Years ago, when I was at the University of Aberdeen, I remember chatting with one of my professors about 'globalisation'. I was trying to make the point that in our modern world, our economies and societies are so incredibly interconnected. He responded in his typically aloof way and asked me what exactly I meant by 'globalisation'.
His view was and probably still is, that so-called 'globalisation' always existed in that more and more research is proving that there was always trade among nations and there was always some movement of people among countries. So perhaps he is right to ask somewhat rhetorically-what is so different about our situation today?
I could be wrong, but my argument is that the level of social and economic interconnectedness is far greater now than at any time in recorded history. In terms of the movement of people, I remember reading that approximately three million people travel by air every day and much of that air traffic is international-not to mention land and sea travel. When there was the bird flu and swine flu outbreaks some years ago, it was staggering just how quickly it was spreading internationally because of how fluid movement between countries has become.
From an economic point of view, it is so easy to see just how interconnected and interdependent markets have become every day when you read the news. That fact became real for me back in 2008 when the US government took the decision to bail out insurance giant AIG. We heard that not just US investment banks depended on AIG's insurance contracts (credit default swaps in particular), but so did European banks and other financial institutions worldwide.
Some said that, unlike Lehman Brothers eg, if AIG went, the entire global system faced collapse because of just how interconnected everything had become. Similarly, if China were to stop propping up the US economy by not buying US debt, yes the dollar would collapse but China would also lose its biggest export market and face internal socio-economic turmoil. We are all connected in a way not seen before.
The same principle applies to smaller economies such as ours in the Caribbean. Some would say that given our small size, we are much more vulnerable to economic shocks than bigger economies and we need to get along with our regional neighbours to survive. This takes me to a recent article in the Barbados Advocate by John Blackman entitled-Straight to the Point: Trinidad, Benefitting from Caricom.
Blackman makes the point that "a study of trading in Caricom would reveal that Trinidad is perhaps the greatest beneficiary in terms of trade" in that Trinidad and Tobago exports far more to its Caribbean neighbours than it imports. The writer then goes on to quote statistics to convincingly support his point with regards to Barbados and Jamaica in particular.
The main contention is understandably the lower energy prices that Trinidad manufacturers enjoy compared to their Caricom neighbours. Blackman goes on to quote a Sunday Gleaner (Jamaica) article from August 10, 2011 which explained that "...Such subsidies give Trinidad's producers an insurmountable advantage and are incompatible with the fundamental principles of fair trade within a common market.
Trinidad's producers now completely dominate Jamaica's market, while Jamaican producers have minimal presence in theirs. How can it be rational for our Government to ask us to sacrifice revenues we desperately need for our schools, our hospitals and our security forces so as to allow subsidised Trinidadian goods to drive Jamaican goods produced in Jamaican farms and factories by Jamaican workers, out of the Jamaican market?"
My suspicion is that while there probably are other factors to explain Trinidad and Tobago's competitive advantage, we should not turn a blind eye to our Caricom neighbours. Our neighbours' economies are in far worse shape and given the level of interdependence, it is not in Trinidad and Tobago's long term interest to look away. Trinidad depends on energy exports and with decreasing demand from North America, we will look to Caricom more than before (ALBA aside).
Furthermore, it is hard to exaggerate the extent to which non energy exports are dependent on the Caricom market. Ask everyone-from Blue Waters to SM Jaleel, Holidays Foods, Bermudez, Neal and Massey etc. To put it simply, the more our neighbours suffer the more Trinidad and Tobago's economy will continue to weaken.
Again, I do not blame our political leaders. We as Caribbean people need to understand what is really at stake. We need to wake up. My name is Derren Joseph and I love my country. Despite its challenges, I continue to have the audacity of hope that we will enjoy a brighter tomorrow. Read more on derrenjoseph.blogspot.com