Weakness of Sovereignty Exposed: Why CARICOM should stand together Sir Ronald Sanders (17 December 2025The Caribbean is living through a moment of rising geopolitical tension. As the United States intensifies pressure on the Maduro government in Venezuela, the ripples reach CARICOM shores fast. None of these countries chose this confrontation, yet each of them is forced to navigate its consequences. This is nothing new. Small states always live at the edge of power. But recent events have...
On Transparency, Regional Responsibility, and Recent Diplomatic Engagements Patrick Beckford (16 December 2025)–Recent reports of a visit by senior United States officials—specifically Assistant Secretaries with portfolios related to defense and homeland security—meeting with Jamaica’s Prime Minister and select senior officials invite thoughtful public reflection. In a democratic society, particularly one situated within a geopolitically sensitive region, such engagements...
Hurricane Melissa’s Lesson for Constitutional Reform Rosalea Hamilton, PhD (12 December 2025)–Hurricane Melissa’s catastrophic Category 5 assault has ravaged Jamaica, laying bare—yet again—the fragility of an overly centralized system of government. As we confront the worst hurricane disaster in our history, we must assess whether our current structure of government can protect lives in an era of frequent and increasingly severe hurricanes. If we are serious about “building...
The UN is fading — we should worry Sir Ronald Sanders (12 December 2025) —The United Nations is being starved quietly. This month in New York, the Secretary-General, António Guterres, warned the General Assembly’s budget committee that the UN is entering a “race to bankruptcy.” The organisation ended 2024 with about USD 760 million in unpaid contributions from member states—most of it still outstanding. A further USD 877 million due for 2025 had not yet been received. In all...
Trump’s strategy for regime change in Venezuela—How far will he go? Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (17 November 2025)--Indications are President Donald Trump will employ military forces to violently topple President Nicolas Maduro from power in Venezuela—regime change by violent means. If by violent military action, when and how much force he will deploy on the battlefield is mere speculation. The level of military force required will depend on the will of the Venezuelan military to resist...
Be vigilant: expose corruption in hurricane relief and recovery Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (16 November 2025)–Saying there are significant concerns by many in Jamaica and in the diaspora, that the government on its own cannot be trusted to distribute hurricane relief without bias and favor would be an understatement. There is context for these concerns. Equally, and perhaps of even greater concerns, the specter of corruption hovers over the government’s sole control of the massive inflow...
“Sovereignty” – A Plaything of the Powerful? For the powerful, sovereignty is a sword; for the small, it must remain a shield Sir Ronald Sanders (08 November 2025)–Sovereignty is supposedly the cornerstone of international order: the formal declaration that every state has the right to govern itself, protect its territory, and determine its own destiny. Yet the charters of the United Nations and the Organization of American States proclaim not the idea of sovereignty in...
Build Back Better and Smarter: a Response to Environmental Challenges Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (04 November 2025)–We repeat our mistakes and get the same results and at times even worse. The prophet Hosea (8:7) warned us, “You sow the wind you shall reap the storm.” Not a literal translation. We often hear, in the immediate aftermath of a disastrous event, where severe destruction of property and loss of lives are experienced, voices raised, especially by politicians, that ‘we will...
WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS OF ITEMS DURING OUR COLLECTION PERIOD. WE GREATLY APPRECIATED YOUR SUPPORT. WE ARE NO LONGER COLLECTING RELIEF ITEMS. AMBASSADOR CURTIS WARD IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MEMBERS OF THE JAMAICAN DIASPORA WILL BE TRANSITIONING, IN EARLY 2026 TO REBUILDING LIVES, PARTICUALRY THROUGH YOUTH EMPOWERMENT WE WILL PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION ON OUR FUTURE PROGRAM AND HOW YOU MAY SUPPORT US. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE EMAIL ME AT: ATTYCWARD@GMAIL.COM Ambassador Curtis...
Jamaica Hurricane Relief A joint effort by Jamaicans and American friends supporting Jamaica Jamaica Needs Your Support! (03 November 2025)–We need your support to provide hurricane relief to the people of Treasure Beach, and the Pedro Plains area, in the parish of St Elizabeth, Jamaica, which is among the most devastated areas of Jamaica as a result of hurricane Melissa (a category 5 hurricane—the largest in recorded history to hit the island– which ravaged the...
