Drums of War Trump UN North Korean Sanctions Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (13 Aug. 2017) — An unusual show of unanimity in the United Nations Security Council imposing new, meaningful targeted commodity and financial sanctions against North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea -DPRK) is on the brink of collapse with the bellicosity from U.S. President Donald Trump. The response by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to the UN sanctions was not unexpected. The response from Donald...
The Ward Post Bi-Monthly Brief Vol. 2. No. 3. (May – June 2017) The Ward Post Bi-Monthly Brief brings together in one convenient location a synopsis of, and links to the TWP blogs posted during the previous two months. Trafficking in Persons 2017 Report Shows Progress in the Caribbean (06/27/2017) Ambassador Curtis A. Ward 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...
Jamaica Diaspora 2017 Conference: Partnering with the Diaspora Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (07 Aug. 2017) — The questions asked most frequently in Jamaican diaspora circles have continued to challenge successive Jamaican government efforts since 2004 to engage with the Jamaican diaspora effectively. Still unanswered are: Where are the mechanisms for effective engagement? Is there an effective consultative partnership between the Government and the Diaspora? The Jamaica 55 Diaspora 2017...
Who Cries for Venezuela? Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (02 Aug. 2017) — I have been pressed by my own inner thoughts and by several individuals to express my views on the situation in Venezuela, including on the responses of Caribbean governments to this crisis. I am compelled to respond. There is limited media attention given to Venezuela, and the dangers facing that country are being drowned out by the turmoil surrounding President Donald Trump’s administration. Yet we saw the U.S...
U.S-Russia Daggers Drawn: Unsheathing the Sanctions Sword Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (30 July 2017) — This article could well be titled “Trump vs. Congress on Russian Sanctions,” (Part 2) as a sequel to what I wrote in The Ward Post almost eight months ago. By that time, I had already offered the probability in “Will Trump Fall on the Sanctions Sword?” that President Donald Trump would likely fall on the sanctions sword if he tried to do President Vladimir Putin’s bidding. The...
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...
Jamaican Government Urges NAJASO Delegates to Invest in Homeland Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (19 July 2017) — The thrust of the messages delivered by Jamaican government ministers to the NAJASO convention was to encourage the diaspora to take advantage of investment opportunities in Jamaica. Accordingly, the diaspora would be contributing to helping the government achieve its growth and prosperity objectives. NAJASO had invited the Hon. Andrew Holness, Jamaica’s Prime Minister, as...
Jamaica Leader of Opposition Dr. Peter Phillips Responds to Diaspora Issues Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (19 July 2017) — The setting of NAJASO’s Convention held July 13-15, 2017 in Montego Bay, Jamaica was a perfect occasion on which to draw attention to shared issues of concerns to the Jamaican Diaspora and the Jamaican homeland and offering of possible solutions. The National Association of Jamaican And Supportive Organizations marked its 40th Anniversary as an umbrella diaspora...
NAJASO – Addressing Jamaican Issues Head-on Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (17 July 2017) — Only one week away from a broader government-sponsored Jamaican Diaspora Conference to be held in Kingston, July 23-26, 2017, the issues discussed at the NAJASO 40th Convention held in Montego Bay, Jamaica, set the stage for broader diaspora discussions and problem solving. The level of discussions set a very high bar for the diaspora. The discussions at the NAJASO Conference set an extraordinarily...
The Jamaican Diaspora: Convergence or Divergence Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (03 July 2017) — Perhaps by error or coincidence there are two conferences taking place in Jamaica in July 2017 featuring significant segments of the Jamaican diaspora. The National Association of Jamaican And Supportive Organizations (NAJASO) is celebrating its 40th Anniversary at its Annual Conference in Montego Bay from 13-15 July. A week later, at the opposite end of the island, will be the Jamaica 55 Diaspora...
