Association of Caribbean States
Encyclopedia
The Association of Caribbean States (ACS; Spanish
: Asociación de Estados del Caribe; French
: Association des États de la Caraïbe) was formed with the aim of promoting consultation, cooperation, and concerted action among all the countries of the Caribbean
. It comprises twenty-five member states and four associate members. The convention establishing the ACS was signed on July 24, 1994 in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia.
The secretariat of the organisation is located in Port of Spain
, Trinidad and Tobago
.
The Turks and Caicos Islands formally sought to became the Association's newest associate member on March 28, 2006.
amongst the member states. The success and functionality of the ACS is greatly debated among scholars. However, the ACS, whether successful or not, is concerned with two major all encompassing goals. The main goals of the association are as follows, "they all serve to confirm the new concept of the Caribbean Basin
by (A) accentuating those interests the Caribbean nations hold in common and (B) working to eliminate barriers left over from its colonial past."
Because of the political and economic advantages the Caribbean can possibly have because of the geographic proximity and regional political cooperation, the ACS may be able to forestall the marginalization of the Caribbean in the Global Economy. Even with the arrival of globalization, the ACS has maintained its current goals when dealing with international economic and political blocs such as the North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA), European Union
and South Asia. The ACS goal of realigning the economics and politics of the Caribbean in the international system has led to the development of four distinct areas of interest. These areas have led to the creation of Special Committees which aim to create treaties and resolve issues dealing with the four areas of interests. All committees meet at least twice yearly in order to discuss current regional issues. The ACS Special Committees focus on the four major objectives by attempting to create and ratify regional policies for the Caribbean Basin
. Trade, Transport, Sustainable Tourism, and Natural Disasters are the main focuses of the ACS which has provided a guide to regionalism
for the nations of the Caribbean to follow in relation to these four objectives.
as a special zone in the context of sustainable development, it is pushing for the UN to consider the Caribbean sea as an invaluable asset that is worth protecting and treasuring. The organisation has sought to form a coalition among member states to devise a United Nations General Assembly resolution to ban the transshipment of nuclear material
s through Caribbean Sea and the Panama Canal
.
. Those who suggest it is unsuccessful note how by the end of the 1990s, unlike CARICOM, the ACS had failed to establish a track record which was worthy enough to allow for the evaluation of the ACS as a developmental coalition. Furthermore, some scholars suggest that the ACS is unlikely to become a true player on the international level. Skeptics often point to other failed attempts at economic coalition building like the Central American Common Market (CACM) as an example of the instability of the region. The influence of NAFTA on the Caribbean outlines the future struggle of the ACS. The future of the ACS in relation to the western hemisphere
is uncertain. "Despite governmental statements of commitment to liberalisation, it will be difficult for Caribbean countries to succeed in putting their economies on a firmer footing that would enable them to compete effectively." The situation that faces the ACS is one which influences the whole Caribbean on more than just political and economic levels. Whether the ACS continues to grow and flourish or withers and dies remains to be known.
Henke, Holger, and Fred Reno, eds. Modern Political Culture in the Caribbean. Kingston: University of West Indies P, 2003.
Heuman, Gad. The Caribbean: Brief Histories. London: A Hodder Arnold Publication, 2006
Hillman, Richard S., and Thomas J. D'agostino, eds. Understanding the Contemporary Caribbean. London: Lynne Rienner, 2003.
Knight, Franklin W.. The Modern Caribbean. na: The University of North Carolina Press, 1989.
Langley, Lester D. The United States and the Caribbean in the Twentieth Century. London: University of Georgia P, 1989.
Maingot, Anthony P. The United States and the Caribbean: Challenges of an Asymmetrical Relationship. San Francisco: Westview P, 1994.
Serbin, Andres. "Towards an Association of Caribbean States: Raising Some Awkward Questions." Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs (2004): 1-19. (This scholar has many articles referencing the politics of the Caribbean)
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
: Asociación de Estados del Caribe; French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
: Association des États de la Caraïbe) was formed with the aim of promoting consultation, cooperation, and concerted action among all the countries of the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. It comprises twenty-five member states and four associate members. The convention establishing the ACS was signed on July 24, 1994 in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia.
The secretariat of the organisation is located in Port of Spain
Port of Spain
Port of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 , a metropolitan population of 128,026 and a transient daily population...
, Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
.
The Turks and Caicos Islands formally sought to became the Association's newest associate member on March 28, 2006.
Relationship between other Supranational Caribbean Organisations
Observering organisations
- Caribbean CommunityCaribbean CommunityThe Caribbean Community is an organisation of 15 Caribbean nations and dependencies. CARICOM's main purposes are to promote economic integration and cooperation among its members, to ensure that the benefits of integration are equitably shared, and to coordinate foreign policy...
(CARICOM) Secretariat - Caribbean Tourism OrganizationCaribbean Tourism OrganizationThe Caribbean Tourism Organizations main objective is the development of sustainable tourism for the economic and social benefit of Caribbean people...
(CTO) - Central American Integration SystemCentral American Integration SystemCentral American Integration System is the economic, cultural and political organization of Central American states since February 1, 1993. It was on December 13, 1991, however, when all the countries of the ODECA signed the Protocol of Tegucigalpa which extended the earlier cooperation in search...
(SICA) - General Agreement on Central American Economic IntegrationCentral American Integration SystemCentral American Integration System is the economic, cultural and political organization of Central American states since February 1, 1993. It was on December 13, 1991, however, when all the countries of the ODECA signed the Protocol of Tegucigalpa which extended the earlier cooperation in search...
(SIECA) Permanent Secretariat - Latin American Economic SystemLatin American Economic SystemThe Latin American and the Caribbean Economic System, officially known as Sistema Económico Latinoamericano y del Caribe , is an organization founded in 1975 to promote economic cooperation and social development between Latin American and the Caribbean countries...
(SELA) - United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the CaribbeanUnited Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the CaribbeanThe United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean was established in 1948 to encourage economic cooperation among its member states. In 1984, a resolution was passed to include the countries of the Caribbean in the name...
(ECLAC)
Summits
The ACS has held four summits involving Heads of State and/or Government:- I ACS Summit, at Port of SpainPort of SpainPort of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 , a metropolitan population of 128,026 and a transient daily population...
, Trinidad and TobagoTrinidad and TobagoTrinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
, August 17 - December 18, 1995. - II ACS Summit, at Santo DomingoSanto DomingoSanto Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Its metropolitan population was 2,084,852 in 2003, and estimated at 3,294,385 in 2010. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River...
, Dominican RepublicDominican RepublicThe Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
, April 16 - December 17, 1999. - III ACS Summit, at Isla MargaritaIsla MargaritaMargarita Island is the largest island of the state of Nueva Esparta in Venezuela, situated in the Caribbean Sea, off the northeastern coast of the country. The state also contains two other smaller islands: Coche and Cubagua. The capital city of Nueva Esparta is La Asunción, located in a river...
, VenezuelaVenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, December 12, 2001. - IV ACS Summit, at Ciudad de Panamá, PanamáPanamaPanama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, July 29, 2005.
ACS objectives and goals
The Association of Caribbean States was intended to promote regionalismRegionalism (politics)
Regionalism is a term used in international relations. Regionalism also constitutes one of the three constituents of the international commercial system...
amongst the member states. The success and functionality of the ACS is greatly debated among scholars. However, the ACS, whether successful or not, is concerned with two major all encompassing goals. The main goals of the association are as follows, "they all serve to confirm the new concept of the Caribbean Basin
Caribbean Basin
The Caribbean Basin is generally defined as the area running from Florida westward along the Gulf coast, then south along the Mexican coast through Central America and then eastward across the northern coast of South America. This region includes the islands of the archipelago of the West Indies...
by (A) accentuating those interests the Caribbean nations hold in common and (B) working to eliminate barriers left over from its colonial past."
Because of the political and economic advantages the Caribbean can possibly have because of the geographic proximity and regional political cooperation, the ACS may be able to forestall the marginalization of the Caribbean in the Global Economy. Even with the arrival of globalization, the ACS has maintained its current goals when dealing with international economic and political blocs such as the North American Free Trade Agreement
North American Free Trade Agreement
The North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA is an agreement signed by the governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, creating a trilateral trade bloc in North America. The agreement came into force on January 1, 1994. It superseded the Canada – United States Free Trade Agreement...
(NAFTA), European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
and South Asia. The ACS goal of realigning the economics and politics of the Caribbean in the international system has led to the development of four distinct areas of interest. These areas have led to the creation of Special Committees which aim to create treaties and resolve issues dealing with the four areas of interests. All committees meet at least twice yearly in order to discuss current regional issues. The ACS Special Committees focus on the four major objectives by attempting to create and ratify regional policies for the Caribbean Basin
Caribbean Basin
The Caribbean Basin is generally defined as the area running from Florida westward along the Gulf coast, then south along the Mexican coast through Central America and then eastward across the northern coast of South America. This region includes the islands of the archipelago of the West Indies...
. Trade, Transport, Sustainable Tourism, and Natural Disasters are the main focuses of the ACS which has provided a guide to regionalism
Regionalism (politics)
Regionalism is a term used in international relations. Regionalism also constitutes one of the three constituents of the international commercial system...
for the nations of the Caribbean to follow in relation to these four objectives.
- Trade: The ACS contains a Special Committee on Trade Development and External Economic Relations. This committee works in an effort to create larger economic actions in the Caribbean by uniting its member states through integration and cooperation. Through various annual forums the ACS attempts to create economic cooperation in an attempt to benefit and expand the regions economy.
- Transport: The ACS contains a Special Committee on Transport which works to promote an Air Transport Agreement amongst the countries which have ratified the agreement. Security of travelers and the policing of airborne crime like drug trafficking also falls under the auspices of the Special Committee on Transport.
- Tourism: The ACS contains a Special Committee on Sustainable Tourism which aims to promote tourism which is environmentally friendly. The committee promotes the use of sustainable tourism which is healthy for the environment, and at the same time economically beneficial to the Caribbean as a region.
- Disaster Risk Reduction: The ACS contains a Special Committee Disaster Risk Reduction which aims to coordinate the prevention and response to natural disasters in the Caribbean. The main focus of this committee is to maintain organization and attempt to maintain a high level of ability to cope with disasters.
Caribbean Sea agenda
One agenda adopted by the ACS has been an attempt to secure the designation of the Caribbean SeaCaribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
as a special zone in the context of sustainable development, it is pushing for the UN to consider the Caribbean sea as an invaluable asset that is worth protecting and treasuring. The organisation has sought to form a coalition among member states to devise a United Nations General Assembly resolution to ban the transshipment of nuclear material
Nuclear material
Nuclear material refers to the metals uranium, plutonium, and thorium, in any form, according to the IAEA. This is differentiated further into "source material", consisting of natural and depleted uranium, and "special fissionable material", consisting of enriched uranium , uranium-233, and...
s through Caribbean Sea and the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
.
Uncertain future
The success of the ACS is debated by many scholars on both sides. Those who suggest the ACS is successful would point to the many initiatives the developmental coalition has undertaken as well as its large membership and relations with other international organisations like the European UnionEuropean Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. Those who suggest it is unsuccessful note how by the end of the 1990s, unlike CARICOM, the ACS had failed to establish a track record which was worthy enough to allow for the evaluation of the ACS as a developmental coalition. Furthermore, some scholars suggest that the ACS is unlikely to become a true player on the international level. Skeptics often point to other failed attempts at economic coalition building like the Central American Common Market (CACM) as an example of the instability of the region. The influence of NAFTA on the Caribbean outlines the future struggle of the ACS. The future of the ACS in relation to the western hemisphere
Western Hemisphere
The Western Hemisphere or western hemisphere is mainly used as a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian and east of the Antimeridian , the other half being called the Eastern Hemisphere.In this sense, the western hemisphere consists of the western portions...
is uncertain. "Despite governmental statements of commitment to liberalisation, it will be difficult for Caribbean countries to succeed in putting their economies on a firmer footing that would enable them to compete effectively." The situation that faces the ACS is one which influences the whole Caribbean on more than just political and economic levels. Whether the ACS continues to grow and flourish or withers and dies remains to be known.
Further reading
Gowricharn, Ruben. Caribbean Transnationalism: Migraton, Pluralization, and Social Cohesion. Lanham: Lexington Books, 2006.Henke, Holger, and Fred Reno, eds. Modern Political Culture in the Caribbean. Kingston: University of West Indies P, 2003.
Heuman, Gad. The Caribbean: Brief Histories. London: A Hodder Arnold Publication, 2006
Hillman, Richard S., and Thomas J. D'agostino, eds. Understanding the Contemporary Caribbean. London: Lynne Rienner, 2003.
Knight, Franklin W.. The Modern Caribbean. na: The University of North Carolina Press, 1989.
Langley, Lester D. The United States and the Caribbean in the Twentieth Century. London: University of Georgia P, 1989.
Maingot, Anthony P. The United States and the Caribbean: Challenges of an Asymmetrical Relationship. San Francisco: Westview P, 1994.
Serbin, Andres. "Towards an Association of Caribbean States: Raising Some Awkward Questions." Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs (2004): 1-19. (This scholar has many articles referencing the politics of the Caribbean)