David Jessop

On December 4 and 5 the Premiers and Chief Ministers of the UK’s Overseas Territories will gather in London for their annual Joint Ministerial Council with the British Government.

As wealthy Russian, Chinese, US and other citizens look for new domiciles, Caribbean nations are either developing new economic citizenship programmes or are moving to increase awareness of existing schemes.

‘Education, education, education’, was the expression used by Britain’s former Prime Minister, Tony Blair, to describe his three main priorities just before he first took office. 

A week ago, before Hurricane Sandy rampaged across the Caribbean, up the US  east coast and through New York, a wide variety of opinion polls showed a virtual dead heat in the US presidential race; or at least a result that was too close to call.

Two weeks ago, Barbados’ Prime Minister, Freundel Stuart, pointed to an issue that ought to give pause for thought across Caricom.

One of the most sensitive subjects for the travel industry is the issue of security.

Earlier this month the International Monetary Fund (IMF) published its latest forecast for the world economy.

Narcotics trafficking through the Caribbean, and the associated criminality that accompanies it may be about to get worse.

One year ago Europe made clear that it intended changing the basis on which it provides development assistance to the region.

All Caribbean governments are faced with a conundrum: how to stimulate growth at a time when they know they have little option but to cut public expenditure, reduce their indebtedness and introduce tough austerity measures.

In a matter of days, representatives of Caribbean civil society will meet in Trinidad to discuss the process of EPA implementation.

Over the last several months there have been a number of reports that suggest that the Caribbean tourism economy is beginning to turn around.

As the worst US drought in fifty years drives up the price of staples such as corn, soybean and wheat, and changing weather patterns affect cereal production in Russia, the Ukraine and Kazakhstan, the world is about to experience another surge in food prices.

Can the 2008 EU Cariforum Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) still be made to work to the region’s advantage, or is its economic promise fading?

To a significant extent the history of Caribbean economic development has been led by one or another nation external to the region seeking advantage for itself or for its enterprises.

Trying to understand what China wants of the Carib-bean has become a subject of conversation from one end of the region to the other.

The idea of a comprehensive global trade round of the kind envisaged when governments met in Doha in November 2001 is dead for the foreseeable future.

Recent Caricom Heads of Government meetings have recorded concern about one or another aspect of the relationship between the UK and its overseas territories.

In 2010 the US Congress enacted legislation that has the effect of extending the reach of US tax law to the Caribbean and all other countries.

In mid May an interesting article appeared in China Daily, an English language paper published in China for foreigners and high-end citizens, and which tends to portray the official policy of Chinese government.