AS THE CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY seeks to cope with increasing challenges amid rapid global changes, there are recurring calls, from various quarters, for the regional integration movement to vigorously embrace new and relevant approaches to achieve major socio-economic and political objectives.
Last Monday night, at the opening session of the CARICOM Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) meeting, new chairman, Trinidad and Tobago’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Dookeran, urged the pursuit of a new model in diplomacy to deal with the changing global environment.
The former University of the West Indies lecturer and ex-Governor of the Trinidad and Tobago Central Bank felt that, collectively, CARICOM needed to urgently respond to “the populist concern that Caribbean integration has less benefits than promoted . . .
“And while this is not necessarily a true statement, we must recognize the limits of our integration processes . . . and how we need strong and brave diplomacy to go into a new frontier”.
People familiar with the modalities of conduct of foreign policy by CARICOM member states should have no serious problems appreciating why Dookeran thought it necessary to go public with his idea for a new collective regional strategy in pursuit of foreign policy objectives.
Perhaps we may learn more about the likely development of such a policy by the Caribbean Community by July’s summit meeting of our Heads of Government in Port of Spain.
However, others, while embracing the need for new collective approaches in our diplomacy, think it is much more relevant and urgent to pursue a thorough overhaul of policies and programmes pertaining to the vital area of national security with a primary focus on arresting the frightening crime epidemic afflicting the region. According to the latest (2012) UNDP Human Development Report, “youth crime” alone cost this region between 2.8 and four per cent of GDP and involved operations of criminal gangs.
We need to know member governments’ initiatives for urgently dealing with the current scourge of gun-related crimes in the region.
Perhaps, while Dookeran pursues the need for a “new paradigm” in diplomacy, his Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who chairs the Prime Ministerial Sub-Committee on Crime and Security, should endeavour to have, for a special meeting at the July summit, a working document outlining new approaches in combating crime and safeguarding national/regional security.
It is better to at least “talk” about what’s outlined in a document of relevance than to just engage in customary ole talk. Let us do so on the diplomatic front along with combating the crime menace.
• Rickey Singh is a noted Caribbean journalist; [email protected].
