Caribbean - Haiti Observer Blog

The U.S. State Department has issued its 2014 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report. In it are named several Caribbean countries considered major centers of money laundering. High on the list of those countries involved in illicit money transactions are Antigua, Barbuda, the Bahamas, Belize, and Haiti.

The CARICOM countries listed are not exclusive to international drug trafficking and money laundering. The U.S., Europe, Canada, and Latin America are also major centers of money laundering activities. In other words, it is a world-wide phenomenon.

The report details the actions of almost 90 countries to decrease the manufacturing of narcotics, its transport, and use, along with money laundering and other blue-collar and white-collar financial crimes. The problem with trying to apprehend drug traffickers is the sophistication of money laundering operations that obscure what proceeds are from drug trafficking, and what are from other types of financial crime. Furthermore, financial institutions that handle accounts set up for illicit financial schemes are also prey to money laundering involving the sale of narcotics.

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We have long known that the islands of the Caribbean have been threatened with the event of earthqauakes. The threat having made itself remembered with the catastrophic earthquake that hit Haiti only three years ago. But now, scientists are reminding us that we face another threat brought on by the number of tectonic plates shifting under our very feet, that of tsunamis.

A slightly exotic thought to the Caribbean mind, as tsunamis are often thought of as a far-away phenomena heard about on the news as it happened in some distant country. But historical accounts show that more than 3,500 people have been killed in tsunamis that struck the Caribbean between 1842 and 2010, which is higher than the 579 dead in tsunamis over the same time frame in the more traditionally tsunami-prone areas of the eastern Pacific.

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As U.S. immigration reform stalls because of Republicans' refusal to compromise, the onslaught of foreign nationals continues to stream in, seeking green cards and eventually citizenship.

The Caribbean region makes up 15% of immigrants in the U.S., who have attained green cards or naturalization. The four top Caribbean countries, who achieved green card or naturalization status, include Dominican Republic (DR), Cuba, Haiti, and Jamaica. The total number of immigrants from all UN countries, who naturalized in 2012 exceeded 100,000.

As U.S. naturalized citizens, they gain the right to work at any job, including government posts through the electoral process, the one exclusion being the U.S. presidency. They also have voting rights at all levels of the government electoral process.

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With data gathered from the Central Intelligence Agency, the World Economic Forum and the World Bank, an online Latin American business publication, Latinvex, has published the latest, and perhaps most comprehensive, ranking for the Latin American Transport Infrastructure.

19 countries in the hemisphere, including the two which share the island of Hispaniola, have been evaluated for their efficiency in 17 fields, to assess the ease of movement and ease of conducting business in all areas of transportation.

These 17 factors contribute to the overall quality of the transportation system in each country and include; air, railway and traditional road transportation, required documents for the importation and exportation of containers, cost and time, the simplicity with which affordable shipments can be arranged, an effective experience with border clearance and customs, port quality, high-caliber practices for tracing and tracking consignments, excellent logistics services, reliable schedules for delivery to consignees and a high percentage of paved roads, airport and runways alike.

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Latin America and Caribbean region are both now moving on a path of high economic growth and they are capable to manage risks of economies plummeting for sustaining stable financial economic environment. As per a recent statement of Alejandro Werner, who is the Director of the Western Hemisphere, Department of the International Monetary Fund, although the recovery process in the region is not very fast but has been observed to remain positive.

While attending a forum organized by Latin Trade Group, Alejandro Werner alerted concerned nations to remain prudent. Because there are many obstacles to retard the development-- high fuel prices, slowdown of Chinese economy, changes in U.S. policy which may have negative effect on the region's fragile economy. The countries should recognize good opportunities and reap benefits with right fiscal or monetary measures.

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The Caribbean community (Caricom) should be commended for taking its first action against a cancer that is growing and spreading in the Dominican Republic. Declaring that it can no longer be business as usual, they suspended the Dominican Republic's application to join its regional economic bloc, following the court decision in Dominican Republic to remove the citizenship of many Dominicans with Haitian background.

The Dominican Republic must really have a huge problem with Black people, Haitians in particular since not only they are black, they are also poor.

After the Haitians, will they ask that only white people comes to visit the country?

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While scripted TV is still fighting to take its breath, a new reality series is planning to make waves in New York, coming straight from the Caribbean Sea. 'Caribbean Wives of South Florida' has taken an old formula, running in the same vein as other breakout reality series such as 'Real Housewives of Atlanta', and put a hopefully profitable spin on it by highlighting a cast that is filled with Caribbean women.

The one-hour pilot has been shot and fully produced, and is now set for a premiere on November 15, at a red carpet event in Manhattan. Representing the pilot will be, not only the cast portrayed on camera, but also the head pilot behind it who has made the series a possibility. Producer Maxine Tulloch, CEO of Tulloch Media Communications, is the producer and host for her own eponymous TV show that airs on Cablevision in three states, New Jersey, Connecticut and New York, and on CaribVision to 21 islands in the Caribbean.

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Haiti has been putting plans in place to ensure their hosting of the Fifth Summit of the Organization of Caribbean States goes smoothly. Twenty-five participant nations, who will send approximately 300 representatives from the top tiers of their governments, will unite to support this year's topic of discussion: "Revitalizing the Vision of the Association of Caribbean States for a Stronger and More United Greater Caribbean".

In anticipation of the event, a pre-planning session was scheduled at the Karibe Convention Center in early April. A group of 50 international representatives met to assess what tasks remained to complete preparations. They reviewed areas of official procedure, timed press releases, media consultants, and security measures to ensure a well-run operation.

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Since Haiti's 2010 earthquake, the government has targeted agriculture, export, and tourism as solutions to put Haiti back on its feet. Minister of Tourism Stephanie Villedrouin has been proactive in attracting foreign investment to grow Haiti tourism. But the problem is international tourism, which has not contributed much to local governments' economies. Foreign countries, who invest in new resorts and hotels, earn the lion's share of profits. Local governments receive very little, and the outlays for supporting infrastructure cost them more than they can afford. They need the International Money Fund to help carry the burden of financing international airports, road projects, sanitation systems, power grids, and telecommunication systems where hotels and resorts are being erected. International tourism in Haiti drains local economies more than it adds to them.

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Tourism in the Caribbean has been happening since before Haiti became a republic in 1804. In the beginning, the very rich traveled to the Caribbean to experience the benefits of its health resorts, some of which offered hot springs. Tourists chose which of the islands they favored according to the official language spoken: The English preferred Jamaica; the French, French Martinque; and the Dutch, Curaçao.

As the Caribbean grew to be a tourist destination in the 60s, international airlines began offering non-stop flights. This changed the character of the tourist profile, which had been only the wealthy, but now became middle-class as well. Once the hospitality and tourism industries saw the potential for big profits in the Caribbean, they began investing in the region.

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