Regionalism and Sub-regionalism in the Caribbean: Challenges and Prospects" Any Insights from the European Union? (original) (raw)
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2011
These monographic papers analyze ongoing developments within the European Union as well as recent trends which influence the EU's relationship with the rest of the world. Broad themes include, but are not limited to: EU Enlargement The Evolution of the Constitutional Process The EU as a Global Player Comparative Regionalisms The TransAtlantic Agenda EU-Latin American Relations Economic issues Governance The EU and its Citizens EU Law As the process of European integration evolves further, the Jean Monnet/Robert Schuman Papers is intended to provide current analyses on a wide range of issues relevant to the EU. The overall purpose of the monographic papers is to contribute to a better understanding of the unique nature of the EU and the significance of its role in the world.
2011
These monographic papers analyze ongoing developments within the European Union as well as recent trends which influence the EU's relationship with the rest of the world. Broad themes include, but are not limited to: EU Enlargement The Evolution of the Constitutional Process The EU as a Global Player Comparative Regionalisms The TransAtlantic Agenda EU-Latin American Relations Economic issues Governance The EU and its Citizens EU Law As the process of European integration evolves further, the Jean Monnet/Robert Schuman Papers is intended to provide current analyses on a wide range of issues relevant to the EU. The overall purpose of the monographic papers is to contribute to a better understanding of the unique nature of the EU and the significance of its role in the world. ABSTRACT This paper examines the complexities of regional integration in the developing world and the internal and external forces that shape regional and sub-regional groupings. The main ...
2015
Regional economic and political integration is not a new phenomenon. The study of regional integration has a long-standing tradition in the field of international relations and has arguably never gone out of fashion. Instead, over the past decade, scholarly attention in this area has increased due to the numerous and far-reaching effects of regional integration on nation states, their sovereignty, and their economic clout. Be it trade in goods and services, health care and medicine, legal jurisdictions, media and communications, or energy and other resources, regional integration has far-reaching consequences on countries globally. After the European Union (EU), the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is one of the most developed and functioning unions in the world1. Yet this is a little known, often ignored, and usually discarded fact. Moreover, most literature on regional integration is centered around the EU and other unions such as Mercosur, Asean etc. It is also a general tendency of...
Is the Whole Greater than the Sum of its Parts? Strengthening Caribbean Regional Integration
IMF Working Papers
Deeper economic integration within the Caribbean has been a regional policy priority since the establishment of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the decision to create the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME). Implementation of integration initiatives has, however, been slow, despite the stated commitment of political leaders. The “implementation deficit” has led to skepticism about completing the CSME and controversy regarding its benefits. This paper analyzes how Caribbean integration has evolved, discusses the obstacles to progress, and explores the potential benefits from greater integration. It argues that further economic integration through liberalization of trade and labor mobility can generate significant macroeconomic benefits, but slow progress in completing the institutional arrangements has hindered implementation of the essential components of the CSME and progress in economic integration. Advancing institutional integration through harmonization and rationa...
CARICOM: Regional Integration in a Post-Colonial World
European Law Journal, 2011
This article argues that the distinctive form of economic integration within the Commonwealth Caribbean can best be understood if account is taken of the imprint of colonial rule both upon relations between these former colonies and upon the political consciousness of the region's leaders. The legacy of colonial rule, including the abortive attempt at a West Indies Federation, resulted not only in a profound mistrust of any form of political union but also established the ideal of island self-government as the centre of the region's political culture. This is clearly manifest in the institutional structure and governance of the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM), which is based on the principles of intergovernmentalism. Notwithstanding some recent changes to that institutional structure, such as the introduction of the Caribbean Court of Justice, Member States remain firmly committed to the pursuit of regional integration through cooperation and association without any transfer of their sovereign decision-making powers. It will be argued, however, that this will not only make it increasingly difficult to achieve the economic objectives of CARICOM, but will also make it increasingly difficult to maintain the fragile sense of regional unity, originally forged in the crucible of colonial rule, in a post-colonial world as new alliances both within and without the region begin to emerge.
EU-Latin America and Caribbean Inter-regional relations: complexity and change
This paper analyses regionalism in Latin America and the Caribbean and interregionalism between this region and the European Union. The complexities and overlapping of Latin American regionalisms are reflected in the several interregional mechanisms that the European Union has with Latin American and Caribbean countries and regional organisations. The paper argues that different political and economic interests in Latin America and the Caribbean have given rise to overlapping regionalist projects, where the overlapping of competences is more problematic than that of membership. Also, Latin American and Caribbean regionalisms have constantly evolved in terms of strategies and organisations. This has generated a number of interregional institutionalized mechanisms between the EU and Latin America and the Caribbean, but the current structure seems in need for reform.
EU and Caribbean: Towards the Reconfiguration of the Inter-Regional Landscape
EU AND LATIN AMERICA A STRONGER PARTNERSHIP, edited by Antonella Mori, 2019
Despite a stop-and-go policy, over the past twenty years the European Union, Latin America, and the Caribbean Region have joined forces to scale-up their partnership. Today, the time seems ripe for the EU to give new impetus to bi-regional relations as the US interest in the region appears to be decreasing, and China quickly steps in. The near future will indicate whether the political will to bolster relations between the EU and the region is actually stronger than before: how will the agreements between the EU and Mexico, Chile, and the Caribbean be updated? Will the EU-MERCOSUR Association Agreement be completed? If so, the EU will be able to enact free trade agreements with all the countries in the region, except Bolivia, Venezuela, and Cuba. The latter is already involved in its first-ever negotiation with the EU to strengthen bilateral cooperation. This volume provides an overview and wide-ranging analyses on the ongoing negotiations, viable options, and possible results.
Harvard University Theses and Dissertations, 2012
Although the states comprising the English-speaking Caribbean have much in common, integrating them politically and economically has proven to be an extremely challenging endeavor. All three integration initiatives since 1958 whether political or economic have failed to deliver their economic development and trade expansion goals. Uncompromising insular political interests of the key participants were at the heart of the demise of the West Indies Federation, the Caribbean’s first integration attempt. These interests have continued to be a dominant influence in the outcomes of the later attempts to integrate. Integration efforts have, been hampered by the absence of a strong political commitment to regionalization. Despite the chequered history of Caribbean integration, the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) were established in 2006. That arrangement essentially provided for a deeper form of economic integration, requiring a higher level of political commitment to integration than ever before. Specifically this paper seeks to answer the question: is this latest arrangement any different from its three predecessors in terms of its expected results? The following discussion shows that while the concept of the CSME is radically different, the current approach to its implementation is not fundamentally different to that of the three previous ventures. As such, it does not represent the rebirth of Caribbean regionalism but rather, an attempt to resuscitate a politically and structurally flawed development strategy. The renewed ambition to integrate is not matched by the requisite political will and commitment to effectively carry the new venture forward. I use a combination of historical, political, and economic analysis as the primary methodological approach to test this hypothesis. I conclude that while a renewed political will might have overcome some past hurdles, that commitment still falls far short of the unified force required to create a robust and deeper form of integration that addresses economic and other challenges and keeps the region afloat in the relentless tidal flow of economic globalization.