As we stand on the threshold of 2024, gazing upon the daybreak of a brand new 12 months with uncertainty, the time has come for a profound reflection on the trajectory of the 15 Caribbean nations constituting the Caribbean Neighborhood (CARICOM).
This juncture prompts the area’s nations to take inventory of the strides made, acknowledge the alternatives uncared for in pursuing particular person sovereignty, and confront the twin problem of advancing home well-being whereas strengthening their world standing.
On this pivotal second, it’s evident that the extra urgent threats to CARICOM’s progress emanate not solely from local weather change however primarily from the dearth of social cohesion and political consensus inside and between CARICOM nations.
The selection earlier than CARICOM international locations now is identical one which has continuously confronted them: both pursue a more in-depth union that may make them stronger collectively or march alone, understanding they might assuredly be weaker however hoping to gamble on success to muddle by means of.
To this point, CARICOM international locations, or a minimum of their political management, have gambled on their ingenuity to take care of the trimmings of sovereignty whereas conceding autonomy to exterior forces, which, for one motive or one other, prop them up however preserve their dependence.
For the reason that Sixties, when Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and Barbados launched into separate pathways of independence, they and the opposite CARICOM international locations that adopted them have had fluctuating financial and social improvement durations, however they’ve but to change into unbiased. They’ve paid a steep worth for cherishing particular person sovereignty, manifested of their smallness and lack of capability to affect the world.
The truth is stark: regardless of commendable strides on the home entrance, CARICOM nations stay on the fringes of world significance. For almost all, financial development is stunted, shackled by burdensome ranges of unsustainable debt. Exterior shocks, such because the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic and the volatility of commodity costs, additional pressure their fiscal capacities.
The chance missed lies within the aftermath of the dissolution of the West Indian Federation, as every nation opted for the attract of self-reliance. They made the error that the USA of America didn’t. As US historian Carol Berkin put it, the 13 former British colonies fashioned a union “on the agency conviction {that a} sturdy authorities representing all of the peoples of a Federal State was the surest path to financial development and prosperity, to civil legislation and order, and to profitable respect and recognition from overseas nations needed to make sure America’s continued independence.” And so, it turned out to be.
Whereas over time, in recognition of their weak spot, CARICOM international locations have established joint establishments and collective equipment, they nonetheless must create a legally binding political umbrella that may successfully cope with vital home and overseas challenges.
Importantly, CARICOM leaders ought to have executed what the US founding fathers thought-about important. They didn’t do the exhausting work of governance to create a nationalism constructed on a shared identification as residents of a united Caribbean. Thus, the pursuit of separate sovereignties nonetheless hampers the power of CARICOM international locations in financial, monetary, and diplomatic arenas.
None ought to imagine that durations of financial success that mirror in episodes of financial development are adequate when underlying buildings of weak spot stay. Finally, the elemental weaknesses, not the occasional successes, decide nationwide viability.
CARICOM must reignite the flame of real independence. To take action, CARICOM international locations should reevaluate the Caribbean Single Market and Financial system idea, fostering regional cooperation that transcends nationwide borders.
Along with exterior challenges, CARICOM international locations face a major hurdle within the type of inside political rivalries each inside particular person states and among the many member nations. The relentless pursuit of political energy and affect usually precedes the essential want for social cohesion and nationwide consensus—foundational components for reaching truthful and balanced regional improvement.
Whereas various opinions on coverage issues are important in democratic societies, the detrimental follow of dismissing opposing views solely for slender political positive factors undermines the very essence of progress. It turns into crucial to acknowledge that prioritizing regionalism over nationalism is the important thing to fostering development, fortifying economies, and constructing the required capability for true independence.
A looming concern threatening Caribbean stability is the alarming surge in gang-related violence, prominently evident in Haiti. The cultivation of gangs is just not merely an area predicament however a symptom of organized crime in search of to destabilize the Caribbean as hubs for illicit actions. Addressing this menace necessitates a united entrance constructed upon social cohesion and nationwide consensus, lest it turns into an insurmountable obstacle to financial and political integration.
The time is appropriate for leaders throughout CARICOM, spanning authorities, opposition events, the non-public sector, unions, and academia, to reignite the imaginative and prescient of deeper integration. The emphasis needs to be on pursuing regional improvement and nationwide pursuits on parallel tracks, recognizing that every can contribute to the opposite. Pursuing nationwide issues to the exclusion of regional improvement is self-defeating.
Apart from Haiti, the teachings ingrained in CARICOM’s shared historical past for the reason that Thirties underscore the importance of interdependence, preserving a particular Caribbean identification, and collectively buying the capital and capability requisite for the area to face as a sturdy, revered, and influential space globally.
The highway forward calls for a paradigm shift in our political tradition that locations social cohesion and nationwide curiosity on the forefront. By transcending political rivalries and fostering collaboration, CARICOM nations can harness their collective power to navigate the complexities of 2024 and past.
The imaginative and prescient of independence inside interdependence stays an attainable beacon, promising a way forward for prosperity for the various and dynamic nations that represent the Caribbean Neighborhood.
It’s inside the area’s creativity to create a constitutional mechanism that CARICOM international locations can assign to a central company composed of representatives of their states to maintain unity that advantages all. Separateness and smallness is not going to do.
(The author is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the US and the OAS. He’s additionally the present President of the OAS Everlasting Council. The views expressed are fully his personal.)
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