ABSTRACT
Business in Trinidad can no longer be considered outside the context of this encounter with pure capitalism. In 1989 the government of Trinidad and Tobago decided to request from the International Monetary Fund financial guarantees. In almost every respect this seems to have been a disastrous encounter, which in and of itself seems to be a significant factor in the increase in poverty, social conflict and general suffering in the Caribbean, as also in other regions. The tone of the writings reflects the fact that despite this evidence there is as yet little suggestion that the future policy of these institutions is going to change. In the case of Communism it was largely explicit political revolutions that led to the formation of governments committed to transforming societies into a closer approximation to its ideals. In practice many of larger economies are of sufficient power that they have been able to be highly strategic in their acceptance of Bretton Woods goals.
