Caribbean Political Economy

The ALBA Summit, the Caribbean and Haiti, Kevin Edmonds

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The weekend of February 4th and 5th saw the Bolivarian Alternative of the Americas (ALBA) convene their 11th summit in Caracas, Venezuela. ALBA began as an alternative vision to the reckless neoliberal agenda promoted by Washington throughout Latin America and the Caribbean…

More ALBA Expands its Caribbean Allies (Part 1)

More ALBA’s Reconstruction Solidarity with Haiti (Part 2)

‘The destiny of Haiti is in the hands of its children’, Rodolfo Mattarollo

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Ambassador Rodolfo Mattarollo, Special Representative of the UNASUR Technical Secretariat in Haiti,is interviewed by Claudia Florentin, Spanish Editor, Latin America and Caribbean Communication Agency (ALC).

In my understanding, only a Great National Agreement will unblock the situation,  (one that) establishes the conditions for (…) the building on solid foundations of a legally constituted state, which requires, among other things, that the state fulfills its obligations in the fight against impunity…

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Haiti In A Time of Catastrophe, Robert Fatton Jr.

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Keynote address at the first annual conference on January 12, 2012, at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Florida, to commemorate the earthquake in Haiti and to encourage support for rebuilding efforts. Professor Robert Fatton Jr. is Julia Cooper Professor of Politics at the Woodrow Wilson Department of Politics, University of Virginia.

In the midst of the cataclysm Haitians showed a new sense of solidarity and citizenship that offered a glimpse of an alternative order; whether they can reignite this fleeting solidarity and finally understand that a better future requires the demise of the old ways of governing and producing, remains an open question…

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South American Cooperation with Haiti, Claudia Florentin

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First in a series that will examine South American cooperation with Haiti, post-earthquake. Claudia Florentin is ALC South American Editor.

This South American cooperation “attempts to diminish the dependency of developing countries in relation to the more developed, by strengthening the relationships between the former, and their national, regional and collective self-esteem…

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ALBA Countries to Develop Road Map for Haiti’s Reconstruction, TeleSur

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Webmaster’s note: the XI ALBA Summit held in Caracas February 4 (which was, as is customary, virtually blanked by the mainstream media) manifested the continuing vitality of this emerging bloc. Decisions were taken on the consolidation of an ALBA economic  space and on an ALBA-Haiti reconstruction programme. Present at the Summit were the leaders of three CARICOM countries who are also ALBA members, and Haitian President Michel Martelly, who announced that his country was exploring the possibility of becoming a full member of ALBA.

Caracas 4 February 2012 (Telesur) The countries of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA) are developing a roadmap to assist in the reconstruction of Haiti, prioritising health, education, energy, food production, infrastructure and training of qualified personnel…

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St Lucia, Suriname, declare interest in joining ALBA

Caribbean states join Mercosur in barring Falklands’ flagged vessels from their ports Merco Press

How U.S. and U.N. Officials Oversaw Integration of Ex-Army Paramilitaries into Haiti’s Police Force, Jeb Sprague

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Throughout 2004 and 2005, Haiti’s unelected de facto authorities, working alongside foreign officials, integrated at least 400 ex-army paramilitaries into the country’s police force, secret U.S. Embassy cables reveal…

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Haiti Two Years After, Joel Dreyfuss

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An accompanying note from Mariama Williams says “For the women, men and children still in tents and coping with long duree of aftereffects have been quite inspiring to me…You and your fellow Haitians are exempleries of resilience, strength and courage but mostly love and care.”

Beyond disappointment at the slow progress of reconstruction, many Haitians and Haitian Americans have begun to lose faith. We have begun to wonder if the sharp divisions of class and color in Haiti are an unavoidable obstacle to progress, and realize that they must be overcome for the poor Caribbean nation of 10 million to move forward…

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Haiti and Trans-Caribbean Literary Identity: A Missing Link In Caribbean Literature

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This new book by Emilio Jorge Rodriguez is “a remarkable collection of essays,” …(which) “should be listed among the few books that can be said to truly advance the understanding of the subject they address.” Its subject is the Haitian novel in the 20th century and the search for Amerindian and African origins in the masterful work of Alejo Carpentier.

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Haiti’s ‘dream house’ nightmare, Ayiti Kale Je

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Ayiti Kale Je (Haiti Grassroots Watch) is a collaboration of grassroots media organizations which focuses on monitoring the country’s reconstruction from the viewpoint of Haiti’s majority.

Cité Soleil, Dec. 14, 2011 - While over one million refugees suffered under tents following the January 12, 2010, earthquake, 128 newly constructed homes, finished in May, 2010, sat empty for 15 months. Today, the majority of these “social housing” units are occupied, but mostly by illegal squatters who broke in by smashing windows and doors…

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Interview: Cuba’s Health Care Miracle in Haiti, Canada Haiti Action Network

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Dr. Jorge Balseiro Estevez is Director of the University Hospital of Psychiatry in Camaguey, Cuba; a member of Henry Reeve Cuban Internationalist Medical Brigade[1] and a director of the Brigade’s field hospital in the city of Leogâne, Haiti. Here he is interviewed by Roger Annis of the Canada Hati Action Network, while on a speaking tour of Canada.

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