The Other Side of Paradise

Without sufficient regulation, drug legalization in the Caribbean could end up benefitting international business interests, and hurting those who depend on the informal cannabis economy to survive.

Participants at this week's Jamaica Cannabis Conference are doing more than just blowing smoke—they are discussing the upcoming stages of a long-overdue and vital transformation of the Caribbean's regional economy.

The new Commission of Inquiry (COI), which began in Guyana on April 28, will provide a chance for the PNC government to finally set the historical record straight regarding the assassination of Walter Rodney.

El Chapo's arrest may be hailed as a victory for the war on drugs, but the real players continue to operate with impunity behind the scenes. U.S. banks' money laundering helps finance the drug trade.

The international media's escalation of the Venezuelan crisis, and their complete silence regarding Haiti, highlights U.S. inconsistency in upholding the values of human rights and democracy.

The most well known Venezuelan assistance to Haiti has come in the form of Venezuela's PetroCaribe program. But as the neighboring Dominican Republic passes controversial immigration control measures, Venezuela's support has grown to encompass diplomatic assistance as well.

Raul Burbano is the Program Director for Common Frontiers Canada, a multi-sectoral working group based in Toronto that organizes research, educational campaigns, and political action on issues related to hemispheric economic, social, and climate justice. He shares his thoughts and experiences after returning from Honduras as an official member of Canada's electoral observer delegation.

Honduras' elections on November 24 had the potential of reversing some of the worst pro-market, anti-people policies put forward by the government of Porfirio Lobo, who was the direct beneficiary of the 2009 coup that ousted the left-of-center Manuel Zelaya. Instead, the elections have been fraught with irregularities and violent intimidation.

For over 50 years the island of Cuba has defiantly stood its ground in the Caribbean, rejecting a capitalist economic model in favor of a system that has served the needs of its people, first, and those of the international economy, a distant second. It is primarily for this reason that Cuba’s decision to establish an export processing zone at the port of Mariel has been met with a great deal of concern.

For over 50 years the island of Cuba has defiantly stood its ground in the Caribbean, rejecting a capitalist economic model in favor of a system that has served the needs of its people, first, and those of the international economy, a distant second. It is primarily for this reason that Cuba's decision to establish an export processing zone at the port of Mariel has been met with a great deal of concern.

It has been almost four years since Haiti was hit by the 7.0 earthquake which left over 100,000 dead and an estimated 1.5 million people homeless. For the 278,000 internally displaced people who currently remain in the tent camps, they have been living an extremely precarious existence without access to the most basic services, and they are constantly under the threats of exposure to cholera and forced evictions.

While it is still early in the process, it appears that Grenada is embarking on a hopeful quest to restructure its debt without undertaking the traditional demands of significant cuts to public sector budgets and widespread privatization programs. What makes Grenada's position important is that the government has not been negotiating with the IMF in the traditional antidemocratic manner. Instead, the people are playing a crucial role in this consulation.