Rebalancing Caribbean Trade Relationships

• Author: David Jessop
• Pages: 237-243

Rebalancing Caribbean Trade Relationships 237

INTRODUCTION

The Caribbean needs to rapidly rebalance its international relationships,

place more emphasis on a broader based foreign trade policy and develop a

range of parallel actions that enhance its position in international trade

negotiations.

An explicit and implicit theme in almost all that has been said at this

conference is that the Caribbean now finds itself largely on its own and

needs to adapt its structures and thinking. It is being told by the same

nations that had previously granted preference and extensive development

assistance that, in short order, it must open its markets, diversify and

compete.

How is the region to manoeuvre in a world in which the rules and

certainties on which it based its development are being torn up? How is it to

reorient its external relationships, project and manage what little power it

has to its own advantage? How is it to survive in a world in which the most

powerful nations, companies and special interest groups seek to control the

markets, the conduct of trade and determine a new hierarchy of nations?

The Caribbean argues that multilaterlism, regional integration, special

and differential treatment, long periods for economic transition and

significant levels of compensation represent the best ways in which regional

growth and stability can be secured. It may seem blindingly obvious that

the Americas would be a more secure place if the Caribbean were to be

afforded the resources and agreements necessary to deliver this, but this is

not how the region or such issues are regarded in Washington or Brussels.

In the Caribbean, solutions to trade policy challenges are most usually

seen in the context of foreign policy and technical negotiation. In today’s

environment this is not enough. If the Caribbean is to win, it needs to find

REBALANCING CARIBBEAN TRADEREBALANCING CARIBBEAN TRADE

REBALANCING CARIBBEAN TRADEREBALANCING CARIBBEAN TRADE

REBALANCING CARIBBEAN TRADE

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David Jessop

2020

2020

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