Norman Girvan

Haiti, CARICOM and the UWI: Rising to the Challenge, E. Nigel Harris

norman — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:27:53 +0000

Professor Nigel Harris is Vice Chancellor of the University of the West Indies. In his Eric Williams Memorial Lecture delivered at the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago on July 9, 2010; he speaks of the practical steps the UWI is taking in response to Haiti’s needs after the earthquake.

The catastrophic earthquake of January 12, 2010, despite its terrible immediate consequences, may prove to be the moment of greatest opportunity for Haiti. For the former Imperial powers of Europe and the USA, this is a moment of opportunity unequal to any other to redeem the past wrongs done to Haiti over the past two centuries. Indeed for our global community this is a time when a country so terribly misunderstood and misrepresented can be wrapped into the bosom of the world community with dignity and respect. This is a moment of no less importance for CARICOM, since that organisation can lead the world in bringing Haiti truly into the global fold…

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Professor Keith Ellis: A Source of Inspiration, Russell Bell

norman — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 15:55:59 +0000

Keith Ellis grew up in a small district in St. Mary, Jamaica; attended Calabar High School in Kingston and today is Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto. He is the author or editor of eighteen books and some one hundred articles published in all the top journals in his field of Spanish American literature and culture. He is the (i) first Jamaican to receive the Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of Havana (ii) first black person to be elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, a group of the top professors in the country, elected by their peers (iii) recipient of The Award for Excellence in Academia bestowed upon him in 2004 by the Association of Black Students and Alumni of the University of Toronto and (iv) recipient of the Dulce María Loynaz International Prize for contribution to literary studies and understanding of and support for Cuba, given by UNEAC (The Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba). He is also a long-standing, active defender of the Cuban revolution.

Professor Ellis was recently interviewed by Russell Bell for YESCuba, the Newsletter of Jamaican Youth and Elders in Solidarity with Cuba. The interviews, with selected extracts, are published below. YESCuba is asking for your help in distribution to all your friends, colleagues and especially young Caribbeans at home and abroad.

From Part 1 (Click here for interview)

“We have to aim for unity in ways that are innovative…”The multiparty system is an obstacle to our identifying the core issues that affect our common development and it is a convenience for those outside forces that are known to ruthlessly further their interests by exacerbating divisions…”
“I believe that more room should be given to tenderness and the nurturing of uplifting cultural activity. That has to be within the framework of a social and political system that channels our human and material resources to the common benefit of our people…”

From Part 2 (Click here for interview)

“… many blacks are seeing themselves as vicarious occupants of the White House and have lost sight of the imperialist objectives of the Obama administration…”

From Part 3 (Click here for interview)

“…there is a vibrant spirit among our young people, a curiosity about the world, a confidence that they are equal to everybody else and to every possible task, displayed both in their academic achievements and in their sporting achievements; these qualities augur well for the overcoming of obstacles….”…that alienating tutelage that surreptitiously continues to guide our institutional and social life-these are all barriers in the way of our youth…”

The Kelsey Report: Services and Investment in the CARIFORUM-EC-EPA, Norman Girvan

norman — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 11:29:16 +0000

Dr Jane Kelsey, Professor of Law at the University of Auckland and a leading international authority on trade in services agreements, has conducted an exhaustive study of Legal Provisions on Services and Investment in the CARIFORUM-EC EPA. The eleven-chapter, 111-page study, now published by the South Centre, indentifies five principal categories of legal risk in the EPA: (i) asymmetry in favour of the EU; (ii) the unpredictable and unlimited multiplier effect of most-favoured nation and ‘regional preference’ obligations; (iii) an externally imposed regional integration model; (iv) closure of policy space; (v) complexity, uncertainty and a heightened risk of errors with no structured opportunity to correct them.

The main recommendation for Cariforum States is to utilise the Joint Declaration of the Parties on the Signing of the Economic Partnership Agreement, to be conducted pursuant to Article 5 of the EPA, which the author states is ‘the only formal opportunity to address the concerns raised in the report’. For Non-Cariforum States, especially in the ACP grouping, the main recommendation is they ‘should assert their right not to negotiate an agreement with the EU on services and investment’.

The publication of the Kelsey Report provides an opportunity to broaden current exchanges over the EPA in the Caribbean beyond the issue of implementation of the agreement. Given the scope and extent of the legal risks identified, it would be appropriate for the legal and other academic community, trade officials, the private sector, NGOs and other stakeholders to examine the EPA text critically with a view to assessing the implications and detemining the modifications necessary to make the Agreement more in line with Cariforum/Caricom circumstances and interests. This is all the more important, in that services and investment form part of the CARICOM/Canada FTA and negotiations on these subjects are due to commence soon. Further, we are nearly two years into the period allowed for the mandatory review, and adequate preparation in support of the Caricom/Cariforum case needs to be made.

Read the Kelsey/South Centre Report

‘ Political Prisoners’? Mainstream Media Distortions on Cuba, Saul Landau and Nelson Valdes

norman — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 21:50:31 +0000

On July 8, the Washington Post lead story ["Cuba to release 52 political prisoners, Catholic Church says"] reported Cuba had released five political prisoners with assurances of forty-seven more to come in the near future. Cuban President Raul Castro said all political prisoners would soon be released. On July 16, another group was freed. The Post story and its July 9 editorial “Cuba’s marginal gesture” omitted facts readers would need in order to understand the significance of the prisoner release. Both pieces convey the image of a “political prisoner” who is dedicated to expressing unwelcome views — perhaps a poet, or a whistle blower who has uncovered corruption. But these prisoners were in jail for committing crimes that would have placed them behind bars if they were done in the United States including working for a foreign government without registering, and committing violence…

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Energy: The New Agenda, Raymond Wright

norman — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 18:00:07 +0000

The global energy situation is reaching a crisis point in terms of sustainability. The depletion of fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) will continue unabated considering the increasing rate of energy consumption worldwide. It is expected that global energy demand will nearly double by 2050. The new and long term energy future that we envisage will be powered by alternative energy and cleaner fossil fuels. Billions of dollars must be expended on upgrading electricity transmission networks to handle increased demand and the variable input of renewables such as wind and solar. Much of the capital financing will come from private investment, but Governments will need to continue to implement policies that foster investment by private companies in order to encourage the growth of renewables. The enormity of the challenge also means that Governments should do their part to encourage the societal and technological shift towards new and improved energy systems. As civil society and political leaders face the difficult and varied choices, they should remember that failure to act now could force society into more painful choices in the future. We can no longer afford to ignore the clarion call of the future. Instead we must plan ahead and strive toward energy sustainability and security. Despite the hurdles confronting us, the drive to create a new energy system can only be beneficial to everyone. This new and cleaner energy system will assist in reducing the rapid rise in greenhouse gas emissions that is now accepted as a contributor to global warming. Competition among energy sources will stimulate innovation, keep energy affordable and increase global energy security. That is the mission, and the New Agenda. This book deals with conventional as well as renewable energy sources, sustainable architecture, energy efficiency and climate change mitigation.

The Author
Raymond Wright, a former Group Managing Director of the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica, has experience and expertise in a wide range of energy matters. He is trained as a geologist and is a former Commissioner of Mines and Geology. He has co-edited a major work, Geological Society of America Memoir 182, Biostratigraphy of Jamaica, published in 1993. He has published widely in various international journals and books on many subjects including energy, environment, resource policy, micropaleontology and stratigraphy. He has been a consultant on energy programmes and policy for a number of multilateral and bilateral agencies on most continents. Dr Wright holds a PhD from Stanford University, an MPhil from University College, London and a BSc from Durham University. Dr. Wright has received several awards, including the Commander of the Order of Distinction (CD) conferred in 1989 and the Chubb Award for Excellence from the Geological Society of Jamaica in 1993. At the 2002 World Renewable Energy Congress in Cologne, Germany, he was awarded the accolade of Pioneer in Renewables. His most recent awards are the inaugural CARICOM Science Medal for the excellence of his contribution to the earth sciences in the Caribbean, and the Jamaican National Medal for Science and Technology (2008).

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Available at http://www.amazon.com/Energy-Agenda-Raymond-M-Wright/dp/9768217820

Dire Economic Prospects for the Caribbean shown by ECLAC report, Norman Girvan

norman — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 20:56:24 +0000

The Economic Survey of Latin America and the Caribbean, published today (21st July) by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, shows a dire situation and prospects for Caribbean countries. The cost of the global financial and economic crisis to the subregion is estimated at a huge 10% of GDP in 2009. 10 of 14 Caribbean countries experienced negative growth in that year, the worst performers being the eight countries of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU), which contracted by 7.3% on average…

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Why are Marines Disembarking in Costa Rica? Atilio Boron

norman — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 04:30:16 +0000

With votes secured from the official National Liberation Party (PLN), the Libertarian Movement, and Justo Orozco, the evangelical congressman from the Costa Rican Renovation party, on July 1st, the Costa Rican Congress authorized the entry into that country of 46 warships from the U.S. Navy, 200 helicopters and combat aircraft and 7,000 Marines. ..

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The United States, Britain and the Rise of Militant Islam; Mervyn Claxton

norman — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 13:00:53 +0000

The United States and Britain are directly reponsible for the emergence of a militant Islamist régime in Iran. It was their joint action in overthrowing the Mohammad Mossadegh government in 1953 (the very first democratic government in the Middle East) because it had had the temerity to nationalize its own petroleum industry in 1951…

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Military Action Against Iran: Impact and Effects, Paul Rogers/Oxford Research Group

norman — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 13:22:15 +0000

Blogowner’s introduction: in a series of recent columns and in his recent television appearance, the Cuban Leader Fidel Castro has been warning of plans for an Israeli attack on Iran and the dangers of nuclear war breaking out as a result. Yesterday the prestigious Oxford Research Group published a new report by Professor Paul Rogers (who correctly predicted the consequences of the U.S. attack on Iraq) that concluded that such an attack, which is almost ceretainly being planned, would lead to a protracted war without solving the Iran nuclear controversy.

Such a protracted war would have devastating consequences for the small, largely tourism-dependent and energy-dependent economies of the Caribbean. The price of oil on world markets would skyrocket, saddling economies already reeling from the effects of the global financial crisis with additional payments deficits; and increasing already excessive debt burdens. Tourism would almost certainly contract, both as a result of renewed global recession and of the rise in global insecurity as thousands of radicalsed young Muslims turn to desperate actions in their rage and frustration. Remittances would also come under pressure with renewed global economic slowdown.

In these circumstances a region with serious political leadership would be acting on two fronts. First, diplomatic action to support a peaceful resolution to the crisis; such as the proposal put forward by Brazil and Turkey. And second, contingency planning to mitigate the effects of the likely economic fall-out of a war. Caricom countries are however, crippled in their ability to respond to this and other crises by the lack of a muscular political and institutional machinery for regional decision-making consequent on their continued failure to act on the reform of Community governance, recently shown once again by the non-decisions taken at the recent Summit. And much of media appear to prefer to focus on sound bites emanating from the Summit (”ATM machine” etc) rather than on the substantive issues. Internationally, we seem to be “whistling in the wind”, as local media take their cue from the Western-dominated news agencies. Much of the coverage of Fidel Castro’s interview, for instance, ignored the substance of the message which motivated his rare appearance. It will be interesting to see how much coverage the Oxford Research Group’s report receives; and whether any Caribbean leader comments on its dire warnings and those issued earlier by the Cuban leader; and their implications for the region’s well-being.

Norman July 16, 2010

Click here for the Paul Rogers/Oxford Research Group Report

Click here for Fidel’s Reflections on the coming war

A Tale of Two Disasters, Raffique Shah

norman — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 01:48:29 +0000

In “Myth of all men created equal”, Raffique Shah documents the double standards revealed by the handling of the Bhopal disaster in 1984, which killed thousands and maimed many more, with that of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster of 2010.

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Part 2: Injustice sows seeds of terrorism Raffique Shah

Every time you have to go through those annoying, intrusive and demeaning security checks at an airport, who do you blame? The ‘terrorists’, of course! Ever stop to wonder why?