Martinique’s Accession to the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States: A New Chapter in Caribbean Regionalism? (original) (raw)
Related papers
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...
2011
This paper examines the complexities of regional integration in the developing world and the internal and external forces which shape regional and sub-regional groupings. The main contention is, moments of uncertainty and stagnation at the regional level act as an incentive for deeper sub-regionalism. The paper argues further, given that the European Union (EU) is the most advanced regional project, despite its contradictions, it has emerged as a benchmark to be emulated by other regional schemes. The paper explores the challenges and prospects within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the sub-regional Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and compares the extent to which the EU model has influenced regional integration in the Caribbean.
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.
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.
The International Dynamics of the Commonwealth Caribbean: Challenges and Opportunities in the 1990s
Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs
1HE COUNTRIES OF THE COMMONWEALTH CARIBBEAN comprise a very small segment of the Western Hemisphere if measured in terms of the size of their land and population, their economic resources, and their security capabilities. Yet, in terms of shared historical experiences and current socioeconomic and political realities, they are a vital area of the hemisphere. The region of the Commonwealth Caribbean is also one in which questions of international relations are analyzed from the perspective of very small states, many of them island states. In its report, Vulnerability: Small States in the Global Society'(1985), the Commonwealth Consultative Group drew attention to the need to study the international relations of such states in order to provide for comparative analysis of their foreign policies, as well as to draw up guidelines for the conduct of diplomacy among, and by, small states. The international dynamics of the independent English-speaking states of the Caribbean provide a suitable basis for stimulating new theoretical development in many areas of the field. Most