The Commonwealth Caribbean and the challenges of institutional exclusion

The paper evaluates the changes that have taken place in the political economy of global trade, particularly the growing influence of international organizations and their rules and norms, and the institutional exclusion of the Commonwealth Caribbean that has resulted. The work begins by assessing briefly the dynamics of one of the last successful trade negotiations undertaken by the Caribbean (the agreement on a single European banana market in 1993). Since then the international trading climate has altered dramatically with negative consequences for the Caribbean's economic performance. The paper evaluates recent events in the agricultural (banana) and service (cross-border gambling and betting) sectors, which have highlighted attention on the highly influential role of the World Trade Organization (WTO). There is also a consideration of the process of diplomacy within the WTO and an evaluation of the Caribbean's efforts to secure its voice in the organization. In addition, there is an analysis of the reform processes undertaken by the European Union and one of its member states (the United Kingdom) that have impacted on Caribbean interests. The paper asserts that the Caribbean has been largely excluded from the decision-making processes of the powerful organizations referred to above and despite attempts has not yet understood fully that past strategies are no longer appropriate if the region's economic interests are to be secured in the future