In the years following the Arab Spring, Europe learnt that without prior planning and consideration, large numbers of people fleeing instability can rapidly create political, social and economic tensions in ways that polarise national discourse, change politics, affect foreign relations, and redefine social thinking.
Without clear policies and a well-planned response to the accelerating humanitarian disaster in Venezuela, there are good reasons to believe that similar consequences could follow in the Caribbean.
Read the February 1st report produced by the International Federation of the Red Cross and it is immediately apparent that the refugee crisis in Venezuela will have hard to manage consequences, particularly for smaller nations.
