Challenges to Jamaican and Caribbean Security Ambassador Curtis A. Ward Lecture at the University of the West Indies (MSBM), Kingston, Jamaica (15 March 2019) Thank you for asking me to share my perspectives on Challenges to Jamaican and Caribbean Security. I will try to narrow the scope of my presentation as best I can to fit into the limited time given to me. I decided I would use my lecture to challenge Jamaican and Caribbean policymakers and decision makers, leaders of the security...
CaribNation TV: Host – Ambassador Curtis A. Ward Guests: Sha-Shana Crichton, Professor of Law and Wilfred Rattigan, Former FBI Agent Crime, Justice and Security in Jamaica and the Caribbean (Video) In an incisive discussion of “Crime, Justice and Security,” my guests – Law Professor Sha-Shana Crichton and former FBI Agent Wilfred Rattigan, Esq. – and I explored a number of issues which contribute to crime, deficiencies in the criminal justice system, and...
T&T Don’t Blame Intelligence Services, Thank Them! Ambassador Curtis A. Ward A recent plot to commit terrorist acts in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) during the country’s Carnival celebrations, according to the country’s Prime Minister, was foiled due to intelligence cooperation with the United States. It doesn’t matter the source of the intelligence. The government and people of the twin island state should be thankful there were no lives lost to an act of terrorism, this...
Trinidad & Tobago Faces Terrorist Threat Ambassador Curtis A. Ward It came as no surprise when news broke that U.S. intelligence services had warned the Government of Trinidad & Tobago (Trinidad) of plots to carry out terrorist attacks during Trinidad’s Carnival 2018 celebrations. Trinidad has been vulnerable for years and successive governments have failed to undertake necessary and timely action to ensure that the country has in place appropriate laws, and administrative and...
Security Risks Posed by Terrorist Threats Should be Discussed at Tourism Conference Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (24 November 2017) — Attracting the “Global Conference on Jobs & Inclusive Growth: Partnerships for Sustainable Tourism” to Montego Bay, Jamaica, was a major milestone for the country and the Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett and the Jamaican Government deserved a great deal of credit. The Conference, set for 27-29 November 2017, was a joint undertaking between the...
Are Returning Foreign Terrorist Fighters a Threat to Caribbean Security? Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (29 October 2017) — In previous writings, including in The Ward Post, and presentations I have made in a number of fora in the past year, I raised the possibility of returning foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) whose origins are the Caribbean posing risks and dangers to the region. It’s time for Caribbean governments to pay attention and coordinate plans to deal with this imminent danger...
The State of National Security in Jamaica with Sen. Pearnel Charles, Jr CaribNation Inteview – Hosted by Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (15 Sept. 2017) — I had the opportunity to sit down with the Hon. Senator Pearnel Charles, Jr., Minister of State in the Ministry of National Security of Jamaica to explore the state of national security in Jamaica, in particular his areas of responsibilities. Sen. Charles has some very interesting ideas in terms of rehabilitation and reintegration of...
Trafficking in Persons 2017 Report Shows Progress in the Caribbean Ambassador Curtis Ward (27 June 2017 ) — The U.S. State Department’s annual Trafficking In Persons (TIP) Report 2017, issued today, shows progress in some Caribbean countries but leaves some unhappy with their Tier rankings. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s statement to the TIP Report stressed that it “highlights the successes achieved and the remaining challenges before us on this important global...
