Brutal talks and the US-Caribbean relationship

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Much media coverage was given to the signing on May 28 in Trinidad of a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) by US Vice-President Joseph Biden and current chairman of the 15-nation Caribbean Community, Haiti's President Michel Martelly. But the TIFA must not be mistaken for what it is not. Although its name sounds grand, it is more a declaration of ambitions and desires than a concrete agreement with predictable outcomes and deliveries. Further, it has been in negotiation for several years; it is not a timely gift to the region in light of the present economic and other difficulties being experienced by many of the Caribbean countries.