The area includes 13 island countries, from the Bahamas in the north to Trinidad and Tobago in the south; Belize, which is geographically located in Central America; and the two countries of Guyana and Suriname, situated on the north central coast of South America. Many nations in the region share a common 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 independence of these countries vary from Haiti in 1804 to St. Kitts and Nevis in 1983. The largest nations in terms of acreage are Guyana and Suriname, while those with the largest populations are Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti.
Politically, all Caribbean countries, with the exception of communist Cuba, have chosen democratic federal governments. The majority of the former British nests have parliamentary forms of federal government, with the exception of Guyana, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Suriname, which are republics headed by presidents. In regards to local combination, 14 of the region's independent countries come from the Caribbean Neighborhood (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 sluggish to promote combination, compared to other local financial groupings, however progress has 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 managed by the Eastern Caribbean Central http://www.williamsonherald.com/communities/franklin-based-wesley-financial-group-named-in-best-places-to-work/article_d3c79d80-8633-11ea-b286-5f673b2f6db6.html Bank. The Caribbean Advancement Bank (CDB), headquartered in Barbados, promotes economic advancement and regional combination. With the exception of Cuba and Haiti, regular elections have been the standard, and for the most part have actually been totally free and reasonable. In 2005, Dominica and Suriname held elections in Might, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines held elections in December. Haiti was anticipated to hold elections in 2005, but considerable problems and political instability resulted in those elections being postponed numerous times, till they were ultimately held on February 7, 2006.
Effective elections eventually were hung 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 federal government.) Although many Caribbean nations have preserved long democratic traditions, they are not immune from terrorist and other hazards to their political stability. In 1993, stability on St. Kitts was threatened following violent demonstrations after challenged elections; order was brought back with the assistance of security forces from surrounding states.
Earlier in the 1980s, the federal government of Eugenia Charles in Dominica was threatened by a bizarre coup floating timeshares plot including foreign mercenaries. And of course, Grenada, under the socialist-oriented federal government of Maurice Bishop, experienced a break from the democratic norm after it presumed power in a nearly bloodless coup in 1979 and installed can timeshare ruin your credit an individuals's innovative government. After the violent topple and murder of Bishop in 1983, the United States intervened to bring back order and end the Cuban existence on the island. Many Caribbean countries experienced an economic slump in 2001-2002 due to downturns in the tourism and farming sectors, although many Caribbean economies have rebounded because 2003.
financial recession and slow recovery. The banana and sugar sectors in the Eastern Caribbean were harmed by a hurricane in 2002 and a drought in 2003. Both sectors deal with unpredictable futures due to the European Union's plan to phase out preferred market access from previous Caribbean colonies for bananas by 2006 and for sugar by 2009. The Haitian economy experienced decline start in 2001, with political instability exacerbating already tough economic conditions in the hemisphere's poorest country. The strongest performing economies over the last few years have actually been those of the Dominican Republic, sustained by the clothing sector, and Trinidad and Tobago, with substantial energy resources.
In 2004 and 2005, the area's strongest economic performers averaging 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 because of devastating hurricanes and hurricanes included Haiti, with a 3. 5%% decrease in gdp (GDP), and Grenada, with a GDP decrease of 3%. For 2005, nevertheless, Grenada's economy rebounded with development over 5%, while Haiti's growth was 1. 8%. In Guyana, economic development has actually been stagnant or very little over the past a number of years. In 2005, the economy decreased 3% because of high oil rates and floods, which early in the year badly affected agriculture and mining activities.
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Nonetheless, some observers have also been concerned about the region's high level of public financial obligation, with several Caribbean countries having debt levels that go beyond 100% of their GDP. U.S. interests in the Caribbean are diverse, and consist of economic, political, and security concerns. During the Cold War, security concerns tended to eclipse other policy interests. In the consequences of the Cold War, other U.S. policy interests emerged from the shadow of the East-West conflict in the Caribbean that concentrated on concerns about the Soviet and Cuban hazard. U.S. policy priorities shifted from one stressing 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 events in the region having a direct influence on the homeland security of the United States. It explains Caribbean countries as "crucial partners on security, trade, health, the environment, education, regional democracy, and other hemispheric problems." The United States has close relations with many Caribbean nations, with the exception of Cuba under Fidel Castro. The U.S.-Caribbean relationship is defined by comprehensive economic linkages, cooperation on counter-narcotics efforts and security, and a sizeable U.S. foreign support program supporting a range of tasks to enhance democracy, promote economic growth and development, minimize hardship, and fight the AIDS epidemic in the area. Customizeds and Border Security of the Department of Homeland Security. The CSI program assists make sure that high-risk containers are recognized and inspected at foreign ports prior to they are put on vessels for shipment 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 effort required extra foreign help in order to enhance foreign port security worldwide, however no last action was finished 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 identify foreign help programs that might help with execution of port security antiterrorism procedures in foreign nations. The act also would have called for a report on the security of ports in the Caribbean Basin, consisting of an evaluation of the effectiveness of the procedures used to better security at such ports and an evaluation of the resources and program modifications needed to maximize security at Caribbean Basin ports. In the 109th Congress, two costs would provide for foreign help programs for Caribbean Basin ports.
744 (Nelson, Expense), introduced April 11, 2005, would establish a Caribbean Basin Port Support Program. Under the legal initiative, the Administrator of MARAD in the Department of Transportation, in coordination with the Secretary of State, would identify foreign assistance programs that might 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 Company of American States. In addition, the Secretary of Homeland Security would be needed to send 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 application of port security antiterrorism steps in foreign countries, with specific focus on ports in the Caribbean Basin; this expense was presented May 17, 2005, and reported by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on February 27, 2006 (S.Rept.
2791 (Stevens), presented May 11, 2006. Increasing criminal offense is a major security challenge throughout the Caribbean. The murder rate in Jamaica continues to soar, with 1,445 individuals killed in 2004 and more than 1,600 individuals in 2005. With rate of 60 murders per 100,000 inhabitants in 2005, Jamaica had the greatest murder rate on the planet. In late February 2006, Jamaicans were stunned over the ruthless killings of six member of the family, including four young children in the western part of the country. High levels of violent crime, consisting of murder and kidnaping, also have pestered Trinidad and Tobago and Haiti. Even smaller sized Caribbean countries like St.
On April 22, 2006, Guyana's Agriculture minister, in addition to his two brother or sisters and a guard, were shot and eliminated in an apparent burglary. Gangs associated with drug trafficking, extortion, and violence are accountable for much of the crime. Some observers think that wrongdoers deported from the United States have actually contributed to the region's surge in violent criminal offense in the last few years, although some preserve that there is no established link. Jamaica has actually promoted the advancement of a worldwide procedure regarding the deportation of criminals. A significant concern for Caribbean nationsthe bulk of which are net energy importershas been the increasing cost of oil and the prospective result of such increasing costs on financial development and social stability.
Of these, only Trinidad and Tobago is a significant oil and gas producer, accounting for 60% of proven oil reserves and 91% of natural gas reserves in the region. The nation is likewise the biggest provider of liquified natural gas (LNG) to the United States, representing 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 also produces a little quantity of oil, which is fine-tuned in Trinidad and Tobago, however it imports 90% of its oil intake needs. Venezuela is now providing oil to Caribbean nations on preferential terms in a new program called Petro, Caribe, and there has actually been some U.S.
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Since 1980, Caribbean countries have actually taken advantage of preferential oil imports from Venezuela (and Mexico) under the San Jose Pact, and because 2001, Venezuela has actually supplied extra support for Caribbean oil imports under the Caracas Energy Accord. Petro, Caribe, however, would go even more with the objective of putting in location a regional supply, refining, and transport and storage network, and developing an advancement fund for those nations taking part in the program. How to finance building a home. Under the program, Venezuela revealed that it would supply 190,000 barrels per day of oil to the area, with countries paying market value 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 decreased to sign the arrangement, and Trinidad, which has its own significant energy resources, has decreased to sign. (For extra details, 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 consequences for economic and social advancement in the area. In 2005, an approximated 300,000 adults and children in the Caribbean were reported to be coping with HIV, with the epidemic claiming 24,000 lives during the year, making it the leading cause of death amongst adults aged 15-44 years.