Biography

Article Title

Challenges for Microstates in a Global World: Imperatives for Caribbean Sustainability in the 21st Century

Abstract

The Caribbean has long been the focus of policymakers, scholars and international “development” agencies, seeking to diagnose its problems and propose solutions for its persistent state of poverty. Undoubtedly, the region’s proximity to the United States has influenced the level of interest. The islands, for example, are popular destinations for American tourists and their promising but still underdeveloped economies, magnets for international corporations seeking to broaden market share and exploit profits. Negative trends such as narcotic trafficking or illegal immigration, therefore, are of interest to United States law enforcement. While there are no shortages of diagnosticians, workable solutions to the problems have been slow in coming, improperly implemented, lost in national or regional political squabbles or derailed by interest groups, who perceive themselves as standing to lose from the implementation of social and economic programs designed not merely to stimulate growth but to improve the lot of the majority. While the discourse continues ad infinitum, the likelihood of meaningful action remains perpetually in doubt.

Globalization is the latest reason to question whether the Caribbean will be able to survive. Concerns are placed against a backdrop of external factors such as heightened international competition and the internal realities of poor governance, growing poverty, high rates of violent crimes and inadequate social infrastructure, among others. This paper contextualizes the major regional problems in the age of globalization and explores necessary survival strategies based on best practices in the region and elsewhere, as well as thoughtfully assesses the contributions of academics and practitioners.