ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes the globalization challenge by defining and characterizing the Caribbean as a region and globalization as a process. It discusses the shift from preferential trading arrangements to free trade regimes and reviews the history of regional integration in the Caribbean. The chapter focuses on the Caribbean narrowly defined as the island territories of the Caribbean Sea plus Belize on the Caribbean coast of Central America and Guyana and Suriname on the northeast coast of South America. On the basis of size and economic output, the Caribbean is on the periphery of the global scene. A variety of interests and forces are undermining the arrangements and confronting the Caribbean countries with hemispheric and global free trade regimes. The chapter concludes by examining several factors that further complicate globalization for the Caribbean and evaluating alternative approaches for reinserting it into the global economy.
