CARICOM’s Shame! Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (22 December 2020) — The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) continued its descent to a new low, having lost all pretense to regional unity. CARICOM’s shame is visited upon the organization by the actions, and in some cases inactions of its members. The issue which has laid bare many of the weaknesses inherent in this regional organization is the Venezuela crisis. Most importantly, CARICOM members are split on who is the legitimate president of...
Is the T&T Government violating international laws and norms? Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (03 December 2020) — I have been following closely the discussions surrounding the treatment of Venezuelan refugee-migrants by the government of Trinidad and Tobago led by Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley. There is justifiable concerns about actions that are uncharacteristic of Caribbean democracies and civilized societies around the world. Prime Minister Rowley, though justified, must be aware that...
From Globalization to Populism – Part III Ambassador Curtis A Ward The terrorism phenomenon and the rise of populism (21 October 2020) — The globalization agenda was jolted into a new reality in 2001. The most heinous of terrorist attacks in modern history against the United States on September 11, 2001 (9/11) sparked an unprecedented security threat on a global scale posed by international terrorism. The international terrorism threat caused significant adjustments to the...
From Globalization to Populism – Part II Ambassador Curtis A Ward Rise of China’s economic and military power (19 October 2020) — While representing Jamaica at the United Nations Security Council at the turn of the Century, there was a buzz about an article in the New York Times which detailed what was characterized as excessive military spending by the Chinese government. The truth of the matter is the Chinese military expenditure, which seemed to have alarmed them, was a mere...
From Globalization to Populism – Part I Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (15 October 2020) — In a recent keynote address I gave to the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica (ICAJ) business webinar, on 8 October 2020, on the topic, “From Globalization to Populism”, I discussed factors driving this change, as well as the implications of the shift taking place in several countries from a global to a nationalist perspective. In particular, I explored, briefly, the shift in...
Say No to US Senators’ Characterization of Cuban Medical Missions as “Human Trafficking” Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (23 June 2020) — Caribbean governments should have seen this coming. While the Trump administration was blocking PPEs shipments to the Caribbean to build their anti-COVID-19 capacities, the Cuban government was sending medical personnel to help fight the pandemic. Cuban medical personnel have been deployed across the world during this pandemic – throughout the...
Caribbean Response to COVID-19 Conversation Hosted by Ambassador Curtis Ward for CaribNation TV and The Ward Post Special Guests: Dr. Joy St. John, Executive Director, Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA); Dr. Douglas Slater, CARICOM Assistant Secretary General – Human and Social Development; Professor Dr. Clive Landis, Chairman, University of the West Indies COVID-19 Task Force This discussion explores the many important ways Caribbean regional institutions are...
Fighting the Contagion of COVID-19: A Different Kind of War Dr. Eddie Greene As we write, governments around the world are scrambling to deal with the spread of the coronavirus, which has sickened at least 176,500 people worldwide and contributed to more than 7,350 deaths. These figures are likely to increase exponentially without the enforcement of stringent and effective measures. Canada shut its borders to anyone who is not a citizen or permanent resident, while the European Union...
