard, but delivering it is becoming infinitely more complex. In the modern world, in a non-biblical sense, a Caribbean promised land …
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In mid-November, a little noticed virtual meeting took place. It considered in the round the security threats that the Caribbean will face in the future. It pointed not just to …
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In a powerful speech at last month’s COP26 climate summit, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley seized the day. In just eight minutes, she captured the attention of her fellow leaders, …
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Some years ago, then-Barbados Prime Minister Owen Arthur told me that unless regional leaders could agree on how to achieve economic parity between Caricom’s member states, a viable Caribbean Single …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — ‘The big fish, small fish problem’”
Sometime in the next 12 months, when the pandemic is fully brought under control in North America and Europe, visitors will return to the Caribbean in significant numbers. Once that …
Recently published visitor arrival figures indicate that Caribbean tourism has started down the long road to recovery. Following a disastrous 2020 during which governments closed borders to try to halt …
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Last month Britain published two significant post-Brexit policy documents setting out its future thinking on foreign policy, defence, security and development. Both referenced in general terms the importance to the …
What global role should a post-imperial, post-Brexit Britain play? Can it reinvent itself in a manner that convinces a population increasingly divided by education, age, race, location and inequality, let …
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There is an old saying that you wait ages for a London bus and then two (or even three) come along at once. It is not an expression, as far …
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In the dying days of the Donald Trump presidency in the United States, the State Department designated Cuba a “state sponsor of terrorism.” Regrettably, the measure will slow efforts by …
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Joe Biden is now that 46th president of the United States, and many governments and individuals around the world are breathing a collective sigh of relief. This is not because …
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Last year was a disaster for Caribbean tourism. Estimates suggest that visitor arrivals to the region fell by 75 percent in the last three quarters of 2020, causing overall Caribbean …
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It is hard to know what the future holds for Venezuela, its opposition leader Juan Guaidó, or the present United States-led policy that emphasises sanctions and isolation. Last week, as …
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It is hard to know what the future holds for Venezuela, its opposition leader Juan Guaidó, or the present United States-led policy that emphasises sanctions and isolation. Last week, as …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Post-election, Venezuela’s future considered”
This was the year when much of the Caribbean went to the polls. General elections were held in Anguilla, Belize, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, St. Kitts and Nevis, …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Writer says democracy alone is ‘not enough’ in Caribbean”
In the past few days, Pfizer BioNTech, a German-United States company, and the US company Moderna have separately announced that the Covid-19 vaccines they have been developing have proved 95 …
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It is easy to share the excitement felt across the Caribbean at United States President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the polls. However, a calmer voice within suggests that while the …
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A few days ago, the United States ambassador in Kingston, Donald Tapia, gave an exclusive interview to the Jamaica Observer. In it, he said that Jamaica has to make a …
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Since late April there have been virtually no tourist arrivals in the Caribbean. In recent days, however, several countries have announced plans to reopen to international travel, albeit in a …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Call made for regional tourism protocol”
The challenge that is now facing almost every Caribbean nation is how best to recover the tourism economy, without which future economic growth and sustainable tax revenues will be all …
Continue reading “COMMENTARY — Ideas offered for regional tourism recovery”