I'm back, but Prime Ministers Portia, Kenny, Christie, and now Owen are not

Today, David Thompson was sworn in as the fourth new CARICOM Prime Minister within the past year -- all thanks to a string of elections that have handed defeat to the ruling parties. Prime Minister Patrick Manning of Trinidad & Tobago was the only regional head of government to be re-elected despite losing the popular vote.

As far as I can tell, this wave of change may not do much to speed the pace of regional integration. Perhaps the most logical and worthwhile tangible next step in this process is adoption of the Caribbean Court of Justice. Although 12 nations signed an agreement to do this (most back in 2001), only 2 have successfully replaced the British Privy Council as the highest court of appeal. This is notwithstanding the fact that the Court is practically required to interpret the CARICOM treaties, particularly the recently-implemented CSME. In fact, the opposition UDP of Belize that recently blocked ratification of the CCJ is likely to make up the new government of that nation in 2 weeks.


Although all, including Prime Minister Manning, have declared support for CARICOM and the integration process, they appear no more alacritous than their predecessors - and in at least one case - is less so. It is not encouraging that the issue played a minor role on the West Indian campaign trail.

The long hiatus of Titleless for now was not unintentional. My last job precluded me from making public statements. As many of you know, I have spent much of last year working in New Hampshire on Senator Chris Dodd's campaign for President of the United States. Like the four-term Senator, I have no regrets and it will always be a memorable time of life. Perhaps I will elaborate on the campaign, and perhaps even respond to a blog entry asking me to write about it!


I'd love to hear your thoughts or questions.