David Jessop

Some years ago, a well-liked and highly respected Caribbean Ambassador regularly made the point that the region should follow more closely the issues that the OECD and the G20 were debating.

In a few days’ time, Caricom Heads of Government will meet in Haiti.

A few days ago, the Inter-national Energy Agency reported that oil production in the US was undergoing extraordinary growth.

There will likely be much written in the coming weeks about the detail contained in the long-awaited Golding Report reviewing Jamaica’s Relations with Caricom and Cariforum.

Making movies is big business. The amounts spent on a production can be substantial, running into hundreds of millions of dollars.

Just over two weeks ago Caricom issued a statement that was probably without precedent in its long relationship with the United States. 

Earlier this month Exxon announced that that it had made a major new oil find off Guyana.

President Castro could not have been clearer. Speaking before Christmas to the Cuban National Assembly about the US, he said that the country had in 2017 “witnessed a serious, irrational deterioration in relations”.

By law, every US President must publish a national security strategy.

A little over a week ago, private sector associations from around the Caribbean agreed to establish by June of next year a new regional body able to represent their interests authoritatively to Caricom. 

No one likes to pay taxes. Despite this, there is widespread recognition that their imposition is necessary if citizens are to be provided with social services such as education, health care and pensions.

A new and potentially challenging way of thinking about the future of tourism is evolving.

For decades, the Caribbean has been fixated on the need to export to, and import from its traditional markets in North America and Europe.

Just over a week ago the US administration published new regulations governing travel and trade between the US and Cuba.

In just over a week’s time, Jamaica will host a major international conference intended to reposition tourism as a global driver of sustainable development.

In a few days’ time, CARICOM’s Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) will meet.

On October 10, a report appeared in the Russian media indicating that Russia and Suriname are close to signing a military cooperation agreement.

In most OECS nations, citizenship is available at a cost. It can be purchased by almost anyone who can afford it.

A week or so ago, Caricom’s Secretary-General, Irwin LaRocque, made clear that if the Caribbean is ever to be able to respond sustainably to the devastation caused by climate change, the eligibility criteria for development assistance must change.

On October 2, two of the world’s leading humanitarian relief agencies, Oxfam and Save the Children, felt it necessary to speak out about the inadequate US federal response to the emerging disaster in Puerto Rico.