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, situated on the north main coast of South America. Many countries 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 self-reliance of these countries vary from Haiti in 1804 to St. Kitts and Nevis in 1983. The biggest countries in terms of acreage 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 chosen democratic federal governments. Many of the previous 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 regards to local combination, 14 of the region's independent nations come from 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 financial combination. Some critics argue that it has been slow to promote integration, compared to other local economic groupings, however development has been made in approaching a single economic market and in establishing a Caribbean Court of Justice.
The six OECS countries likewise share a typical currency, the Eastern Caribbean dollar, with financial policy handled by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank. The Caribbean Advancement Bank (CDB), headquartered in Barbados, promotes financial advancement and local integration. With the exception of Cuba and Haiti, regular elections have been the standard, and for the most part have actually been free and fair. 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, however substantial issues and political instability resulted in those elections being postponed a number of times, till they were eventually held on February 7, 2006.
Effective elections eventually were hung on August 28, 2006, without the political violence that some observers had 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 kept long democratic traditions, they are not Additional resources immune from terrorist and other threats to their political stability. In 1993, stability on St. Kitts was threatened following violent protests after disputed elections; order was brought back with the help 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 naturally, Grenada, under the socialist-oriented federal government of Maurice Bishop, experienced a break from the democratic standard after it assumed power in a nearly bloodless coup in 1979 and set up an individuals's innovative federal government. After the violent topple and murder of Bishop in 1983, the United States intervened to bring back order and end the Cuban presence on the island. Many Caribbean countries experienced a financial downturn in 2001-2002 due to downturns in the tourism and farming sectors, although the majority of Caribbean economies have actually rebounded considering that 2003.
economic recession and slow 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 face unpredictable futures due to the European Union's plan 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 decline start in 2001, with political instability intensifying currently tough financial conditions in the hemisphere's poorest country. The greatest performing economies over the last few years have actually been those of the Dominican Republic, sustained by the apparel sector, and Trinidad and Tobago, with significant energy resources.
In 2004 and 2005, the area's strongest financial entertainers balancing growth 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 faring well in 2004 because of ravaging typhoons and tropical storms included Haiti, with a 3. 5%% decrease in gross domestic product (GDP), and Grenada, with a GDP decrease of 3%. For 2005, nevertheless, Grenada's economy rebounded with development over 5%, while Haiti's development was 1. 8%. In Guyana, financial development has been stagnant or minimal over the previous several years. In 2005, the economy decreased 3% due to the fact that of high oil rates and floods, which early in the year severely impacted agriculture and mining activities.
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Nevertheless, some observers have also been worried about the region's high level of public debt, with numerous Caribbean countries having debt levels that surpass 100% of their GDP. U.S. interests in the Caribbean are varied, and include financial, political, and security issues. During the Cold War, security issues 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 focused on concerns about the Soviet and Cuban threat. U.S. policy concerns shifted from one emphasizing security issues to a new concentrate 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 area having a direct effect on the homeland security of the United States. It describes Caribbean countries as "important partners on security, trade, health, the environment, education, regional democracy, and other hemispheric problems." The United States has close relations with the majority of Caribbean countries, 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 help program supporting a range of projects to enhance democracy, promote financial development and advancement, reduce poverty, and fight the AIDS epidemic in the area. Customs and Border Security of the Department of Homeland Security. The CSI program helps ensure that high-risk containers are determined and inspected 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 Main 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 final action was completed before completion of the session.
2279 (Hollings), in September 2004, which would have offered the Administrator of the Maritime Administration, in coordination with the Secretary of State, to determine foreign help programs that could assist in execution of port security antiterrorism measures in foreign countries. The act also would have required a report on the security of ports in the Caribbean Basin, including an assessment of the effectiveness of the steps used to improved security at such ports and an evaluation of the resources and program modifications needed to take full advantage of security at Caribbean Basin ports. In the 109th Congress, 2 expenses would offer foreign help programs more info for Caribbean Basin ports.
744 (Nelson, Costs), presented April 11, 2005, would establish a Caribbean Basin Port Help Program. Under the legal initiative, the Administrator of MARAD in the Department of Transport, in coordination with the Secretary of State, would determine foreign support programs that might assist in application of port security antiterrorism steps at Caribbean Basin ports. The Administrator and the Secretary would develop a program for such assistance in consultation 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 nations. S. 1052 (Stevens), the Transport Security Improvement Act of 2005, consists of a provision (Section 504) that would develop a program to assist in application of port security antiterrorism measures in foreign countries, with particular emphasis on ports in the Caribbean Basin; this bill was presented 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 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 greatest murder rate on the planet. In late February 2006, Jamaicans were surprised over the brutal killings of six member of the family, consisting of 4 children in the western part of the nation. High levels of violent criminal activity, consisting of murder and kidnaping, also have plagued Trinidad and Tobago and Haiti. Even smaller Caribbean nations like St.
On April 22, 2006, Guyana's Agriculture minister, together with his 2 brother or timeshare floating week explanation sisters and a guard, were shot and eliminated in an obvious break-in. Gangs associated with drug trafficking, extortion, and violence are responsible for much of the criminal offense. Some observers think that bad guys deported from the United States have actually contributed to the region's surge in violent criminal activity recently, although some preserve that there is no established link. Jamaica has actually promoted the advancement of an international procedure regarding the deportation of criminals. A major concern for Caribbean nationsthe bulk of which are net energy importershas been the increasing cost of oil and the potential impact of such increasing prices on financial growth and social stability.
Of these, just Trinidad and Tobago is a significant oil and gas manufacturer, accounting for 60% of tested oil reserves and 91% of gas reserves in the region. The nation is also the largest provider 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, but still imports a majority of its intake needs. Barbados also produces a percentage of oil, which is improved in Trinidad and Tobago, however it imports 90% of its oil usage requirements. Venezuela is now providing oil to Caribbean countries on preferential terms in a new program understood as Petro, Caribe, and there has been some U.S.
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Since 1980, Caribbean countries have benefitted from preferential oil imports from Venezuela (and Mexico) under the San Jose Pact, and since 2001, Venezuela has actually supplied additional assistance for Caribbean oil imports under the Caracas Energy Accord. Petro, Caribe, however, would go further 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. What is internal rate of return in finance. Under the program, Venezuela announced that it would supply 190,000 barrels per day of oil to the area, with nations paying market value 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 currently receives discounted petroleum rates from Trinidad, has decreased to sign the agreement, and Trinidad, which has its own significant energy resources, has actually declined to sign. (For additional details, 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 among the greatest beyond sub-Saharan Africa, has already started to have unfavorable consequences for economic and social advancement in the area. In 2005, an approximated 300,000 grownups and children 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 amongst adults aged 15-44 years.