Tillerson’s Jamaica visit will divide CARICOM, Unless… Ambassador Curtis A. Ward While Secretary Rex Tillerson’s scheduled visit to Jamaica has been received with some level of scepticism, any visit by a U.S. Secretary of State to Jamaica should be welcome news. Ordinarily, such visits are expressions of good working relationships, and often used to strengthen ties even further. On the other hand, there are also visits by U.S. Secretaries of State which are triggered by disagreements on...
Conversation with Earl Jarrett – CEO of JN Group and Chair of Jamaica 55 Diaspora Conference 2017 Ambassador Curtis A. Ward, Host – CaribNation TV (20 Sept. 2017) — In a wide-ranging conversation on the role and importance of the Jamaican Diaspora to Jamaica, Mr. Earl Jarrett, CEO of JN Group, who was chairman of the Jamaica 55 Diaspora Conference 2017, provided an approach which should find resonance with members of the Diaspora; and which offers specific ideas for the way...
P.J. Patterson, In His Own Words – Interview with CaribNation TV I sat down as CaribNation TV Host with the Most Honorable P. J. Patterson, former Prime Minister of Jamaica at his New Kingston Office in Jamaica in July 2017 for a conversation which covered a broad range of issues. This conversation with the former Jamaican Prime Minister occured while the Jamaica 55 Diaspora Conference 2017 was underway at the Jamaica Conference Centre in Kingston, attended by over a thousand Jamaicans...
Implementing the U.S.-Caribbean Strategic Engagement Act Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (21 July 2017) — As pointed out by Representative Eliot L. Engel (D-NY), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, in his opening remarks at the Committee’s hearing on implementation of the U.S.-Caribbean Strategic Engagement Act of 2016 – Public Law No: 114-291 (the Act) on July 19, 2017, having received the U.S. Strategy for Engagement in the Caribbean (the Strategy) report submitted...
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...
Caribbean Diaspora aroused demonstrating discontent Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (04 December 2019) — Discontent within Caribbean diaspora communities is growing in intensity. To most governments in the region, peaceful demonstrations on the streets far removed from the homeland are viewed as non-threatening and inconsequential, thus easily ignored and dismissed. But they should take heed! What they see is only the tip of the iceberg. Traditionally, diaspora’s passionate patriotism has...
Collateral Damage from Trump’s Actions Destabilize Caribbean Countries Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (13 May 2018) –In just under 16 months of President Donald Trump’s administration, actions taken by the American president are sending shock waves across the Caribbean and the world. Unintended consequences – collateral damage – from U.S. actions threaten to destabilize the fragile economies and security of Caribbean countries. The Trump storm is creating new dynamics in geopolitical...
Tillerson’s Jamaica visit will divide CARICOM, Unless… Ambassador Curtis A. Ward While Secretary Rex Tillerson’s scheduled visit to Jamaica has been received with some level of scepticism, any visit by a U.S. Secretary of State to Jamaica should be welcome news. Ordinarily, such visits are expressions of good working relationships, and often used to strengthen ties even further. On the other hand, there are also visits by U.S. Secretaries of State which are triggered by disagreements on...
Carnage in the streets and the government’s response Ambassador Curtis A Ward (05 July 2024) — It’s hard for me or any well-thinking Jamaican to believe the Minister of National Security or the Commissioner of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) that crime is under control, or that there is a reduction in crime. The often-repeated positive statements which border on self-praise about progress in dealing with crime belie the facts about the intractable crime problem facing the...
We are not at war, but we are not safe Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (10 March 2022) –– Speaking as a Jamaican, we are not at war with any country, and we don’t expect to be. We are at war with ourselves. This reality is lived my many Jamaicans in their daily experiences. The high levels of crime, particularly homicide, and the wanton use of guns, put every Jamaican at risk. Some, because of the neighborhoods they live in are most vulnerable and are at greatest risk. They do not have...
Trump’s security assistance cuts and Pompeo’s Jamaica promises diverge Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (25 February 2020) — On the 10th anniversary of the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), former president Barack Obama’s signature security assistance partnership with the Caribbean, president Donald Trump’s Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) budget cut proposal undermines the bold promises made by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during his recent visit to Jamaica. Even as Pompeo was in...
Manipulating the Democratic Process is Morally Corrupt Ambassador Curtis A. Ward The fact that the law is deficient should not give rise to manipulation of the democratic process. It is neither “gamesmanship” or “strategic” as some commentators seem to believe that it is. The truth is political manipulation is anathema to the democratic process. It is morally wrong. And it is corrupt. It should not be dismissed as partisan politics or merely taking advantage of the political system. The...
Autocracy in practice, Jamaica beware Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (01 September 2024) — It is creeping autocracy which often goes unnoticed. This writer has been raising awareness of the inherent dangers of creeping autocracy in Jamaica and the rest of the Caribbean. The warning is repeated here. Young Floyd Green is likable and considered to be among an emerging new generation of leadership in Jamaican politics. But he keeps making mistakes which raise questions about the maturity of his...
Licensed to Kill Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (25 August 2024) — There are two contending forces in the context of crime and security in Jamaica, though not unique to any country. On one side, there are purveyors of violent crimes who prey on society to enrich themselves, violently engage in revenge against opponents, and terrorize to control segments of the population. On the other is the state and the agents of the state whose responsibilities are to protect and guarantee society’s...
Jamaica, a country without borders is a fiction Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (21 July 2024) — The idea that Jamaica is a country without borders while resonating with Jamaicans abroad (the diaspora) is not only a fiction but fast becoming a lie. It makes us feel good about Jamaica’s reach and possible influence, but I might even be kind and say it is now ‘a fantasy’. Several Jamaicans at home are backsliding on this grand idea. At the same time, many Jamaicans in the diaspora...
UK elections and opportunities for CARICOM engagement Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (15 July 2024) — Congratulations are in order to UK’s new prime minister the Hon. Keir Starmer on his Labour Party’s resounding victory and to the Hon. David Lammy on his appointment as UK’s foreign secretary. With the perception of a Labour Party-led UK government being more likely to be respective of the Commonwealth Caribbean concerns than was the previous Conservative Party government, it wouldn’t...
Dual Citizenship and the Opposition Leader’s decision Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (15 July 2024) – The question of dual citizenship has evolved into a vexing issue for Jamaicans at home and in the diaspora, perhaps for different reasons. Some really don’t care. I have heard some voice disgust that their loyalty to Jamaica, the land of their birth, is even being put into question, adding that many who now want to make a distinction have not demonstrated the loyalty they expect of others...
