Category Archives: Caribbean

The two-hour December 7th Biden-Putin conversation (via video-conference) focused mainly on the conflict between Ukraine and its breakaway former Donbass region, which is in Ukraines far east and borders on Russia.

In order to understand the conversation, some basic history that produced the current situation there needs to be stated, because this is the point-of-reference behind the summit-conversation that occurred on December 7th:

The 5 September 2014 Minsk Protocol, and its followup 12 February 2015 Minsk II Agreement, established the agreements between Ukraine and the Donbass breakaway region, that ended the intense hot war; and both of the two Minsk agreements were negotiated directly between the two warring sides, in order to stop the hot war, in which the Donbassers were defending themselves against the bombs and missiles from Ukraine, and to peacefully establish the framework called The Normandy Framework in which a final settlement between the two sides in that war would peacefully become settled, by its two participants.

That Normandy Framework was between the two warring regions Ukraine versus the breakaway former region of Ukraine being advised by three nations that were not directly, but only indirectly, involved, and which three nations wanted the matter to be settled without restoring the full-fledged warfare which had existed in 2014: these three were France, Germany, and Russia. (France and Germany were involved because they led the European Union, and because the EU wanted Ukraine to become a member of the EU. Russia was involved because both Ukraine and Donbass are on Russias border, and Russia doesnt want U.S. missiles to be placed less than a ten-minute flying time to hit Moscow. Obama wanted Ukraine in the EU as a preparation for Ukraine to become admitted into NATO so that America can then place its missiles in Ukraine.) The United States was not invited into the Normandy framework, because its Government wanted restoration of the warfare between those two regions and a conquest of Donbass by Ukraine.

The initial idea for the Normandy framework had been worked out between Germanys Angela Merkel and Frances Francois Hollande, in order to enable Ukraine to be restored to peace so that all member-states of the EU could then vote favorably on Ukraines admission of Ukraine into the European Union. (Otherwise, a veto by one or more of the EU member-nations would be certain, in accord with the EUs still-unratified Constitution, because the EUs Rule of Unanimity would apply, and because any attempt to ovderride that Rule would collapse the EU altogether.)

Hollande and Merkel would not have initiated the Minsk agreements unless they were dissatisfied with the way that Obama was dealing with the Ukraine issue. In other words: America was being shut out of the matter entirely, by the EU. Biden is demanding that America now replace the Minsk agreements by an agreement that will be forced upon the Donbass by Russia. Putin said no. He said that the two warring parties need to come to an agreement, and that he wont allow the United States to nullify the commitments that both sides (Ukraine v. Donbass) signed onto in those agreements. Americas demanding that Ukraines side in the conflict be imposed upon Donbass so that Ukraines violations of Minsk are allowed but Donbasss violations in response are prohibited is not acceptable to him. He especially emphasizes this because ONLY Ukraines side wants the Minsk agreements to become nullified.

The big hang-up in implementing the agreements is, and has been, the refusal by Ukraine to allow the breakaway region to become a special administrative district of Ukraine as Crimea had been during the 60 years (1954-2014) during which Crimea was transferred by the Soviet dictator away from Russia (of which it had been a part since 1783) and forced into Ukraine. Because of the resistance by Crimeans, Crimea became allowed to be largely self-ruled within Ukraine. The U.S. regime refuses to allow Ukraine to agree to treating the breakaway Donbass region in that way. The U.S. has the full backing, in this, of the two Ukrainian racist-fascist, or nazi, Ukrainian Parties, Right Sector, and (originally called the Social-Nationalist Party of Ukraine in honor of Nazi Germany) the Freedom Party, or Svoboda (which means freedom in Ukrainian); and those two Parties had been the on-the-ground forces whom the CIA trained (inside the U.S. Embassy, and also in Poland) to perpetrate the U.S. coup that occurred in Kiev in February 2014. The coups preparation began no later than 2011. An extermination plan was promptly instituted after the coup, by the new Ukrainian government, against the supporters of Donbass autonomy, and the war against Donbass began, in order to force the residents there to remain in the new, U.S.-imposed, nazi Ukraine. (Among their Commanders who admitted this was Ruslan Onishchtschenko, who even admitted that their mission, being employees of the Ministry of the Interior, is to clean the cities after the army has worked this territory with aircraft, artillery and heavy military equipment.) Obama wanted the residents eliminated from there, because 90+% of them had voted for the Ukrainian President (Janukovych) that Obama overthrew. (Obama overthrew him because that Ukrainian President didnt want Ukraine to become a NATO-member.) If those people, in Donbass, were to vote in another Ukrainian Presidential election, then the U.S. control over Ukraine would terminate. The U.S. regime doesnt want that to happen, because it wants to place its missiles there. It also planned to turn Russias biggest naval base, which was (and remains) in Crimea, into a U.S. naval base, but Russia succeeded in thwarting that aspect of his plan.

Although most EU member-nations wanted Ukraine to become a member of the EU, they objected to Americas plan for a hot war against Russia, even though they were hostile toward Russia.

On 26 April 2015, the Financial Times headlined Germany urges Ukraine to fulfil Minsk ceasefire agreement, and that neoconservative news-medium reported:

In the UK, which has followed the US in taking a tougher line against Moscow, an official said Ukraine should fulfill its side of the Minsk deal and not give Russia the space to criticise them.

The latest Minsk accord, agreed in February under pressure from Germany and France, has reduced fighting and led to the withdrawal of some heavy weapons from frontlines, though soldiers and civilians still die almost daily.

But Berlin is worried that Kiev is dragging its feet over other parts of the fragile deal, notably in trying to postpone political decentralisation until after local elections are staged in separatist-held territory. [That until after local elections are staged in separatist-held territory turned out to have been a false excuse, because those elections soon did occur and Ukraine continued its refusal nonetheless.]

For Ukraine this is critical because it does not want to hand over power to separatist leaders in the Donbas region, who are not recognised by the international community. EU diplomats say, however, that while local elections are indeed envisaged under Minsk, the accord does not insist that they take place before decentralisation.

The 17th EU-Ukraine Summit Joint Statement was issued on 27 April 2015 and was the 17th EU Summit. It was the first EU Summit that included Ukraine (though still not a member, and still at war), and they stated that the EU nations

expressed their full support for the Minsk Agreements including the Package of Measures of 12 February2015, endorsed by UNSC Resolution 2202 of 17 February 2015.

12. The leaders called on all parties to swiftly and fully implement the Minsk Agreements and honour their commitments andunderlined the Russian authorities responsibility in this regard.

They tried to lay the blame upon Russia if the agreements were to turn out not to be complied with. But soon thereafter, no doubt could any longer exist that it was their own side the Ukraine side that refused to allow the basic provision, which was that Ukraine must negotiate a settlement with Donbass, to be fulfilled. The EU leaders were either willingly conned, or else they were lying throughout.

Already, on 12 April 2015, Deutsche Wirtschafts Nachrichten (DWN) had bannered French Secret Service: Russia never planned to invade Ukraine and reported:

The real difficulty with NATO is the fact that US intelligence dominates while French intelligence is only occasionally taken into account. That is why it is important for us to appoint sufficient NATO commanders of French origin. NATO has announced that the Russians are preparing to invade Ukraine. However, based on the findings of the DRM, this claim could not be upheld. In fact, we found that the Russians had neither set up command posts nor took any logistical measures, such as setting up field hospitals.There were no activities to be undertaken in preparation for a military invasion.At the second level of command there was no corresponding cause.As a result, it became clear that our assumptions were correct.The Russian soldiers actually seen in Ukraine acted as if they were carrying out a maneuver to put pressure on Ukrainian President Pororschenko rather than an imminent invasion.

With this statement, which surprisingly was not discussed further in the committee, the French general contradicts the official NATO doctrine,according to which Russia had made massive preparations to invade Ukraine.

Gomart isa seasoned officer in the French Army andwas only appointed Chief of Military Intelligence in 2013.

Hisstatements coincide with the criticism of Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who complained about NATO Commander-in-Chief Philip Breedlove because of obvious differences in intelligence about the situation in Ukraine.TheUS general was exaggerating Russias military role since the crisis began, Der Spiegel reported a few weeks ago.Accordingly, the Chancellery spoke of dangerous propaganda, while Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier intervened with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

Steinmeier said there was no intervention, only inquiries. It is true that I myself have had two inquiries myself in situations in which the information we had from our sources didnot completely agree with information that came either from NATO or the American side. A dispute arises because the federal government has no interest in that [American view]. He is in close contact with US Secretary of State John Kerry so that such differences do not arise.

In the EU, there is growing resistance to the escalation in relations with Russia, as it is being pursued by the US hawks(see the notorious thought leader Zbigniew Brzeziski).ItalyandGreecewant to get out of the spiral of sanctions because their own economies are being damaged. France must be saved because the coalition of conservatives and social democratsmustprevent the Front Nationalfromwinning at all costs inorder not to endanger the euro zone substantially. The fact that the official NATO version about Ukraine is now being described as incorrect by France (of all places) is indelicate in this context.

Afew weeks ago,US PresidentBarack Obama surprisingly called for a withdrawaland temporarily stopped sending US soldiers to Ukraine. NATO had announced that it would take over some of the training of the Ukrainian army from March.In the course of this training, the right-wing extremist militias in Ukraine are also being trained by the Americans. They are to be integrated into the regular Ukrainian army, but are allowed to continue to act autonomously.The right-wing extremists reject the Minsk Agreement.

On 25 April 2015, DWN headlined USA and Russia are preparing for a new escalation in Ukraine and reported:

The ceasefire in the Eastern Ukraine is deceptive: Apparently the Russians and theAmericans are preparing for new military actions.The US government wants to keep theissue on the boil, to put the EU and the proposed Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership treaty under pressure [force European governments to accept it, which was a major Obama project to increase their bond with America and their separation from Russia].The US has fallen in an energy-war tight spot, since Moscow announced it will no longer manage its natural gas from 2019through Ukraine.The next military incident seems to be only a matter of time.

The President as a perpetual commander: the US has an economic interest thatUkraine remains a controversial land.(Photo: Reuters)

While somewhat keeping the warring parties in eastern Ukraine to the agreements of Minsk,there are, running in the background,obvious preparations for a new escalation.The Financial Times is already writing about a war of words.Such propaganda war isinherently favorable to escalation.France and Germany have noted that the US government has indeed recently been criticized for manifestmisinformation. But this doesnt prevent the US officials to maintain the chosen course.TheUS envoy Geoffrey Pyattis tweeting almost maniacally about new threats every hour.

The US government has only recently come under fire from France and Germany for blatant misinformation. But this does not prevent the US representatives from maintaining the course they have chosen.

On 30 April 2015, Voice of America bannered Carter Pleased with Russias Embrace of Minsk Agreement and reported: In an exclusive interview with VOA after meeting with President Putin, [Jimmy] Carter said the Elders were pleased with Russias allegiance to the Minsk agreement. Theres not any doubt in our mind that the Russians genuinely want to see all the aspects of that concluded. [But, General Breedlove, the NATO Commander,] said many of Russias actions are consistent with preparations for another offensive into Ukrainian territory. [And,] Commenting on Carters remarks, the U.S. State Department said Thursday it would not speculate on the reasoning behind his [Carters] statements. We know that Russia has continued to undermine the Minsk implementation plan and the Minsk agreements. The Obama Administration was determined to discredit that prior Democratic Party U.S. Presidents obstructionist pronouncements.

On 2 May 2015, DWN headlined Chaos in Kiev: Ukraine armynow fighting against theirown militias and reported that a U.S.-supplied battalion of nazis (far-right volunteers, or mercenaries, whom Ukraines Government allowed to fight against the Donbass residents and to be led by leaders of the Right Sector and Svoboda parties) were now being attacked by some members of Ukraines regular army. Basically, the U.S. regime, which had imposed this government upon Ukraine, was now goading it to provoke Russian forces into the war, perhaps in order for America then to have justification to go to war against Russia itself, so as to defend the Ukrainian government that Americas own Ukrainian coup had installed.

As a wrap-up here, the great geostrategic analyst, Alexander Mercouris, headlined, on 8 December 2021, Following Putin-Biden summit, Neocons push for war, and he and others listed there the ways in which the entire Biden Administrations international-affairs team are not only incompetents, but hate-driven incompetents, who are maniacally determined to destroy Russia, if they possibly can.

So, Putins rejection of Bidens demand for the U.S. Government to replace the Minsk agreements by an agreement that would be imposed upon Donbass by the U.S (and any perhaps willing U.S.-vassal-nation such as Poland) is actually little else than an application by him of his previously stated red line that must not be crossed or else Russia will instantaneously be in a hot war against any nation that does. The world will soon know whether Biden has finally gotten the message.

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A Holistic Approach is Needed to Respond to Future Shocks in the Caribbean - Modern Diplomacy

What happened

Shares of Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL)(NYSE:CUK), Royal Caribbean (NYSE:RCL), and Norwegian Cruise Lines (NYSE:NCLH) all appreciated by mid-teens this week, up 11.6%, 11.9%, and 17.1%, respectively, as of end of trading Thursday.

There wasn't much in the way of company-specific news this week, but all three benefited from positive news regarding the omicron coronavirus variant. Omicron had caused all travel stocks to sell off at the end of November and into early December, so some relief on that front caused a big bounce.

Image source: Getty Images.

The omicron variant first hit headlines on Thanksgiving, and since then, travel-related stocks such as the cruise companies quickly reversed their recoveries from earlier in the year. Omicron has already started to affect consumer spending, according to Bank of America, which released data today showing consumer spending, mostly for international travel, declined as a result of the variant.

However, that uncertainty was likely baked into the cruise stocks coming into the week, so some good news about omicron's severity, as well as vaccine effectiveness, took some pressure off, allowing these stocks to bounce.

Last weekend, Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical officer to the president, said that while more data needed to be studied, it appeared omicron caused less severe disease than the delta variant. That good news was followed up by GlaxoSmithKlineon Tuesday, which said its antibody treatment appeared to be effective against omicron in preliminary tests. Then on Wednesday, Pfizerand mRNA vaccine partner BioNTechclaimed booster doses of its COVID-19 vaccine were effective against omicron, although the variant could elude antibodies in those with just two doses.

The news that boosted people are well protected, and that the new variant may not cause hospitalization and death, could only be positives for travel-related stocks. Cruise lines in particular are very sensitive to virus news, as all three companies are highly levered after taking on huge debt loads to get through the pandemic.

We have been in a trend over the past year or so where good news on the virus means cruise stocks go up, while bad news causes them to go down. Yet entering 2022, I'm not so sure that will remain the case. Despite the omicron variant being perhaps more manageable than first thought when it hit the news wires, there is still a lot of risk in all of these cruise stocks.

All three had to take on massive amounts of debt at high rates and also issued new shares at low prices to get through the pandemic, and those dilutive burdens are still on their balance sheets. Meanwhile, while the cruise lines have already restarted operations, all three companies are still generating big operating losses and continue to burn through cash -- even if the burn is slightly lower than last year.

Additionally, the last few months have seen costs of labor and fuel go up across the world, and both of those are key inputs in the cruise companies' cost base. And if interest rates rise next year, that could lead to even higher interest and refinancing costs on each company's massive debt load -- yet another cost headwind.

Cruise stock investors seem to think things will snap back to normal, or even better than normal, once the pandemic recedes. But with a new variant entering the scene and costs going up even before a recovery, a rebound in cruise stock financials could be much further off. I'd stay cautious on these names in 2022, even after this week's positive news.

This article represents the opinion of the writer, who may disagree with the official recommendation position of a Motley Fool premium advisory service. Were motley! Questioning an investing thesis -- even one of our own -- helps us all think critically about investing and make decisions that help us become smarter, happier, and richer.

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Why Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian Cruise Lines Surged This Week - Motley Fool

NAN VIEWPOINT

News Americas, WASHINGTON, D.C., Fri. Dec. 10, 2021: It doesnt take poll numbers to know that Vice President Kamala Harris is a massive failure in just less than a year in. But numbers as they say dont lie and new poll number show Harris with a 12 percent chance of re-election.

A Rasmussen Reports poll found that just 39 percent of likely voters have a favorable impression of Harris, while 57 percent have an unfavorable view of the veep. Even if you dont believe in polls, just look at Harris lack of visibility and attention to any real issue, and you will know the numbers cant lie. She should be leading the charge on immigration as immigration czar, but aside from one silly Latin American trip and a trip once to the border, there has been nothing since but fluff speeches at events that like Maternal Health Day of Action, or showing up at a Biden photo op.

This as the crisis at the border gets worst. Instead, the administration has simply continued the Donald Trump policy. So much for change we can believe in.

For immigrants, especially those from the Caribbean, Harris is a bigger disappointment. Here is a woman who is the daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and India, who has made history, breaking the proverbial glass ceiling by ascending to the highest office in the land as the first Black woman, the first Caribbean American, the first Asian American, the first Indian America and the first woman.

Yet, for all those shoulders she stands on, what is clear is she is inept in the post. Less than a year into her tenure as vice president, her lack of visibility and focus on serious issues, her disastrous poll numbers, plus the rapid staff turnover, is proof Joe Biden made a huge mistake in choosing her as his running mate and veep.

In recent weeks, four prominent staffers have announced their departures, including Ashley Etienne, her communications director, who started the exodus, and Symone Sanders, former Bernie Sanders campaign spokesperson and a top aide who also served as senior adviser and chief spokesperson.

The Washington Post recently spoke with 18 current and former Harris staffers. Their comments were shocking.

Heres one of those comments from one ex-staffer said in the scathing Dec. 4 piece: Its clear that youre not working with somebody who is willing to do the prep and the work. With Kamala you have to put up with a constant amount of soul-destroying criticism and also her own lack of confidence. So, youre constantly sort of propping up a bully and its not really clear why.

What an assessment!

There is no doubt that Democrats have a serious problem come 2024. Despite all the glassy eyes and big hearts of those who voted for and supported the Biden/Harris ticket in 2020, hoping that maybe, just maybe a black, Caribbean American, Asian American woman could become President, Harris is proving she will not be president ever. Lets save the BS about racism and people attacking her because she is a woman. It is clear she is not ready yet as Caribbean people would say and has from the beginning, lacked the experience and wherewithal to serve in this post.

For Caribbean immigrants, her failure to truly embrace them, her Caribbean heritage and the Caribbean region, is also another disappointment. Her lukewarm attempt to barely acknowledge her roots there while ensuring no mention of it in her bio or any acknowledgement of her father whose seed gave her life since her win, is a sore point for many.

As vice-president, she has a chance to change the status quo and truly lean in as a friend to the Caribbean region, showing she is at least doing something to change the US consistently poor posture towards this region.

Instead, apart from a few calls to CARICOM leaders and a photo op and meeting with the Barbados Prime Minister, Harris has been so MIA one has to wonder if she is still around.

Still its early days. Harris can turn it around and change the trajectory. Start with the Caribbean region including a visit to Jamaica, your fathers homeland VP Harris, and heal your soul while finding the strength and energy of your ancestors to help you grow into the leader you must become. Failure is not an option dear Caribbean American Kamala!

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Kamala Harris Is A Massive Disappointment To Caribbean Immigrants And Those Who Believed In Her - Caribbean and Latin America Daily News - News...

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Barbados has been in the news recently after the island became a republic. Barbados gained independence from Britain 55 years ago. Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley is clearly a woman on a mission. Whenever Mia Mottley speaks she grabs attention.

Mottley delighted the many fans of pop star Rihanna when she named her the 11th national hero. A Grammy Award winner and native of Barbados, Rihanna was honoured during its presidential inauguration. On the occasion, Mottley said: On behalf of a grateful nation, but an even prouder people, we therefore present to you the designee for national hero of Barbados, Ambassador Robyn Rihanna Fenty.May you continue to shine like a diamond and bring honour to your nation by your works, by your actions, and to do credit wherever you shall go.

It is rather unfortunate that after almost 400 years of colonial rule, we are still trapped in a culture of colonialism which continues to dictate what is appropriate. Caribbean societies continue to slavishly pay obedience and allegiance to the systems and structures which were imposed by Britain during the period of enslavement. These systems were implemented to keep us in our place. Has the time come for us to break away from the vestiges of colonial rule? How long will we continue to facilitate our own imprisonment; imprisonment of mind and intellect?

While many support the decision to name Rihanna as national hero, there are those who took issue with her mode of dress at the function. They believed her attire was most inappropriate for the occasion. Rihanna wore a gorgeous haute couture mustard-hue off-he-shoulder evening gown. Rihanna is a young mega pop star and social media influencer. What did her critics expect her to wear to this momentous occasion? Rihanna is not Mother Teresa. Much of the criticism against Rihanna is steeped in colonialism and patriarchy, where the policing of womens bodies continues to be paramount.

Barbados took a bold step not only in replacing the Queen as head of state, but also in redefining appropriateness. We can all trace our ancestral linage to Africa ,where the mode of dress is far different and very much appropriate than that of Western societies. Its sad that many of us do not know our history. Teaching history should be compulsory for all grades, from primary through to secondary educational levels. Regrettably, too many of us are too easily swayed by a prevailing culture of whiteness. Most of us have bought into the narrative of the white mans culture. The time for a cultural rebirth is now.

The time has come for us as a proud and strong people to probe some of those Eurocentric themes and perspectives through a Caribbean framework. The time for us to free ourselves from mental slavery has passed. While Jamaica continues to debate whether or not to replace the Queen as head of state, Barbados has taken action. For Barbados, Rihanna is a modern-day heroine. Undoubtedly, she is a role model to thousands of women and men. Other Caribbean islands should take a page from our sister island of Barbados.

In the words of Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds!

WAYNE CAMPBELL

waykam@yahoo.com

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Letter of the Day | Caribbean should follow Barbados' example - Jamaica Gleaner

Viewpoint by Alicia Brcena, Sergio Daz-Granados, Mathias Cormann, Jutta Urpilainen*

The following is the text of the editorial in the 'Latin American Economic Outlook 2021: Working Together for a Better Recovery'.

PARIS (IDN) Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) has been the region worst affected by the pandemic and is only re-emerging from what is the deepest recession in the regions history.

Although prompt and proactive policy responses since the beginning of the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis averted more pessimistic scenarios, the pandemic has left profound scars, notably on the most vulnerable (in particular women and youth). Urgent and resolute action is still needed to overcome the pandemic, mitigate its long-term socio-economic consequences and lay the foundations for a better future.

The Latin American Economic Outlook 2021 (LEO) conceives the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis as an opportunity to implement reforms to address structural challenges and discusses the kind of policies and international cooperation approaches that can help governments build forward better.

The response to the crisis can provide the necessary impetus to design and implement a renewed strategy for development that promotes inclusiveness, resilience and sustainability responds to citizens expectations and accelerates progress towards the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The LEO 2021 takes forward the Development in Transition (DiT) approach as a general framing for domestic and international action, aimed in particular at fostering regional integration and reinforcing the social contract two crucial goals for overcoming the vulnerabilities and development traps that hold back progress in the region.

The region is highly heterogeneous in terms of the impact of the pandemic and the ability to react to its challenges. However, LAC countries share an extraordinary common challenge. In the short term, implementing effective and equitable vaccination strategies as a key element for recovery.

In the medium term, overcoming the pandemic impacts while transforming the regions development traps of low productivity, social vulnerability, institutional weakness and environmental unsustainability, into virtuous circles that set the region on a path towards greater well-being for all citizens.

We see the recovery also as an opportunity to continue reshaping the role and potential of regional and international co-operation, in line with the DiT narrative developed in the LEO 2019. Co-operation and policy dialogue will remain essential in bringing together the expertise of multiple actors to embark on a better trajectory to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Key ingredients for an enhanced policy dialogue within the LAC region and across regions include the strengthening of institutions, social cohesion, supporting a green transition and the digital transformation in a renewed production model. In this context, LEO 2021 places a particular focus on the potential of LAC to strengthen partnerships, including with the European Union and its Member States.

The COVID-19 crisis highlighted the global nature and interdependency of development challenges and reinforced the need to better co-ordinate recovery actions across national, regional and international levels.

At the national level, LAC governments should use fiscal, social and production transformation policies as part of building a new social contract. In particular, elements of inter- and intra-generational socio-economic mobility and equity should be duly considered, and the challenges associated to climate change and transitioning to a low-carbon development model.

The pandemic has shed light on the urgency to rethink and redefine national policies through greater consultation and consensus-building with citizens. Strengthening accountability and trust in institutions is key to embark on a virtuous cycle of pending national reforms needed for the recovery that can be packaged in the framework of a new social contract. Key objectives of the new social contract include greater social protection coverage, better and more accessible public services, a production transformation strategy, fairer fiscal frameworks and promoting citizen participation in the design and implementation of policies.

Greater financing for development will be key for the recovery and financing policies of a new social contract. Most LAC countries entered the crisis with limited fiscal space. While the situation reflects the anaemic growth over the past years, challenges in terms of economic structures and tax policy and administration cannot be downplayed. A strong, sustainable and inclusive recovery demands an urgent holistic fiscal response and should be implemented through a well-defined sequencing of reforms, backed by a broad consensus built through national dialogue and clear communication strategies.

Better co-ordination in public debt management with all creditors and market actors will also be necessary. In this respect, the design of debt treatment will have to pay special attention to each countrys characteristics, in particular the challenges that Small Island Developing States of the Caribbean and Central American countries face.

The COVID-19 crisis hit an already vulnerable social structure, resulting in a significant increase in poverty and inequalities. When the crisis hit the region, labour informality affected more than 50% of workers. LAC countries need to promote innovative options for formalisation and reduce social coverage gaps to protect the most vulnerable populations in particular, women, youth, climate-vulnerable populations and migrants while improving the quality and coverage of basic services, especially health care and education.

The main challenge LAC faces in achieving a strong and inclusive recovery is generating quality jobs. Ambitious policy actions from LAC countries to spur innovation and capacity development, diversify and upgrade the economic structure and attract quality investment are urgently needed.

At the regional level, an effective response to the health crisis could be the big push needed for LAC to move towards greater regional co-operation. National strategies should converge to promote a production transformation agenda and further regional and global integration.

LAC lags behind in terms of integration. Barely 14% of LAC exports stayed within the region in 2019, and the proportion has been declining steadily since 2014. Fostering intra-regional trade, creating regional value chains and improving the regions participation in global value chains, by better connecting firms, notably small ones, to markets remain key objectives in the post-COVID-19 context. Trade, industry and investment policies can play an important role in addressing the vulnerabilities in production structures that the pandemic has exposed.

If properly designed, they can help deliver a triple dividend of greater competitiveness and job creation, better preparedness to withstand future crises and greater readiness to embark on the green and digital transitions. Some sectors that could specifically benefit from further regional integration and help reduce vulnerabilities are the automotive, pharmaceutical and renewable energy sectors, the circular economy, and sustainable agriculture.

Globally, international cooperation should be a facilitator for the emergence of a new development model and a new social contract in LAC. The impact of the pandemic has highlighted the importance of moving towards renewed and more effective multilateralism. With this in mind, it will be important for countries to consolidate the DiT narrative, relying on new approaches to national policy-making and international cooperation that place sustainability, resilience and well-being at their core, and provide multi-dimensional policy responses including efforts to measure development beyond income.

This implies further exploring mission-driven and equal-footing partnerships that are grounded on shared values and ensure greater policy coherence, coordination and synergies across national and international development efforts. Enhanced equal-footing policy dialogue, increased regional cooperation and renewed participatory mechanisms for citizens could be essential elements underpinning these reinforced partnerships and making full use of their potential.

Last, a balanced combination of innovative sustainable finance, global rules and standards, technical cooperation and policy dialogue would be key to enhancing the partnerships with LAC.

The LEO aims to stimulate the national and international debate on transitioning to better development models and partnerships. Three aspects give special relevance to its 2021 edition: timeliness, as the reports analysis and policy messages come at a crucial moment to address the transversal impact of the crisis in LAC; readiness, as each institution behind LEO is working to create new financial instruments and/or policy approaches to support the region; and togetherness, as, more than ever in these extraordinary times, there is a need to join forces to advance a strong, sustainable and inclusive recovery through the creation of participative dialogues that enable the emergence of a large consensus to underpin co-ordinated action at the national, regional and international levels. [IDN-InDepthNews 11 December 2021]

*Alicia Brcena is Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). Sergio Daz-Granados is Executive Chairman of the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF). Mathias Cormann is Secretary-General of OECD. Jutta Urpilainen is from the European Commissioner for International Partnerships.

Image: ECLAC

IDN is the flagship agency of the Non-profit International Press Syndicate.

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Time For Reforms in Latin America and The Caribbean to Address Long-Standing Challenges - IDN InDepthNews | Analysis That Matters

Ivelaw Griffith | December 9, 2021

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Photo: Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados / PAHO

Read the latest report by Ivelaw Griffith, a Global Americans Fellow, on Vaccination and Vaccine Diplomacy in the Caribbean.

The current pace [of vaccine access and inoculation] will take us a while to reach the herd immunity required to return our economies to productive levels or minimize the emergence of variants.

Dr. Joy St. John, Executive Director, Caribbean Public Health Agency

Stop listening to Anancy stories. Stop listening to people who are less informed, less educated than yourselves and false narratives about the vaccines. There are some deep-seated fears and emotions and even religious and ideological views on vaccines but that argument bears little value in the context of how medicine and science have combined with faith to heal the world.

Edmund Bartlett, Tourism Minister of Jamaica

The Caribbean and the rest of the world continue to battle COVID-19, the modern-day plague. The scientific, public health, and policy communities within various countries and around the world have marshaled a variety of weapons to counter the pandemic. In addition to critical medical and healthcare staff, these include hand sanitizers, testing kits, oxygen, personal protective equipment (PPE) such as face masks and shields, and ventilators, among other equipment. As the pandemic raged in 2020 and 2021, officials placed a considerable premium on developing vaccines to control, if not prevent, infections and fatalities. Indeed, some scholars posit that vaccination against diseases, including preventable, contagious, and life-threatening illnesses, is the best public health intervention after water sanitation. (Ortiz-Prado et al, 2021). Vaccinations have become the central focus in our campaign against COVID-19.

Yet, notwithstanding the growing scholarly literature about the pandemic in the Caribbean (see Byron et al., 2020; Chattu and Chami, 2020; and Blazy et al, 2021; for example), few have specifically studied vaccination in the Caribbean. This study, which is a follow-up to an earlier one (Griffith, 2021), aims to help fill this gap. It does so first by offering an appreciation of the various vaccines being employed, and then examining the role of the World Health Organization (WHO), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), and other state and non-state actors involved in global health. The report then focuses on the Caribbean region, with a view to understanding some of the vaccine diplomacy dynamics, notably in relation to the great powers and their combination of humanitarian and geopolitical motives. Cuba warrantsand receivesspecial attention as a small state that has been punching above its weight in the global vaccine diplomacy arena.

The global vaccination campaign and vaccine diplomacy discussed here fall under the rubric of health geopolitics. Unlike with conventional geopolitics, in health geopolitics nation-states are not the only consequential actors; the range of critical actors is expanded to include non-state actors, such as pharmaceutical companies and multilateral organizations, such as the WHO and PAHO. As Suerie Moon, Research Director and Co-Chair of the Forum on Global Governance for Health at the Harvard Global Health Institute, writes: Europe, developing countries, the WHO, and the pharmaceutical industry are also key players in this complex, multilevel game. Normative authority, reputation, and scientific knowledge have become strategic sources of power (2020).

The vaccination campaign is full of challenges, not just in scientific production, given the rapid emergence of COVID-19 variants, but also in terms of access, equity, and acceptance. The head of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and Jamaicas tourism minister are candid in highlighting elements of the complexities and some of the challenges in the epigraph. This report addresses these challenges, probing some of the institutional factors that militate against effective public health service delivery in general and vaccine delivery in particular, and the multifaceted problem of vaccine hesitancy. However, before we begin the vaccination factor journey, it is useful to remind ourselves of the nature of the regions pandemic profile.

Read the full report

Ivelaw Griffith is a Fellow with Global Americans and the Caribbean Policy Consortium who has published extensively on Caribbean security, drugs, and crime. His next book, Challenged Sovereignty, will be published by the University of Illinois Press.

Note from the author: I am grateful for the valuable comments on the first draft by Scott MacDonald, Francille Griffith, and Volderine Hackett.

Excerpt from:

Vaccination and Vaccine Diplomacy in the Caribbean - Global Americans

For the many fans of Jimmy Buffett,Margaritaville isn't a place, it's a state of mind.

One's own privateMargaritaville can be a backyard party, happy hour at the local watering hole or even Buffett's own retirement center.But now in a move that seems a long time coming,Margaritaville is also a cruise ship vacation. Ahoy, Parrot Heads!

The enormously popular songwriter,author, and businessman has partnered withBahamas Paradise Cruise Line, which had previously offered low-cost, mostly two-day trips to Grand Bahama Island for the now rebrandedMargaritavilleParadise, tying the company to the singer's popular brand of resorts and restaurants. The move is part of an overall larger resort franchise titledMargaritavilleat Sea.

Starting with the maiden voyage on April 30, the newly christened and updated ship will sail two- and four-day trips from the cruise terminal in West Palm Beach, Fla., stepping up the small cruise lines' efforts to siphon short-trip business from industry leaders Royal Caribbean (RCL) - Get Royal Caribbean Group Report and Carnival Cruise Line (CCL) - Get Carnival Corporation Report, which both run multiple ships out of multiple Florida ports.

TheStreet Recommends:Retirement Is More Than a Solid Financial Plan

Royal Caribbean has ships sailing three- and four-day itineraries out of Port Canaveral (Orlando) and Miami on a near-continuous basis. The three-day trips run Friday through Monday and tend to appeal to a younger crowd looking for a quick getaway.

Buffett will be attempting to take some of that business by leveraging his brand and the Margaritaville name/lifestyle to rebrand the former Bahamas Paradise Grand Classica, an older ship that's somewhere between half the size of the ships Royal Caribbean and Carnival are using for their shorter voyages.

The singer built his empire on the promise of cheeseburgers in paradise, the allure of drunken tattoos, and a general milieu of sea salt and no worries. It's the sort of thing a younger generation currently refers to as a whole mood.

Now, theMargaritaville Paradise will continue in the tradition of Buffett's 25 plus resorts and hotels and more than 60 restaurants by offering fans a full immersion into the Jimmy Buffett Lifestyle, with entertainment and delicacies designed to keep the worries of the outside world far away.

Following a multi-million refurbishment, the ship will include10 passenger decks and 658 cabins, as well asMargaritavillerestaurants such as JWB Prime Steak & Seafood, LandShark Sports Bar, andMargaritavilleCoffee & Pastry Shop, as well as the Euphoria Lounge, Sunset Bar, and 5 oClock Somewhere Bar.

There will also be on-board amenities such as the Par-A-Dice Casino, a Stars on the Water Theater, St. Somewhere Spa, the Fins Up! Fitness Center as well as pools and shops. The decor will have a casual luxury feel to it, complemented by nautical colors.

Buffett's move into the cruise ship world is already attracting attention within the industry.

"Margaritaville has been expanding a lot into the travel sector recently with new resorts and hotels, but the move to cruising is as intriguing as their choice to partner with Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line," said Matt Hochberg, owner of the Royal Caribbean Blog, which is not affiliated with the cruise line."Two brands looking to carve out a piece of the cruise market."

FormerBahamas Paradise Cruise Line CEOOneil Khosa will now become CEO ofMargaritaville at Sea, whileJohn Cohlan, who first met with Kosha two years ago about the partnership, will remain theMargaritaville CEO.

See the article here:

Can Jimmy Buffett Take On Royal Caribbean and Carnival? - TheStreet

Wikimedia list article

This is a list of Caribbean islands. Almost all of these islands are in the Caribbean Sea with only a few in inland lakes. The largest island is the island of Cuba. Some of the smaller islands are referred to as a rock or reef. Islands are listed in alphabetical order by country of ownership and/or those with full independence and autonomy. Islands with coordinates can be seen on a map with the link to the right.

There are 54 islands in Antigua and Barbuda. There are three main islands, the two populated islands (Antigua and Barbuda) and Redonda. There are 51 off-shore islands. The islands of the country of Antigua and Barbuda include:[1][2][3]

The Commonwealth of the Bahamas is located in the Lucayan Archipelago, the portion of the Caribbean region in the North Atlantic Ocean rather than in or bordering the Caribbean Sea. There are 700 islands and 2,400 cays in The Bahamas. There are 30 inhabitated islands. Andros Island is the largest island in the Bahamas. Large island groups include Berry Islands and Exuma. The following islands are some of the more notable islands (cays) (see the main article for a comprehensive listing of all islands):[5][6]

There are currently two islands and two banks in Barbados. An additional historical island that no longer exists as an island is also included in this list.[7]

There are about 180 islands in Belize. Some of the larger islands of Belize in the Caribbean Sea include:[8]

Several Departments of Colombia include islands in the Caribbean area.[9]

Islands of the Bolvar Department of Columbia includle:[9]

Islands in the Crdoba Department include:[9]

Islands in the Magdalena Department include:[9]

Islands in the Archipelago of San Andrs, Providencia and Santa Catalina include:[9]

Islands in the Sucre Department include the following islands in the Archipelago of San Bernardo:[9]

There are about 79 islands in Costa Rica.[11] The largest islands in the Caribbean Sea are listed below:

Cuba consists of over 4,000 islands and cays surrounding the country's main island, many of which make up archipelagos. Off the south coast are two main archipelagos, Jardines de la Reina and the Canarreos Archipelago. The Sabana-Camagey Archipelago runs along the northern coast and contains roughly 2,517 cays and islands.[12] The Colorados Archipelago is located off the north-western coast. The following islands are some of the major islands in the island country Cuba:[13]

The island nation of Dominica with a total area of 750km2 (290sqmi) includes two small, off-shore islands and one disputed island:[14][15]

There are about 73 islands in the Dominican Republic, including the following islands:[16]

The following sections show the islands of French Departments in the Caribbean.

Guadeloupe consists of six inhabited islandsBasse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Dsirade, and the two inhabited islands in the les des Saintesas well as many uninhabited islands and outcroppings.[17][18]

There are about 46 islands in Martinique, including the following:[19]

There are 18 islands in Saint Barthlemy, inclulding the following:[20]

There are seven islands and two rocks in the French Collectivity of Saint Martin, including:

There are over 600 islands and islets in Grenada and the Grenadines. The notable islands in Grenada include:[22][23]

The most densely populated island in the world is Ilet a Brouee in Haiti, at 500 persons in its area of .004km2 (0.0015sqmi). There are about 59 islands in Haiti, inclulding the following:[24][25]

There are at least 99 islands in Honduras, inclulding the following Caribbean islands:[32]

There are about 49 islands in the island nation of Jamaica, including the following islands:[33]

The islands in the island countries (Aruba, Curaao and Sint Maarten) of the Kingdom of the Netherlands are listed below.

There are at least five islands in Aruba:[34]

There are at least seven islands in Curaao, including:[35]

There are ten total islands of Sint Maarten, including:[36]

The Caribbean islands (Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius special municipalities) in the country of the Netherlands of the Kingdom are listed below.

There are several islands of Mexico on the Caribbean Sea, including:[39]

There are over 150 islands in Nicaragua, including the following islands in the Caribbean Sea:[40]

There are several hundreds of islands in Panama, including the following islands in the Caribbean:[41]

There are about 20 islands in Saint Kitts and Nevis, including:[42]

There are 15 islands in Saint Lucia, including:[43]

There are about 49 islands in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, including:[44]

There are 44 islands in Trinidad and Tobago, including:[45]

The following is a list of islands of current island nations of the British Overseas Territories that are in the Caribbean.

There are about 19 islands in Anguilla, including:[46]

There are about 51 islands in the British Virgin Islands (16 inhabitated), including:[47][48]

The following are the islands of the Cayman Islands:[49]

There are only a few islands in Montserrat, including:[50]

The British Overseas Territory of the Turks and Caicos Islands is located in the Lucayan Archipelago, the portion of the Caribbean region in the North Atlantic Ocean rather than in or bordering the Caribbean Sea. There are about 75 islands and land-tied islands in Turks and Caicos Islands, including the following notable islands:[51]

The following are disputed islands of the United States in the Caribbean:

The following sections show islands of island territories of the United States in the Caribbean.

There are about 142 island in Puerto Rico, including:[52]

There are about 84 islands in the United States Virgin Islands, including:[53]

Saint Thomas, Saint Croix, Saint John, and Water Island are the main four United States Virgin Islands. The capital, Charlotte Amalie, is on Saint Thomas.

While not technically part of the Caribbean, the islands of the Florida in the United States are considered by some to be part of the greater Caribbean Region. Regions of Florida include: South Florida, Southwest Florida, and the Florida Keys.

The following islands of Venezuela are in the Caribbean Sea:

The rest is here:

List of Caribbean islands - Wikipedia

Wednesday, December 1st 2021 - 09:46 UTC Latin America and the Caribbean are facing a critical situation in terms of food security, Berdegu insisted

A United Nations official from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Tuesday announced famine in Latin America and the Caribbean had increased at a higher rate compared to other regions in the world during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is the sixth edition in which we must report bad news, said Julio Berdegu Tuesday in Santiago, Chile, when releasing the 2021 Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition. He added the situation has been deteriorating constantly since 2014, but it gained speed under the sanitary crisis.

Hunger is one of the worst forms, the most serious, of food security, but in this region there are 267 million people who suffer from moderate and severe food insecurity, Berdegu underlined, as sixty million people in 2019 alone joined the ranks of the undernourished.

We must say it loud and clear: Latin America and the Caribbean are facing a critical situation in terms of food security, Berdegu insisted. There has been an almost 79% hike in the number of people living in hunger from 2014 to 2020.

Food security deteriorated 9% between 2019-2020 throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. No other region comes close to it, Berdegu pointed out, not even the poorest, like Africa.

Berdegu also highlighted the private sector was key to finding solutions to this problem, because there cannot be positive action without a change in the productive strategies, where agri-food businesses are essential.

Governments have to conduct the policies that provide the framework for this turn, he said as he highlighted Chile's performance in this regard.

But beyond nice words, the truth remained that the number of hungry people in Latin America and the Caribbean has risen by 30% since 2019 to reach its highest level in 15 years. More than 59 million people across the region currently are not getting enough to eat, an increase of 13.8 million people in just one year, according to UN agencies.

The prevalence of severe food insecurity (people without food or have gone a day or more without eating) reached 14% in 2020, a total of 92.8 million people, a huge increase compared to 2014, when it affected 47 , 6 million people.

This is not solved with personal attitudes. What is required is a food system that satisfies the population in a healthy way. Berdegu stressed.

Obesity also grew signitifcantly over the past few years, which is in itself another form of malnutrition stemming from unhealthy diets and life conditions. Between 2000 and 2016 it grew 9.5% in the Caribbean, 8.2% in Central America and 7.2% in South America. Childhood overweight has been increasing for 20 years in the region, and in 2020, 3.9 million children - 7.5% of those under five years of age - were overweight, almost 2 percentage points above the world's average.

View original post here:

Famine takes a grip of Latin America and the Caribbean - MercoPress

The Anthem of the Seas docks in Bayonne in February of 2020. Photo by Daniel Israel

The Anthem of the Seas docks in Bayonne in February of 2020. Photo by Daniel Israel

Bayonne has modified its agreement with Royal Caribbean International regarding the cruise lines vaccination policy.

Currently, the Oasis of the Seas and the Anthem of the Seas are the two Royal Caribbean ships that regularly sail out of the Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne. However, only the Anthem of the Seas was included in the original agreement.

At its November meeting, the City Council approved a resolution updating the memorandum of agreement between the city, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and Royal Caribbean, to include another ship in the agreement and to lower the vaccination age requirement for all passengers.

Law Director Jay Coffey told the Bayonne Community News that the resolution will require that both of the ships operating out of the city be included in the agreement. Additionally, the resolution lowers the vaccination requirement in the agreement to cover all passengers age 12 and up.

[Royal Caribbean] was changing their protocols, Coffey said. They used to require anyone age 18 and over to be vaccinated. They changed their protocols to over the age of 12, in order to travel, you have to be vaccinated.

Controlling health regulations

Coffey said the initial agreement was signed to allow Bayonne to assist Royal Caribbean in implementing COVID-19 health protocols. According to the resolution, the agreement aims to ensure the cruise lines port and cruise operations are compliant with virus mitigation guidelines.

Theres an agreement between Royal Caribbean and the city that when they dock, they become subject to our health officers ability to control the situation, Coffey said. If theres a situation that requires the health officer to interpose herself, then this is the agreement that says: This is what we are requiring.

In a generalized example, Coffey said that if there was an unvaccinated passenger attempting to board, the city would assist Royal Caribbean in preventing that passenger from boarding the ship. Health Officer Michele OReilly would intervene on behalf of the city in the interest of the public health.

Everybody over the age of 12 is to be vaccinated, Coffey said. So she would have the authority to say that person cant board the ship. All it is, is Royal Caribbean acknowledging our control over health regulations that we can help them implement. Its really just two simple changes: adding the new ship to the coverage, its going to dock out of here; and then changing their rules from over the age of 18 to over the age of 12.

The road back to normalcy

The lowering of the vaccination age requirement coincides with the emergency use authorization of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the Pfizer vaccine for those age 5 to 11 at the end of October of this year. While the amended Royal Caribbean vaccine requirement does not yet extend to this age group, the agreement can and will likely be amended again to do so in the future, according to the resolution.

The council voted unanimously to approve the resolution amending the agreement, which was first signed in May of this year. However, Royal Caribbean only recently began sailing out of Bayonne again thisSeptember.

It appears the city is staying on top of the cruise line when it comes to virus prevention, not forgetting the false alarm that scared the city when the Anthem of the Seas docked in Bayonne in February of 2020, carrying what would have been the first cases of COVID-19 in New Jersey if the sick passengers tested positive. In the end, they all tested negative and crisis was averted temporarily for a month until March, when the pandemic exploded.

Now, things continue to return to some sense of normalcy as the vaccine and booster shots are widely available to the public. The amended vaccine policy is just another step in that direction as more age groups become eligible for the jab, that is, if the Omicron variant doesnt set everything back.

For updates on this and other stories, check http://www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Daniel Israel can be reached at disrael@hudsonreporter.com.

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Bayonne updates agreement with Royal Caribbean regarding vaccination policy - The Hudson Reporter