Reality in Writing : Caribbean Political Economy

Originally posted on: NACLA.org Posted on: August 23rd, 2010 Original Link: https://nacla.org/node/6700 The Assault on Haitian Democracy By: Kevin Edmonds NACLA.org August 23rd, 2010 While the presidential candidacy of rapper/entertainer Wyclef Jean in Haiti’s upcoming presidential and legislative elections has garnered much international attention, underneath the glare of this hype are the continued assaults on the country’s democratic process. Much is at stake in this key election, scheduled for November 28. The winner will be responsible for the colossal task of rebuilding the nation’s shattered infrastructure and psyche after the January 12 earthquake. Jean’s glitz and glamour have stolen international headlines (despite Haiti’s August 20 ruling denying him the candidacy), however, the real story is that the country’s strongest and most popular political force will again be excluded from these elections. The United States and the principal international p

Originally posted on: NACLA.org Posted on: July 14th, 2010 Original link: https://nacla.org/node/6661 The CIA, the Cold War, and Cocaine: The Connections of Christopher “Dudus” Coke By: Kevin Edmonds NACLA.org July 14th, 2010 On June 22, Jamaican police arrested Christopher “Dudus” Coke in the Tivoli Gardens neighborhood of Kingston and immediately delivered him into U.S. custody. Coke was captured after a bloody siege that left 73 people dead. Tivoli Gardens is one of the city’s “garrison communities,” virtually autonomous communities that are typically linked to one of the country’s political parties and off limits to the city’s law enforcement authorities. Many Jamaicans are hoping that Coke will reveal the long history of connections between the country’s political leaders, its business elite, and its gunmen in the street. Such revelations are likely to illuminate the connections among the Jamaican Labour Party (JLP, the country’s