Caribbean Economies in the Era of COVID-19.
Pandemics, natural disasters exacerbated by climate change, have dramatically altered the way, that Caribbean economies conduct business and interact with international actors, in the trade, commerce, and tourism fields. A recent World Bank report, April 12, 2020, highlighted some of the pros and cons of doing business in this ‘crisis’ environment. What follows is a Caribbean centric perspective, which considers the unique position, of Sint Martin as a so-called ‘hub’, in a Caribbean context. This analysis also examines the post-colonial relationship of the Netherlands vis a vis Sint Martin, which relationship taints every aspect of Sint Martin’s foreign policy efforts, to the detriment of the island and its people. The World Bank report noted that because of global travel restrictions, in light of COVID 19: ‘ Air traffic has fallen to a trickle. The resulting collapse in tourism will severely affect countries in the Caribbean basin’. The report further stated that the f...