CARICOM: Regional Integration in a Post‐Colonial World

Abstract

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.

Challenges and opportunities for more integrated regional food security policy in the Caribbean Community

“…We have shown in previous research that challenges with community participation, mobilization of local social capital, and stakeholder disengagement and mistrust often serve to stymie collective action to advance collective progress in CARICOM agricultural development and food security (Lowitt, Hickey, Ganpat, & Phillip, 2015c;Saint Ville, Hickey, Locher, & Phillip, 2016;Saint Ville, Hickey, & Phillip, 2015). Low levels of social learning may also help explain ongoing issues of mistrust and division among island states within the larger regional integration movement (Bishop et al, 2011;Jules, 1994;O'Brien, 2011). Accordingly, we suggest that an important next steps in achieving more integrated food security policy, and potentially broader regional integration aims, will be for the region to embrace more fully social learning perspectives.…”

“…A historic event in Caribbean integration was the establishment in 1973 of CARICOM and its allied regional institutions. The project was undertaken to improve the social and economic development of member states (O'Brien, 2011). CARICOM was therefore established on the basis of three fundamental pillars: economic integration, functional cooperation (education, health and other areas) and foreign policy coordination (Bishop et al, 2011).…”

“…There have been substantial delays with implementation of new regional policies, including the establishment of a Caribbean single market economy (CSME); meanwhile, the various alliances and institutions within CARICOM often appear fragmented and incoherent in their actions (Bishop et al, 2011;Hall & Chuck-A-Sang, 2007). The problems of policy development and implementation in CARICOM have been attributed to the region's diverse geography, differences in wealth among member states, and fundamentally, the inability of the integration movement to overcome a longstanding legacy of division among small island states ( Jules, 1994;O'Brien, 2011); mistrust and lack of cooperation continue to characterize inter-state relationships (Bishop et al, 2011). Geiser (1976) traces these challenges of trust and relationship-building to the region's colonial past, during which period the islands were ordered to communicate with Britain, the colonial authority, and discouraged from interacting with one another.…”