Countdown to Copenhagen:

 
World leaders including those in the Caribbean are preparing for Copenhagen in December to reach consensus on a new global climate change agreement to replace the 1997 Kyoto Protocol which will set targets for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
This will require the political will of all countries, particularly the industrialized nations to adopt and implement [...]

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Buffering against future financial crisis:

It might be a good time for Caribbean countries, occupied with mitigating the consequences of the global financial crisis on their economies, to also devote some time to look at how they can put their economies in better shape to withstand any future shocks to the global financial system.
Globalization and the interwoven nature of the [...]

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Coup d’etat and death threats:

On the 19th anniversary of the coup attempt in Trinidad last Monday, Prime Minister Patrick Manning dropped a bombshell: that he was to be assassinated by an organisation last year.
He linked an incident involving a police constable and his security detail in July 2008 to the assassination plot which the prime minister said did not [...]

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Facing up to the threat of Climate Change:

I really can’t say I was impressed with a lot of what took place at last week’s heads of government conference in Georgetown. In fact, I was mildly surprised that given the sort of urgency that was placed on the Summit – although this state of urgency mainly came from regional commentators – that there [...]

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What’s really behind Mr. Manning’s union proposal?

Expect mass migration of desperate people to Trinidad and Tobago from the Eastern Caribbean countries looking for a better life. That was one of the dire warnings from Trinidad and Tobago’s prime minister Patrick Manning of the consequences the country faces if it did not engage in an economic and political union with Eastern Caribbean [...]

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That nagging criminal gang challenge:

Jamaica’s Minister of National Security, Colonel Trevor MacMillan last week gave a chilling description of the current crime situation facing the Caribbean. “Merciless, terrifying and frighteningly magnified,” were the words he used to describe the violent environment that has befallen many countries in the region.
His words are ringing true as almost two months into the [...]

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Law and Order challenges:

Last Thursday’s Trinidad Guardian newspaper published a heart-wrenching picture of middle-aged mother Joyce Des Vignes, sprawled out on her back on the compound of the Holy Trinity Cathedral in the capital, her arms out-stretched as dozens of grieving mourners, too helpless themselves to offer any comfort, surrounded her.
Des Vignes is the mother of 29-year old [...]

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Looks like another win for Mr. Manning:

If I were a betting person I would place a dollar on the incumbent ruling party in Trinidad and Tobago to retain power in tomorrow’s general elections.
My gut instincts about a second consecutive win at the polls for the People’s National Movement (PNM) have nothing to do with any opinion polls.
As a matter-of-fact, if anyone [...]

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Musings on the campaign trail:

Two weeks before the general elections in Trinidad and Tobago and it’s still anyone’s guess as to which party will emerge victorious when all the ballots are tallied for the 41 constituencies that are at stake.
No one and I dare say, not even the pollsters at this time can safely predict how many seats any [...]

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Silly season upon us:

There’s a reason why general elections are called the silly season.
It is a time when politicians lose their heads, their common sense, their wisdom and their ability to think straight and clear and resort to downright low-ball tactics to score cheap political points.
It seems elections bring out the worst in politicians – grandstanding, pandering, exaggerating, [...]

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