Slave Rebellions in the Caribbean: A Global Americans Review of Island on Fire and Blood on the River
Both books capture the nuances of enslaved people’s struggle for freedom against brutally exploitative systems.
Both books capture the nuances of enslaved people’s struggle for freedom against brutally exploitative systems.
Suriname is part of the Guyana-Suriname Basin, often called the “Holy Grail” of oil and gas. However, the country is in the midst of a severe economic crisis. Sadly, Suriname has been here before.
The Caribbean has long enjoyed a reputation for being one of the most democratic regions in the world. Despite the Caribbean’s seeming confidence in the ballot, however, countries in the region nevertheless face considerable challenges in keeping their democracies alive. Elections alone do not make a democracy; rather, there are many other factors that must be taken into consideration in order to ensure good governance.
The following interview between Global Americans’ Executive Director Guy Mentel and Francisco J. Monaldi took place this week as the Biden-Harris administration moves to combat climate change and as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt global oil markets.
Earlier this month, the findings of Suriname’s National Risk Assessment on anti-money laundering and corruption were released. While the country has made progress, it faces a continued struggle to reshape a history and culture of deep institutional corruption.
Prior governments have failed to make Suriname’s economic system more efficient and publicly accountable. The new administration not only needs to resolve the current financial crisis, but rebuild national and international economic partnerships, regain the public’s trust in key institutions, and fight corruption.
Suriname’s governance deficiencies have been well-documented by a multilateral organizations citing it for corruption, nepotism, and drug trafficking, but this does not necessarily mean that the country has not made any progress in fighting corruption and reaching toward a higher quality of governance.
Suriname faces challenges to improve its anti-corruption and anti-money laundering capabilities. However, a number of technical and financial sources stand ready to assist.
From positive forecasts to shrinking economies, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a drastic effect on the Caribbean. How will the region recover?
The COVID-19 pandemic provides needed context for the growing environmental movement—mainly that the climate crisis could have outcomes conceivably more dire than the current pandemic.