The area includes 13 island nations, from the Bahamas in the north to Trinidad and Tobago in the south; Belize, which is geographically situated in Central America; and the 2 nations of Guyana and Suriname, located on the north central coast of South America. Many countries in the area share a common African ethnic and British colonial heritage, while Cuba and the Dominican Republic were Spanish colonies, Haiti was French, and Suriname was Dutch. The dates of independence of these nations range from Haiti in 1804 to St. Kitts and Nevis in 1983. The largest nations in regards to acreage are Guyana and Suriname, while those with the largest populations are Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti.
Politically, all Caribbean nations, with the exception of communist Cuba, have chosen democratic governments. The majority of the former British nests have parliamentary types of federal government, with the exception of Guyana, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Suriname, which are republics headed by presidents. In terms of local integration, 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 spur regional economic integration. Some critics argue that it has actually been slow to promote combination, compared to other local economic groupings, but development has actually been made in approaching 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 managed by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank. The Caribbean Advancement Bank (CDB), headquartered in Barbados, promotes economic advancement and local integration. With the exception of Cuba https://www.inhersight.com/companies/best/reviews/flexible-hours and Haiti, regular elections have been the norm, and for the most part have been totally free and fair. In 2005, Dominica and Suriname held elections in Might, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines held elections in December. Haiti was expected to hold elections in 2005, however considerable issues and political instability resulted in those elections being delayed numerous times, till they were eventually held on February 7, 2006.
Effective elections ultimately were hung on August 28, 2006, without the political violence that some observers had expected. 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 federal government.) Although lots of Caribbean nations have actually kept long democratic customs, they are not immune from terrorist and other dangers to their political stability. In 1993, stability on St. Kitts was threatened following violent demonstrations after disputed elections; order was brought back with the support of security forces from surrounding states.
Earlier in the 1980s, the federal government of Eugenia Charles in Dominica was threatened by a strange coup plot involving foreign mercenaries. And obviously, Grenada, under the socialist-oriented government of Maurice Bishop, experienced a break from the democratic norm after it assumed power in a nearly bloodless coup in 1979 and installed a people's innovative federal government. After the violent topple and murder of Bishop in 1983, the United States stepped in to restore order and end the Cuban presence on the island. Many Caribbean nations experienced an economic slump in 2001-2002 due to slumps in the tourism and farming sectors, although a lot of Caribbean economies have actually rebounded because 2003.
financial recession and slow healing. The banana and sugar sectors in the Eastern Caribbean were damaged by a tropical storm in 2002 and a dry spell in 2003. Both sectors deal with unsure futures in light of the European Union's strategy to phase out favored market gain access to from former Caribbean colonies for bananas by 2006 and for sugar by 2009. The Haitian economy experienced decrease beginning in 2001, with political instability worsening already hard financial conditions in the hemisphere's poorest nation. The strongest performing economies over the last few years have been those of the Dominican Republic, sustained by the clothing sector, and Trinidad and Tobago, with considerable energy resources.
In 2004 and 2005, the area's strongest financial performers balancing development rates over 5% for those two years, were Antigua and Barbuda, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. Those countries not prospering in 2004 due to the fact that of ravaging hurricanes and tropical storms consisted of Haiti, with a 3. 5%% decline in gross domestic product (GDP), and Grenada, with a GDP decline of 3%. For 2005, however, Grenada's economy rebounded with growth over 5%, while Haiti's growth was 1. 8%. In Guyana, financial growth has actually been stagnant or very little over the past numerous years. In 2005, the economy declined 3% because of high oil costs and floods, which early in the year severely impacted agriculture and mining activities.
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Nonetheless, some observers have actually also been worried about the area's high level of public financial obligation, with a number of Caribbean countries having debt levels that exceed 100% of their GDP. U.S. interests in the Caribbean are diverse, and include financial, 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 danger. U.S. policy concerns moved from one emphasizing security issues to a new focus on strengthened financial relations through trade and financial investment.
interest in the Caribbean. The Administration describes the Caribbean as America's "3rd border," with occasions in the region having a direct influence on the homeland security of the United States. It explains Caribbean nations as "vital partners on security, trade, health, the environment, education, local democracy, and other hemispheric problems." The United States has close relations with a lot of Caribbean nations, with the exception of Cuba under Fidel Castro. The U.S.-Caribbean relationship is defined by extensive economic linkages, cooperation on counter-narcotics efforts and security, and a sizeable U.S. foreign help program supporting a variety of tasks to enhance democracy, promote economic development and development, ease hardship, and combat the AIDS epidemic in the region. Custom-mades and Border Defense of the Department of Homeland Security. The CSI program assists ensure that high-risk containers are identified and checked at foreign ports prior to they are put on vessels for delivery to the United States. In September 2006, 3 Caribbean ports ended up being functional CSI ports: Caucedo, Dominican Republic; Kingston, Jamaica; and Freeport, Bahamas. Other Latin American ports in the CSI program are the Main American port of Puerto Cortes, Honduras, and the South American ports of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Santos, Brazil. In the 108th Congress, a legal initiative required extra foreign assistance in order to improve foreign port security worldwide, but no last action was finished before the end of the session.
2279 (Hollings), in September 2004, which would have attended to the Administrator of the Maritime Administration, in coordination with the Secretary of State, to recognize foreign help programs that could help with implementation of port security antiterrorism steps in foreign countries. The act likewise would have called for a report on the security of ports in the Caribbean Basin, consisting of an assessment of the effectiveness of the steps used to enhanced security at such ports and an evaluation of the resources and program changes required to take full advantage of security at Caribbean Basin ports. In the 109th Congress, two expenses would attend wesley financial group nashville to foreign help programs for Caribbean Basin ports.
744 (Nelson, Costs), presented April 11, 2005, would develop a Caribbean Basin Port Assistance Program. Under the legislative initiative, the Administrator of MARAD in the Department of Transportation, in coordination with the Secretary of State, would recognize foreign support programs that might help with implementation of port security antiterrorism procedures at Caribbean Basin ports. The Administrator and the Secretary would develop a program for such help in consultation with the Organization of American States. In addition, the Secretary of Homeland Security would be required to submit a report to Congress on status of port security in Caribbean Basin countries. S. 1052 (Stevens), the Transportation Security Enhancement Act of 2005, consists of a provision (Area 504) that would establish a program to assist in application of port security antiterrorism procedures in foreign nations, with particular emphasis on ports in the Caribbean Basin; this costs 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 crime is a significant security challenge throughout the Caribbean. The murder rate in Jamaica continues to skyrocket, with 1,445 people eliminated in 2004 and more than 1,600 individuals in 2005. With rate of 60 murders per 100,000 inhabitants in 2005, Jamaica had the highest murder rate worldwide. In late February 2006, Jamaicans were stunned over the brutal killings of 6 relative, consisting of 4 young kids in the western part of the nation. High levels of violent criminal offense, including murder and kidnaping, likewise have afflicted Trinidad and Tobago and Haiti. Even smaller Caribbean countries like St.
On April 22, 2006, Guyana's Farming minister, together with his two brother or sisters and a security guard, were shot and killed in an obvious robbery. Gangs included in drug trafficking, extortion, and violence are responsible for much of the criminal activity. Some observers believe that bad guys deported from the United States have contributed to the region's surge in violent crime over the last few years, although some preserve that there is no established link. Jamaica has actually promoted the development of an international protocol concerning the deportation of wrongdoers. A major issue for Caribbean nationsthe majority of which are net energy importershas been the increasing cost of oil and the potential effect of such rising rates on economic growth and social stability.
Of these, just Trinidad and Tobago is a significant oil and gas producer, accounting for 60% of proven oil reserves and 91% of gas reserves in the region. The nation is likewise the largest supplier of liquified natural gas (LNG) to the United States, accounting for 75% of all U.S. LNG imports. Apart from Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba likewise produces oil, but still imports a majority of its intake needs. Barbados likewise produces a small amount of oil, which is refined in Trinidad and Tobago, but it imports 90% of its oil consumption requirements. Venezuela is now offering oil to Caribbean countries on preferential terms in a new program known as Petro, Caribe, and there has actually been some U.S.
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Since 1980, Caribbean nations have actually gained from preferential oil imports from Venezuela (and Mexico) under the San Jose Pact, and considering that 2001, Venezuela has actually supplied additional support for Caribbean oil imports under the Caracas Energy Accord. Petro, Caribe, nevertheless, would go further with the goal of putting in place a regional supply, refining, and transport and storage network, and establishing a development fund for those nations taking part in the program. What happened to household finance corporation. Under the program, Venezuela announced that it would provide 190,000 barrels per day of oil to the area, with nations paying market rates 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 currently gets reduced petroleum rates from Trinidad, has decreased to sign the agreement, and Trinidad, which has its own significant energy resources, has actually decreased 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 highest exterior of sub-Saharan Africa, has actually already started to have negative effects for financial and social development in the region. In 2005, an approximated 300,000 grownups and kids in the Caribbean were reported timeshare cancellation services to be dealing with HIV, with the epidemic claiming 24,000 lives throughout the year, making it the leading cause of death among grownups aged 15-44 years.