Caribbean political economy at the crossroads

There are a variety of crisis symptoms confronting the Commonwealth Caribbean as the 21st century dawns. Global changes are quickly rendering the region's traditional economic platform obsolete. Marshall suggests, however, that the expanding NAFTA or the hemispheric turn towards bloc formation can offer a way out for the Caribbean.

In order to achieve a positive outcome, politics must be brought back into the regionalization process, as each island government is witnessing a narrowing in the range of its state power by powerful TNCs, international financial institutions, Washington interests and corporate-backed WTO commissions.