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The Caribbean is not by any stretch of the imagination isolated from the rest of the world. It’s important for us to have our opinions on what takes place in even the most remote of locations. From a human rights perspective the distance is irrelevant, there are people and nations in need of resolve and that should be enough.
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In some ways it’s especially important for us to monitor US foreign policy, because we may one day be subjected to it. The USA still monitors the Caribbean and Latin America. Let us not forget that it was the USA who kidnapped and ousted President Aristide in 2004. Whether or not this was good for Haiti is not the issue, the issue is that back-door tactics are commonplace. Nor should we forget the decades long issue with Nicaragua and the US funding rebel groups. Jamaica knows full well what happens when politicians decide to arm various factions.
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Wake up.
5 Comments
5 May 2009 at 7:23 pm
[...] Rethink Afghanistan (implications for the Caribbean and Latin … [...]
5 May 2009 at 8:18 pm
Yes, Towne Crier, it is extremely important and it is also full time, that we in Jamaica and of course the wider or larger Caribbean transcend our blinkered parochialism, with respect to international relations. And in so doing, start to have greater comprehension and appreciation of the sundry regions of the world, in terms of the varying political dynamics, ranging from human rights, security issues, nuclear problems and concerns, militarism, religious and theocratic issues, non-state actors, terrorism, environmental concerns/global warming, famine, trade, foreign aid, multinational corporations, United States foreign policy, Russia, China, Europe, Middle East, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Darfur and other salient global issues not limited to the aforementioned.
Indeed, as you rightly contend, Jamaica, and by extension, the Caribbean, is not isolated or hermetically sealed from the rest of the world. Consequently, even events distanced from our geographic sphere can have major impact on our polity, because, in essence, we are now living in an highly globalized and interdependent world, as evidenced by the impact of the global financial and economic meltdown of capitalism and its concomitant ravages of various nation-states.
Ergo, it is imperative that as a people we start to have a world or global view/perspective which is not constrained and distorted by pseudo regionalism and petty nationalism. Nuff respect!!
5 May 2009 at 10:16 pm
Thanks for sharing this post. I found it extremely moving and relevant to the ultimate new climate of instability around the world. These are really serious times.
11 May 2009 at 5:24 pm
Taliban influence is increaing and spreading in Pakistan, a country with nuclear arms !! What is the future of Pakistan ?!!
11 May 2009 at 9:25 pm
I find that to be of concern merely because of the conflict, but I honestly do not think a nuclear exchange would happen. The Taliban are not stupid, and the greatest use of a nuke is leverage, not the actual use of it. In a nuclear exchange no one wins. As much as they may be ready to die for their cause, I do not think total annihilation of their entire country is acceptable to them. What they would probably do is be able to get the USA to remove itself from the middle east, and get Israel to stop their ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians, and seek to establish themself as a power in that region.