Mahogany CoConut Blog

One Caribbean Nation. By William Skinner The Caribbean is facing both regional and Global challenges that threaten all the gains made as the perpetual struggle to totally free itself from an almost inhumane past , engineered by the debilitating slave trade and colonial domination. Having struggled successfully to forge the unique Caribbean civilization by becoming independent nations and abandoning the British empire , the region now stands almost flat footed because of the erratic machinations of the   United States of America as it seeks to influence the region and place demands as to what friends and allegiances it should have. The message from Washington is blunt and clear : support us or you would face vicious and serious challenges. The quick capitulation of some regional leaders in matters relation to Venezuela and the capture of President Maduro and its desire to use Caribbean islands as surveillance tools for the American military expeditions are causing frustratin...

One Caribbean Nation. ‘TWO-PRONG ATTACK’ ‘INCREASE IMPORTS, BOOST ECONOMIC GROWTH THROUGH STABLE EXCHANGE RATES’ — WORRELL By Emmanuel Joseph In a move that upends decades of thought in economics on managing developing countries like Barbados, the former governor of the Central Bank of Barbados has proposed that the region import more. Dr Delisle Worrell suggested increased imports as part of bold policy reforms focused on currency stability, arguing that only these measures will unlock sustained foreign investment and lift the Caribbean out of decades-long economic stagnation. Economists in the region have long argued against increasing imports, fearing consumer demand would invariably drain foreign reserves and weaken a country's capacity — or will — to grow GDP through domestic industrial development and exports. But in his latest monthly newsletter, Imports Sustain the Quality of Life in the Caribbean, Dr Worrell, who also consulted for the International Monetary Fund and World...

One Caribbean Nation. The new pirates of the Caribbean Today’s Editorial The seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker by US President Donald Trump’s administration and the accompanying threats of ground attacks, are ominous signs of a return to a dark era of the Caribbean and Latin America thought long behind us. This latest act of intimidation and outright piracy revives the heavy hand of the United States’ late 19th- and early 20th-century foreign policy, the age of gunboat diplomacy, military occupations, and the casual violation of sovereignty in the name of hemispheric “stability.” This escalation bears chilling resemblance to the early 20th century’s Caribbean interventions, when Marines landed in Haiti, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic under the flimsy banner of protecting US interests. Then as now, high-minded talk of “security” masked simpler motives: the control of trade routes, natural resources (this time, oil and gas in the world’s largest reserve), and regime change. Tod...

One Caribbean Nation. Trinidad Guardian Editorial The population of Trinidad and Tobago is now into a period in which every T&TEC generator that blows can give citizens close to the explosion a feeling “that the war has started.” And who can blame such a possible reaction in the circumstances of complete uncertainty about what is likely to unfold out of the happenings of the last couple weeks. The big issue driving the fear to heightened levels is the absence of information on whether or not the United States is planning to take military action against Venezuela and what are the circumstances which can precipitate it. Moreover, the reality is that the consequences of military conflict between the US and Venezuela can have serious repercussions for the safety of Trinidad and Tobago, its citizens and infrastructure. The rhetoric from a few spokespersons of the Venezuelan government has been increasing and disturbing, leading to a sense that there can be retaliatory action against T...

One Caribbean Nation. PM: Trinidad and Tobago will not be blackmailed TRINIDAD Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar does not plan to bow to any pressure from Venezuela as she stressed that Trinidad and Tobago will not be blackmailed and is not dependent on any Venezuelan gas. She declared that no one - be it the Venezuelan government, the People's National Movement (PNM), CARICOM, or any other entity - will "pressure or blackmail" her Government into retreating from the fight against the drug cartels. In response to questions from the Express yesterday, the Prime Minister shrugged off Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez's proposal to be made by the board of the Venezuelan state-owned company Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) for President Nicolás Maduro to suspend all gas agreements with T&T. Persad-Bissessar said reports of Venezuela's proposed gas suspension with T&T are not a cause for any grave concern. "Our ...

One Caribbean Nation. The Caribbean Is One Nation. First published Monday, May 29th., 2017 In recent months, there has been a notable increase in crime in the region. Media reports suggest, that many of these crimes are committed against our children and women folk. Mahogany Coconut’s policy looks at crime as a regional problem thereby avoiding branding any country as the main source. While many may genuinely consider this approach to be somewhat idealistic, we believe that in the global scheme of things, the Caribbean is usually seen as a monolithic entity. As with all human endeavor, citizens from each country tend to seek bragging rights. We are aware that this is true whether we are discussing cricket or the state of individual economies. We see it as nothing more than healthy sibling rivalry. Unfortunately, while the global view of us may be monolithic, we are quite aware that our French and Spanish speaking countries are sometimes excluded for the simple reason, that our educat...