The region includes 13 island nations, from the Bahamas in the north to Trinidad and Tobago in the south; Belize, which is geographically located in Central America; and the 2 countries of Guyana and Suriname, located on the north main coast of South America. Lots of countries in the region share a typical African ethnic and British colonial heritage, while Cuba and the Dominican Republic were Spanish nests, Haiti was French, and Suriname was Dutch. The dates of self-reliance of these countries range from Haiti in 1804 to St. Kitts and Nevis in 1983. The largest nations in regards to land area are Guyana and Suriname, while those with the biggest populations are Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti.
Politically, all Caribbean countries, with the exception of communist Cuba, have actually elected democratic governments. The majority of the previous British nests have parliamentary kinds of government, with the exception of Guyana, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Suriname, which are republics headed by presidents. In terms of local combination, 14 of the area's independent countries belong to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), with the exception of the Dominican Republic (which has observer status) and Cuba. CARICOM was formed in 1973 to stimulate regional financial integration. Some critics argue that it has been slow to promote combination, compared to other regional financial groupings, however progress has actually been made in moving towards a single economic market and in developing a Caribbean Court of Justice.
The 6 OECS countries also share a typical currency, the Eastern Caribbean dollar, with monetary policy handled by the Eastern Caribbean Reserve Bank. The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), headquartered in Barbados, promotes economic development and regional integration. With the exception of Cuba and Haiti, regular elections have actually been the norm, and for the a lot of part have actually been complimentary and reasonable. In 2005, Dominica and Suriname held elections in May, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines held elections in December. Haiti was anticipated to hold elections in 2005, however considerable issues and political instability led to those elections being held off several times, till they were ultimately held on February 7, 2006.
Successful elections ultimately were held on August 28, 2006, without the political violence that some observers had actually anticipated. Looking ahead, parliamentary elections are due in St. Lucia by December 2006, while elections in the Bahamas, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago are due in 2007. (See for a listing of leaders and elections for head of government.) Although numerous Caribbean countries have actually kept long democratic traditions, they are not immune from terrorist and other dangers to their political stability. In 1993, stability on St. Kitts was threatened following violent protests after disputed elections; order was restored with the assistance of security forces from neighboring states.
Previously in the 1980s, the government of Eugenia Charles in Dominica was threatened by a strange coup plot including foreign mercenaries. And naturally, Grenada, under the socialist-oriented federal government of Maurice Bishop, experienced a break from the democratic standard after it presumed power in an almost bloodless coup in 1979 and installed a people's revolutionary federal government. After the violent topple and murder of Bishop in 1983, the United States stepped in to bring back order and end the Cuban presence on the island. Lots of Caribbean countries experienced an economic downturn in 2001-2002 due to slumps in the tourist and agriculture sectors, although many Caribbean economies have actually rebounded given that 2003.
financial recession and sluggish healing. The banana and sugar sectors in the Eastern Caribbean were harmed by a hurricane in 2002 and a dry spell in 2003. Both sectors timeshare default deal with uncertain futures because of the European Union's strategy to phase out preferred market access from previous Caribbean nests for bananas by 2006 and for sugar by 2009. The Haitian economy experienced decrease beginning in 2001, with political instability exacerbating already tough economic conditions in the hemisphere's poorest nation. The greatest carrying out economies in recent years have been those of the Dominican Republic, fueled by the clothing sector, and Trinidad and Tobago, with substantial energy resources.
In 2004 and 2005, the region's strongest economic performers balancing development rates over 5% for those 2 years, were Antigua and Barbuda, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. Those countries not prospering in 2004 since of devastating hurricanes and hurricanes included Haiti, with a 3. 5%% decline in gdp (GDP), and Grenada, with a GDP decline of 3%. For 2005, however, Grenada's economy rebounded with development over 5%, while Haiti's growth was 1. 8%. In Guyana, financial growth has actually been stagnant or very little over the previous a number of years. In 2005, the economy declined 3% since of high oil costs and floods, which early in the year significantly impacted agriculture and mining activities.
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Nevertheless, some observers have actually likewise been worried about the region's high level of public debt, with numerous Caribbean nations having debt levels that exceed 100% of their GDP. U.S. interests in the Caribbean vary, and include economic, political, and security concerns. During the Cold War, security concerns tended to eclipse other policy interests. In the after-effects of the Cold War, other U.S. policy interests emerged from the shadow of the East-West dispute in the Caribbean that concentrated on issues about the Soviet and Cuban hazard. U.S. policy priorities moved from one highlighting security concerns to a brand-new focus on strengthened economic relations through trade and investment.
interest in the Caribbean. The Administration describes the Caribbean as America's "third border," with events in the region having a direct influence on the homeland security of the United States. It describes Caribbean nations as "crucial partners on security, trade, health, the environment, education, local democracy, and other hemispheric issues." The United States has close relations with many Caribbean nations, with the exception of Cuba under Fidel Castro. The U.S.-Caribbean relationship is characterized by comprehensive financial linkages, cooperation on counter-narcotics efforts and security, and a sizeable U.S. foreign assistance program supporting a variety of projects to strengthen democracy, promote financial growth and development, relieve poverty, and fight the AIDS epidemic in the area. Custom-mades and Border Protection of the Department of Homeland Security. The CSI program helps make sure that high-risk containers are recognized and checked at foreign ports before they are put on vessels for delivery to the United States. In September 2006, 3 Caribbean ports became operational CSI ports: Caucedo, Dominican Republic; Kingston, Jamaica; and Freeport, Bahamas. Other Latin American ports in the CSI program are the Central American port of Puerto Cortes, Honduras, and the South American ports of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Santos, Brazil. In the 108th Congress, a legislative effort called for extra foreign support in order to improve foreign port security worldwide, however no last action was completed before completion of the session.
2279 (Hollings), in September 2004, which would have supplied for the Administrator of the Maritime Administration, in coordination with the Secretary of State, to determine foreign help programs that could facilitate implementation of port security antiterrorism steps in foreign countries. The act also would have required a report on the security of ports in the Caribbean Basin, consisting of an evaluation of the effectiveness of the procedures employed to enhanced security at such ports and an assessment of the resources and program modifications needed to maximize security at Caribbean Basin ports. In the 109th Congress, two bills would offer foreign help programs for Caribbean Basin ports.
744 (Nelson, Expense), presented April 11, 2005, would develop a Caribbean Basin Port Support Program. Under the legislative initiative, the Administrator of MARAD in the Department of Transport, in coordination with the Secretary of State, would recognize foreign assistance programs that could help with execution of port security antiterrorism steps at Caribbean Basin ports. The Administrator and the Secretary would develop a program for such help in assessment with the Organization of American States. In addition, the Secretary of Homeland Security would be needed to submit a report to Congress on status of port security in Caribbean Basin countries. S. 1052 (Stevens), the Transport Security Improvement Act of 2005, consists of an arrangement (Area 504) that would develop a program to facilitate implementation of port security antiterrorism procedures in foreign nations, with particular focus on ports in the Caribbean Basin; this bill was introduced May 17, 2005, and reported by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transport on February 27, 2006 (S.Rept.
2791 (Stevens), introduced May 11, 2006. Increasing criminal offense is a major security difficulty throughout the Caribbean. The murder rate in Jamaica continues to skyrocket, with 1,445 individuals killed in 2004 and more than 1,600 people in 2005. With rate of 60 murders per 100,000 occupants in 2005, Jamaica had the greatest murder rate on the planet. In late February 2006, Jamaicans were shocked over the ruthless killings of six family members, including four children in the western part of the country. High levels of violent criminal activity, consisting of murder and kidnaping, also have actually pestered Trinidad and Tobago and Haiti. Even smaller Caribbean nations like St.
On April 22, 2006, Guyana's Agriculture minister, together with his 2 siblings and a security guard, were shot and killed in an evident burglary. Gangs associated with drug trafficking, extortion, and violence are accountable for much of the criminal activity. Some observers think that criminals deported from the United States have contributed to the area's rise in violent criminal offense in current years, although some keep that there is no recognized link. Jamaica has advocated the development of a global protocol relating to the deportation of lawbreakers. A significant issue for Caribbean nationsthe majority of which are net energy importershas been the increasing price of oil and the potential effect of such rising prices on economic development and social stability.
Of these, just Trinidad and Tobago is a major oil and gas manufacturer, accounting for 60% of tested oil reserves and 91% of natural gas reserves in the area. The country is also the largest supplier of liquified gas (LNG) to the United States, accounting for 75% of all U.S. LNG imports. Apart from Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba also produces oil, however still imports a bulk of its consumption requires. Barbados also produces a percentage of oil, which is refined in Trinidad and Tobago, however it imports 90% of its oil consumption needs. Venezuela is now providing oil to Caribbean nations on preferential terms in a new program called Petro, Caribe, and there has been some U.S.
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Given that 1980, Caribbean nations have gained from preferential oil imports from Venezuela (and https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/c/meet-the-2020-best-places-to-work/12253/wesley-financial-group-llc.html Mexico) under the San Jose Pact, and given that 2001, Venezuela has actually supplied extra assistance for Caribbean oil imports under the Caracas Energy Accord. Petro, Caribe, however, would go further with the objective of putting in location a local supply, refining, and transportation https://www.inhersight.com/companies/best/reviews/management-opportunities and storage network, and developing a development fund for those nations taking part in the program. How to finance a car from a private seller. Under the program, Venezuela announced that it would supply 190,000 barrels each day of oil to the area, with nations paying market costs for 50% of the oil within 90 days, and the balance paid over 25 years at an annual rate of 2%.
To date, 14 Caribbean countries are signatories of Petro, Caribe. Barbados, which already receives discounted petroleum rates from Trinidad, has declined to sign the contract, and Trinidad, which has its own considerable energy resources, has declined to sign. (For extra info, see CRS Report RL33693, Latin America: Energy Supply, Political Advancements, and U.S. Policy Approaches, by [author name scrubbed], [author name scrubbed], and [author name scrubbed]) The AIDS epidemic in the Caribbean, where infection rates are amongst the greatest exterior of sub-Saharan Africa, has already started to have unfavorable repercussions for economic and social advancement in the region. In 2005, an approximated 300,000 adults and kids in the Caribbean were reported to be living with HIV, with the epidemic claiming 24,000 lives during the year, making it the leading cause of death among adults aged 15-44 years.