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 central coast of South America. Numerous nations in the area 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 independence of these countries vary from Haiti in 1804 to St. Kitts and Nevis in 1983. The biggest countries in terms of land location are Guyana and Suriname, while those with the wesley group 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 kinds of federal government, with the exception of Guyana, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Suriname, which are republics headed by presidents. In terms of regional integration, 14 of the region's independent nations 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 spur local financial combination. Some critics argue that it has actually been slow to promote combination, compared to other local economic groupings, but progress has actually been made in approaching a single economic market and in establishing a Caribbean Court of Justice.
The six OECS countries also share floating timeshares a typical currency, the Eastern Caribbean dollar, with monetary policy handled by the Eastern Caribbean Reserve Bank. The Caribbean Advancement Bank (CDB), headquartered in Barbados, promotes financial development and regional integration. With the exception of Cuba and Haiti, routine elections have been the standard, and for the a lot of part have actually been complimentary 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 significant issues and political instability led to those elections being postponed numerous times, up until they were ultimately hung on February 7, 2006.
Effective elections eventually were held on August 28, 2006, without the political violence that some observers had actually prepared for. 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 lots of Caribbean nations have actually maintained long democratic customs, 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 restored with the support of security forces from neighboring states.
Earlier in the 1980s, the government of Eugenia Charles in Dominica was threatened by a strange coup plot including foreign mercenaries. And obviously, Grenada, under the socialist-oriented federal government of Maurice Bishop, experienced a break from the democratic norm after it assumed power in an almost bloodless coup in 1979 and set up a people's advanced government. After the violent overthrow and murder of Bishop in 1983, the United States intervened to bring back order and end the Cuban presence on the island. Numerous Caribbean nations experienced an economic downturn in 2001-2002 due to downturns in the tourist and farming sectors, although a lot of Caribbean economies have actually rebounded given that 2003.
financial recession and sluggish recovery. The banana and sugar sectors in the Eastern Caribbean were damaged by a hurricane in 2002 and a drought in 2003. Both sectors face unpredictable futures in light of the European Union's plan to phase out preferred market gain access to from previous Caribbean nests for bananas by 2006 and for sugar by 2009. The Haitian economy experienced decrease beginning in 2001, with political instability intensifying already challenging financial conditions in the hemisphere's poorest nation. The greatest performing economies recently have actually been those of the Dominican Republic, fueled by the clothing sector, and Trinidad and Tobago, with substantial energy resources.
In 2004 and 2005, the area's greatest economic entertainers 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 since of ravaging hurricanes and tropical storms included Haiti, with a 3. 5%% decline in gdp (GDP), and Grenada, with a GDP decrease of 3%. For 2005, however, Grenada's economy rebounded with development over 5%, while Haiti's development was 1. 8%. In Guyana, economic development has been stagnant or minimal over the previous several years. In 2005, the economy declined 3% since of high oil rates and floods, which early in the year severely impacted farming and mining activities.
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However, some observers have actually Click for info also been concerned about the area's high level of public debt, with numerous Caribbean countries having debt levels that exceed 100% of their GDP. U.S. interests in the Caribbean vary, and include financial, political, and security concerns. During the Cold War, security concerns tended to eclipse other policy interests. In the aftermath of the Cold War, other U.S. policy interests emerged from the shadow of the East-West dispute in the Caribbean that focused on issues about the Soviet and Cuban threat. U.S. policy priorities moved from one highlighting security concerns to a brand-new concentrate on strengthened economic 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 effect on the homeland security of the United States. It explains Caribbean countries as "vital partners on security, trade, health, the environment, education, local democracy, and other hemispheric concerns." The United States has close relations with most Caribbean nations, with the exception of Cuba under Fidel Castro. The U.S.-Caribbean relationship is identified by extensive financial linkages, cooperation on counter-narcotics efforts and security, and a large U.S. foreign help program supporting a range of projects to strengthen democracy, promote financial growth and advancement, reduce hardship, and fight the AIDS epidemic in the area. Custom-mades and Border Security of the Department of Homeland Security. The CSI program helps guarantee that high-risk containers are recognized and examined at foreign ports before 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 called for additional foreign help in order to improve foreign port security worldwide, but no last action was finished prior to completion 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 determine foreign assistance programs that could assist in implementation of port security antiterrorism procedures in foreign nations. The act likewise would have required a report on the security of ports in the Caribbean Basin, including an evaluation of the effectiveness of the steps utilized to improved security at such ports and an evaluation of the resources and program changes required to maximize security at Caribbean Basin ports. In the 109th Congress, 2 expenses would offer for foreign support programs for Caribbean Basin ports.
744 (Nelson, Costs), presented April 11, 2005, would establish a Caribbean Basin Port Support Program. Under the legislative effort, the Administrator of MARAD in the Department of Transportation, in coordination with the Secretary of State, would recognize foreign help programs that might assist in execution of port security antiterrorism steps at Caribbean Basin ports. The Administrator and the Secretary would establish a program for such help in consultation with the Company 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 nations. S. 1052 (Stevens), the Transport Security Improvement Act of 2005, includes an arrangement (Section 504) that would establish a program to facilitate implementation of port security antiterrorism steps in foreign countries, with particular focus on ports in the Caribbean Basin; this costs was presented May 17, 2005, and reported by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on February 27, 2006 (S.Rept.
2791 (Stevens), introduced May 11, 2006. Increasing crime is a significant security obstacle 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 residents in 2005, Jamaica had the highest murder rate on the planet. In late February 2006, Jamaicans were surprised over the brutal killings of 6 household members, including 4 kids in the western part of the nation. High levels of violent crime, including murder and kidnaping, likewise have actually plagued Trinidad and Tobago and Haiti. Even smaller Caribbean countries like St.
On April 22, 2006, Guyana's Farming minister, in addition to his 2 siblings and a security personnel, were shot and eliminated in an obvious burglary. Gangs associated with drug trafficking, extortion, and violence are accountable for much of the criminal activity. Some observers believe that bad guys deported from the United States have added to the region's rise in violent criminal offense over the last few years, although some keep that there is no established link. Jamaica has advocated the advancement of an international protocol concerning the deportation of criminals. A significant concern for Caribbean nationsthe bulk of which are net energy importershas been the rising rate of oil and the potential result of such increasing costs on economic growth and social stability.
Of these, just Trinidad and Tobago is a significant oil and gas manufacturer, representing 60% of tested oil reserves and 91% of natural gas reserves in the area. The nation 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 likewise produces oil, but still imports a majority of its consumption needs. Barbados also produces a small amount of oil, which is fine-tuned in Trinidad and Tobago, however it imports 90% of its oil intake requirements. Venezuela is now offering oil to Caribbean countries on preferential terms in a brand-new program called Petro, Caribe, and there has actually been some U.S.
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Considering that 1980, Caribbean nations have actually taken advantage of preferential oil imports from Venezuela (and Mexico) under the San Jose Pact, and since 2001, Venezuela has supplied extra assistance 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 transportation and storage network, and developing a development fund for those countries taking part in the program. What do you need to finance a car. Under the program, Venezuela announced that it would provide 190,000 barrels each day of oil to the area, with countries paying market costs for 50% of the oil within 90 days, and the balance paid over 25 years at a yearly rate of 2%.
To date, 14 Caribbean nations are signatories of Petro, Caribe. Barbados, which already receives discounted petroleum rates from Trinidad, has decreased to sign the contract, and Trinidad, which has its own significant energy resources, has actually declined to sign. (For additional information, see CRS Report RL33693, Latin America: Energy Supply, Political Developments, 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 outside of sub-Saharan Africa, has currently begun to have unfavorable effects for economic and social advancement in the region. In 2005, an estimated 300,000 adults and children in the Caribbean were reported to be dealing with HIV, with the epidemic declaring 24,000 lives during the year, making it the leading cause of death amongst grownups aged 15-44 years.