Guardian view on the Caribbean: island-shaped arguments for historical injustice | Editorial

riceEarlier this month, Barbados Prime Minister Mottley shared the stage with the island’s Poet Laureate Esther Phillips at the London School of Economics. It was an emotional evening of history and politics. Ms. Phillips read her poetry about slavery; Ms. Mottley made a speech Learn about the challenges facing the Caribbean and the myriad legacies of colonialism.

For two centuries, Barbados, along with Jamaica and other islands, was at the center of the lucrative British sugar trade. The plantation system, founded on slavery and followed decades of exploitative conditions of indentured labor, cast a deep shadow over the islands, which they have been trying to escape. CaribbeanHistorian Matthew Smith said people are always thinking about the relationship between this history and the current situation.

Today, Barbados is the easternmost island in the Caribbean with a population of 281,000 and is heavily dependent on tourism. Huge debt burdenIt is also on the front lines of the climate crisis, with small island nations bearing the brunt of its impact. Like other poor countries, Barbados has contributed little to rising temperatures caused by historical carbon emissions, mostly produced by Western industrialized nations. Since being elected in 2018, Ms. Motley Pushing the climate agenda, talking about “death penaltyWhat does global warming mean for the Caribbean? At Cop28, she called Imposing a 5% tax on global oil and gas profits (raising $200 billion per year) to finance climate needs in poor countries.

Ms. Mottley has read the room. The British West Indies, with the exception of five small islands, are independent nations. The shift to republicanism occurred as part of a reckoning with Britain’s legacy of colonialism. Barbados removed Queen Elizabeth II as head of state in 2021. Of the 14 countries outside the United Kingdom that retain a monarch as head of state, at least six are in the Caribbean. Want to go outSome want the royal family to formally apologize for its role in enslaving Africans. As Cynthia Barrow-Giles, a professor of political science at the University of the West Indies, said: Tell this articleMs. Motley “believed that the region represented an untapped civilization, and she wished to develop it.”

Notorious compensation
The region is emerging from the shadow of history and seeking a stronger voice. The United Nations resolution adopted in November aims to shift decision-making power over global tax policy and rules away from wealthy countries. The resolution was co-sponsored by: BahamasCaribbean island nations are fed up with being labeled tax havens by worse offenders, such as the European Union. Caribbean figures are also entering the corridors of power. Top UN climate official Simon SteeleFormer Minister of Environment of Grenada. alliance The sovereignty of Caribbean and Pacific island nations has been a major source of pressure for wealthy governments. Bridgetown Initiative Under the deal, crisis-hit countries would be eligible for automatic debt relief and new low-interest loans to finance crisis relief.

The Caribbean has long struggled to break away from the national interests of the great powers. Cuba continues to suffer “Maximum pressure” sanctions During Donald Trump’s administration, the United States imposed an act on Puerto Rico. But things may be better for Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory whose citizens are obliged to pay taxes but do not have a vote in Congress. Puerto Rico’s Spanish colonial heritage is one of the reasons why it has never been a foregone conclusion to become a full U.S. state. That could be changing, though. U.S. Congress consider The bill would give the island’s residents a choice in 2025: become a sovereign nation with ties to the United States, declare independence or begin the path to statehood.

About half of the Caribbean population lives on the island of Hispaniola. Haiti occupies the western third of the island, while the rest is made up of Dominican RepublicBoth countries have similar population sizes, have been invaded by the United States, and are ruled by dictatorships. Both countries have been occupied by empires—Haiti by France, the Dominican Republic by Spain.

Historically, France seems to have been the more destructive ruler. In 1825, Paris demanded and received the infamous 150 million franc indemnity it received as a condition for recognizing Haiti’s (already won) independence, a payment that was estimated to have cost Paris dearly. $115 billion In today’s currency. For today’s 11 million Haitians, that’s a lot of money. Haiti is currently on the brink of national collapse, with a clear resurgence in gang violence. Meanwhile, its larger neighbor is not only one of the most successful economy The same is true in the Caribbean and Latin America. This difference creates tension. Dominican President Luis Abinader has blocked all land, air and sea access. boundary He will go to Haiti in September and will run for re-election next year with a hard-line approach. racist Including establishment wall Between the two countries.

Repaired Functionality
The legacy of slavery has always been an important issue for The Guardian. Cotton Capital Earlier this year, The Guardian’s owner, the Scott Trust, announced a £10 million investment in Restorative Justice Programincluding expanding our coverage of the Caribbean. FounderJohn Edward Taylor, and most of his supporters’ views were related to the transatlantic slave trade.

British society is also correcting past mistakes. The University of Glasgow, the Anglican Church and the National Trust are all trying to make up for their respective historical roles in slavery. In the House of Commons, All-Party Parliamentary Group on African Reparations Chaired by Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy. History always magnifies costs over time. That is why serious research has concluded that the amount of slavery compensation is so high. In one study studyThe UK alone owes $24 trillion in debt. As Ms Motley said, reparations are more than just money. Reparations can include apologies, educational programmes and the return of artefacts and remains. Professor Katherine HallIn her forthcoming book, Lucky Valley, due out in 2024, she argues that history itself can play a restorative role.

Eric Williams, historian and first Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, believes that the Caribbean needs a “The hunger within” to find the solidarity needed to improve the conditions of its people. The region’s position on the world stage has waxed and waned. But it remains, without a doubt, a microcosm of the broader struggle for economic justice, political union, and a multicultural world.

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