DOCSLIB.ORG

Upsetting the Commonwealth

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Upsetting the Commonwealth September 1986 Marxism Today 5 fOCUS appealed to the British population over the head of its government for support on the sanctions issue and it was Robert Mugabe who led the front-line states in their deter- mination to follow a separate path over sanctions against South Africa. Indeed, it was the issue of Zimbabwean independence which first underlined Bri- tain's changed role in the Commonwealth. Although Mrs Thatcher now likes to lay claim to the Lancaster House settlement as one of her early foreign policy triumphs, it was, in reality, her first defeat. Bishop Muzorewa was supposed to be the British protege in an 'evolutionary' settlement in Salisbury. Lord Carrington, however, realised the inherent unreality of that solution and dragged an The Commonwealth mini-summit: Canada's Brian Mulroney (left), India's Rajiv Gandhi (rear), Margaret Thatcher, unwilling prime minister into accepting the Australia's Bob Hawke and Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe. radical alternative. Even if Mrs Thatcher has forgotten, Robert Mugabe has not. Upsetting the Commonwealth In the wake of the Marlborough House conference it has become clear that the The Commonwealth mini-summit at the The change that has come about is a future Commonwealth is going to be a very beginning of August has turned out to be a reflection of far more profound changes different creature from the past. In place of milestone in more than one sense. Its most amongst Commonwealth states in the 40 the cosy formula of a family of nations, it will obvious achievement was that the British years that have elapsed since the British become a forum in which the harsh conflict prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, was empire began to fall apart with the end of the of interests between the developed and forced into an implicit admission that the raj. Economic development and the developing world will be argued out in a South African government is impervious to sovereign exercise of political decision has context similar to that of the UN but without any form of reasoned argument over apar- undermined the original assumptions of the inhibiting menace of a US or European theid, even when presented by a British tutelage on which the Commonwealth ideal veto. It is that function that will ensure its government which has run the risk of being was based. survival, together with its facilities for cultu- labelled as racist because of its anxiety to India has made major strides towards ral, economic and technological exchange, avoid the use of sanctions. agricultural self-sufficiency, while also carv- for Britain has no overriding position to Even the prime minister who, one sus- ing out a role as a significant industrial defend, and the new de facto leaders- India, pects, was always the real architect of the power. Nigeria, after the bruising experience Nigeria and Zimbabwe - have learned that anti-sanctions policy, has now had to accept, of the civil war and the Biafra secession, has under the Conservative party at least, Britain albeit with immense and embarrassed reluct- enjoyed the dubious benefits of becoming an has little interest in their priorities. ance, that economic sanctions are now in- oil exporter, while its political system has The issue of direct economic interest, in evitable. Her last ditch stand over the actual foundered over sectarian and tribal tensions. terms of British dominance in trading pat- sanctions to be applied and whether they Yet, even with the memory of repeated army terns, has been settled to Britain's disadvan- should be voluntary or mandatory has done interventions into political life, Nigeria is a tage long ago. Britain leads in exports only to little to dignify the government's earlier dominant element within sub-Saharan Afri- Nigeria (where it supplied 21% of the import scepticism over their effectiveness. Indeed, can politics. total in 1983), and to Zambia. However, both her obduracy has contributed more to the Even more striking has been the growth in countries exported elsewhere. With India, in hostility and suspicion of African common- influence of the front-line states, with Zam- 1983 Britain came behind the USSR, Saudi wealth leaders over British intentions than bia and Zimbabwe at their head. The Carib- Arabia, the USA and Japan, supplying only any other single factor. bean, in the wake of the radicalism of 6.2% of India's imports and taking only At the same time, the mini-summit sym- Michael Manley in Jamaica and Maurice 5.2% of exports. With Zimbabwe, Britain bolised what has now become an irresistible Bishop with the New Jewel movement in came behind South Africa, supplying 11.5% change in the nature of the Commonwealth Grenada, is faced with the pro-Reaganite of the country's imports and taking the same itself. The tensions revealed amongst its conservatism of Eugenia Charles in Dominica percentage in exports. There are always members by the South Africa issue have also and Edward Seaga in Jamaica. In short, other sources for imports and it is clear that shown that Britain no longer dominates the commonwealth states, particularly in the Britain does little, unlike other ex-colonial organisation as it did in the past. The formal New Commonwealth, no longer need, nor powers such as France, to encourage trade structure of the Commonwealth, with the will tolerate British patronage. ties over exports. Queen at its head and the British prime The tone is now increasingly set by those The Commonwealth is, thus, primarily a minister by tradition and common consent states in the New Commonwealth which are diplomatic institution in which, now, Britain the first among equals, now no longer prepared to adopt more radical stances over can only anticipate playing a role similar to its corresponds to the political reality. international issues. It was Rajiv Gandhi who other members, where status will come from 6 September 1986 Marxism Today fOCUS cooperation, not from traditional prestige. It will be interesting to see how a future Labour government comes to terms with this new reduced international stature. Past experi- ence has suggested that Labour, too, has assumed Britain's special status of 'first amongst equals' and a future where this no longer applies may be more difficult to digest than Labour politicians might think. George Joffe.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Political Change in Dominica, the Commonwealth West Indies. Cuthbert J
    University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 1-1-1973 From crown colony to associate statehood : political change in Dominica, the Commonwealth West Indies. Cuthbert J. Thomas University of Massachusetts Amherst Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1 Recommended Citation Thomas, Cuthbert J., "From crown colony to associate statehood : political change in Dominica, the Commonwealth West Indies." (1973). Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014. 1879. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1/1879 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ^^^^^^^ ^0 ASSOCIATE STATEHOOD: CHANGE POLITICAL IN DOMINICA, THE COMMONWEALTH WEST INDIES A Dissertation Presented By CUTHBERT J. THOMAS Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Massachusetts in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY May 1973 Major Subject Political Science C\ithbert J. Thomas 1973 All Rights Reserved FROM CROV/N COLONY TO ASSOCIATE STATEHOOD: POLITICAL CHANGE IN DOMINICA, THE COMMONWEALTH WEST INDIES A Dissertation By CUTHBERT J. THOMAS Approved as to stylq and content by; Dr. Harvey "T. Kline (Chairman of Committee) Dr. Glen Gorden (Head of Department) Dr» Gerard Braunthal^ (Member) C 1 Dro George E. Urch (Member) May 1973 To the Youth of Dominica who wi3.1 replace these colonials before long PREFACE My interest in Comparative Government dates back to ray days at McMaster University during the 1969-1970 academic year.
    [Show full text]
  • Paper Delivered by Julian N. Johnson Chairman of the Integrity
    “POLITICAL CORRUPTION AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF INTEGRITY LEGISLATION IN THE ORGANIZATION OF EASTERN CARIBBEAN STATES (OECS) WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO DOMINICA” Paper delivered by Julian N. Johnson Chairman of the Integrity Commission, Dominica th Tuesday 26 June, 2012 Caribbean Small States Conference, St Vincent and the Grenadines June 25 th – 26 th , 2012 ________________________________________________________________________________ “POLITICAL CORRUPTION AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF INTEGRITY LEGISLATION IN THE ORGANIZATION OF EASTERN CARIBBEAN STATES (OECS) WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO DOMINICA” BY JULIAN N. JOHNSON 1. INTRODUCTION I have been invited to write a “practitioner’s paper” relating to the work of the integrity commissions in the member states of the OECS. It is taken that the Commonwealth Secretariat’s instructions, properly construed, require me to examine the recent anti-corruption statutes passed by the OECS governments and the performance of the integrity commissions focusing on the activities of the Integrity Commission of the Commonwealth of Dominica and drawing on my experiences as Chairman thereof over the past three years. Though my invitation is to produce a “practitioner’s paper” it would be remiss of me if I did not, at the outset, draw your attention to the study just published by an eminent regional academic and fellow practitioner in the field of the oversight of public sector ethical infrastructure – the former Contractor General of Jamaica, Dr. Derrick V. McKoy. In his book entitled “CORRUPTION: Law, Governance and Ethics in the Commonwealth Caribbean” (Hansib Pub., May 2012) the author sets out to address the issues of corruption in the Commonwealth Caribbean, the emerging law on the subject and the institutions established by member states to discourage corruption or to promote anti-corruption initiatives.
    [Show full text]
  • Does Breaking Through the •Œfinal Glass Ceilingâ•Š Really Pave The
    Does Breaking Through the “Final Glass Ceiling” Really Pave the Way for Subsequent Women to Become Heads of State? 1 Does Breaking Through the “Final Glass Ceiling” Really Pave the Way for Subsequent Women to Become Heads of State? By Katherine Rocha, Joseph Palazzo, Rebecca Teczar and Roger Clark Rhode Island College Abstract Women’s ascension to the role of national president or prime minister of any country is a relatively new phenomenon in world history. The first woman to break the “final glass ceiling,” Sirinavo Bandaranaike of Ceylon (Sri Lanka today), did it in 1960, just 58 years ago. Since then, the ceiling has been broken in about 83 nations worldwide, but we still know little about what it takes for women to achieve such national leadership roles. Previous research (e.g., Jalalzai, 2013; Skard, 2015) has pointed to the importance of family connections, political turmoil, and the nature of a country’s political system. But only one study (Jalalzai, 2013) provided quantitative, cross-national support for any of these observations. Our paper replicates Jalalzai’s analysis, done using data from the first decade of the twenty-first century, with data from the second decade. We find that there have been dramatic changes over time. We find that family connections are now no more useful for explaining women’s rise to presidencies and prime ministerial positions than men’s; that, in fact, women are now more likely to rise in politically stable nation states than in fragile ones. And, perhaps most importantly, women are much more likely to ascend to the highest positions in countries where they have already broken the “final glass ceiling.” Keywords: final glass ceiling, women presidents, women prime ministers Introduction In a course on the Sociology of Gender we had learned that, while such a ceiling might exist in Following Hillary Clinton’s loss in the 2016 U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Peacemakers Or Iron Ladies? a Cross National Study of Gender and International Conflict
    Peacemakers or Iron Ladies? A Cross National Study of Gender and International Conflict Madison Schramm Alexandra Stark PhD Candidate, Georgetown University PhD Candidate, Georgetown University [email protected] [email protected] Abstract Conventional wisdom suggests that when women attain high political office they are more likely to act as peacemakers than their male counterparts. In contrast, this article argues that women political leaders may be more likely to initiate conflict than their male colleagues. The theory draws on insights from feminist theory, particularly the notion that gender is performative, to argue that the effects of a leader’s gender on foreign policy decision-making vary with social and institutional context. In order to gain and maintain status in elite policy in-groups, female leaders are incentivized to perform gender by signaling their toughness and competence through initiating conflict. Statistical tests provide evidence that female heads of state in democracies are more likely to initiate conflict than their male counterparts, and that this effect is conditioned both by domestic political constraints and overall levels of women’s political empowerment, thus providing evidence for the theorized causal mechanism. This version prepared for the Harvard International Security Conference, October 14-15, 2017. Please do not cite without permission. Word Count: 9, 347 1 “Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels.”- Ann Richards INTRODUCTION Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of the UK, the original ‘iron lady,’ is commonly understood as the militaristic exception to the rule of peaceful women leaders. Yet of the relatively small number women heads of government since 1945, many have earned the “iron lady” title.
    [Show full text]
  • The Politics of Memory: Historicizing Caribbean Women's Political Activism
    Verene A. Shepherd: The Politics of Memory: Historicizing Caribbean Women’s Political Activism ! The Politics of Memory: Historicizing Caribbean Women’s Political Activism Delivered at the 20th CWCC Lecture in Honour of Dame Nita Barrow The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, Barbados 14th November 2014 © Verene A. Shepherd Previously, University Director The Institute for Gender and Development Studies The University of the West Indies !267 https://sta.uwi.edu/crgs/index.asp UWI IGDS CRGS Issue 13 ISSN 1995-1108 How to cite: Shepherd, Verene A. 2019. “The Politics of Memory: Historicizing Caribbean Women’s Political Activism.” Caribbean Review of Gender Studies, Issue 13: 267–296 !268 Verene A. Shepherd: The Politics of Memory: Historicizing Caribbean Women’s Political Activism My talk this evening is about historical memory and what women of the Caribbean as individuals or as a collective, and Caribbean states more broadly, conscious of women’s historic contributions, have done with such memory. Memories can be both pleasant and upsetting and what we do with memories depends on the nature of the memories, our distance from them, our philosophy of life, our activism or political commitment and what Fabienne Viala in her excellent book The Post-Columbus Syndrome: Identities, Cultural Nationalism and Commemorations in the Caribbean, calls “the different national templates of memory.1 ”We can adopt a posture of willed ignorance – that is, develop historical amnesia, refusing to remember; or we can remember deliberately and act on them intentionally. It is the project of acting on those memories—should we choose not to forget— that is political about memory.
    [Show full text]
  • History and Culture of Dominica and the Caribbean
    History and Culture of Dominica Apwé Bondyé sé la té After God, the earth Dr. Lennox Honychurch • Born 1952, Portsmouth, Dominica • D. Phil. And M. Phil, Anthropology, • St. Hugh’s College, University of Oxford, UK • Historian, Artist, Poet Several Groups of Amerindians in Caribbean • All groups migrated from the South - from northern coast of South America • First groups reached Caribbean about 5000 bc • Moved northward along the island chain The Ortoiroid Peoples • Arrived in Caribbean about 5000 bc • Reached Puerto Rico by 1000 bc • Occupied Dominica from 3000 bc to 400 bc • Formerly referred to as the “Ciboney”, another group that lived in Cuba • Hunter-gatherers - lived close to shore • Artifacts are basic stone tools, grinders, weights for fishing nets The Arawakan Speakers • Arawak is family of languages distributed in Amazon River basin • Colonized lesser Antilles starting 400 bc • Eventually occupied entire region • Introduced slash and burn agriculture and ceramics (pottery) • Some groups very sophisticated - plazas in cities, ball courts, well developed artistic traditions The Igneri • Group of Arawakan speakers • Arrived on Dominica 400 ad • Skilled potters and weavers of cotton • Made canoes - central part of their culture – Migration, trade, fishing, hunting • Processed cassava • Built strong houses • Farmed maize, beans, peppers, sweet potatoes, pineapple, fruit trees, bitter manioc • Society balanced between natural cycles of land and an animistic religion of spirits The Kalinago or “Carib” people • Arrived about 1400 ad
    [Show full text]
  • M. Erisman Evolving Cuban-CARICOM Relations : a Comparative Cost/Benefit Analysis Survey of the Basic Developmental Dynamics
    M. Erisman Evolving Cuban-CARICOM relations : a comparative cost/benefit analysis Survey of the basic developmental dynamics involved in the evolving Cuban-CARICOM relationship. On the basis of a cost-risk/benefit analysis, the author provides some projections regarding the future of this relationship. He concludes that there appear sufficient potential benefits for both sides to deepen the relationship. Cuban-CARICOM integration, however, has no top priority for either partner. In: New West Indian Guide/ Nieuwe West-Indische Gids 69 (1995), no: 1/2, Leiden, 45-66 This PDF-file was downloaded from http://www.kitlv-journals.nl Downloaded from Brill.com09/30/2021 02:52:40AM via free access MlCHAEL ERISMAN EVOLVING CUBAN-CARICOM RELATIONS: A COMPARATIVE COST/BENEFIT ANALYSIS A fascinating and in many respects a somewhat peculiar courtship is underway in the Caribbean between Cuba and the English-speaking countries who collectively comprise the CARICOM association. The acronym CARICOM refers to the Caribbean Community and Common Market, a regional organization formed in 1973 to promote economie integration, cooperation in various functional areas (e.g., health, education, Communications, transportation), and foreign policy coordination. CARICOM is a direct descendant of the West Indies Federation and CARIFTA (the Caribbean Free Trade Association). The Federation, an unsuccessful attempt at pre-independence political unification, operated from 1958 to 1962. In 1968 its ten former participants, along with Guyana, founded CARIFTA, which in 1973 was transformed into what is today known as CARICOM.1 Historically, despite their close geographic proximity, Cuba and the CARICOM countries have for the most part displayed little inclination to establish truly close, cooperative ties.
    [Show full text]
  • U.S., Caribbean States Invade Grenada; Cuban Resistance Stronger Than Expected
    Issue Date: October 28, 1983 U.S., Caribbean States Invade Grenada; Cuban Resistance Stronger Than Expected • World Leaders Condemn Action • Reagan Announces Invasion • Shultz Describes Power Vacuum • Background to the Invasion • Marines, Rangers Launch Attack • More Paratroopers Join Battle • Resistance Dwindles • Panel Votes War Powers Resolution • International Reaction Negative • Soviets Condemn Reagan • OAS Delegates Condemn Invasion • Congressional Reactions World Leaders Condemn Action United States Marines and Rangers and a small force from six Caribbean nations invaded the island of Grenada Oct. 25. President Reagan said the U.S. was responding to an Oct. 23 request from the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States to help restore law and order in Grenada, where the government of Prime Minister Maurice Bishop had been overthrown by hard-line members of the ruling New Jewel Movement the previous week. Reagan added that his administration was concerned about protecting the lives of 1,100 U.S. citizens on Grenada. Jamaica and Barbados had also been approached by the OECS and had contributed troops to the invasion force. U.S. administration officials said Great Britain, Canada and France had refused to participate in the action. [See 1983 Grenadian Prime Minister Killed in Power Struggle; Military Council Takes Over] World leaders reacted negatively to the attack, as did many Democrats in the U.S. Congress. Questions were raised about the legality of the invasion with regard to international law, and members of Congress complained that they had not been consulted in advance. The issue of the applicability of the War Powers Resolution was also raised. Administration officials expressed the hope that Grenada would be brought under control quickly and said U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Women World Leaders: Comparative Analysis and Gender Experiences Robert P
    CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Virtual Commons - Bridgewater State University Journal of International Women's Studies Volume 7 | Issue 2 Article 4 Nov-2005 Women World Leaders: Comparative Analysis and Gender Experiences Robert P. Watson Alicia Jencik Judith A. Selzer Recommended Citation Watson, Robert P.; Jencik, Alicia; and Selzer, Judith A. (2005). Women World Leaders: Comparative Analysis and Gender Experiences. Journal of International Women's Studies, 7(2), 53-76. Available at: http://vc.bridgew.edu/jiws/vol7/iss2/4 This item is available as part of Virtual Commons, the open-access institutional repository of Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, Massachusetts. This journal and its contents may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, re-distribution, re-selling, loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. ©2005 Journal of International Women’s Studies. Women World Leaders: Comparative Analysis and Gender Experiences By Robert P. Watson1, Alicia Jencik2, and Judith A. Selzer3 Abstract Research suggests that executive political office poses additional and different political challenges for women than legislative office. Yet, a few dozen women have attained their nations’ highest executive office. Surprisingly little research has been devoted to the experiences of these women world leaders. This study builds profiles of the women world leaders in the modern era and analyzes their backgrounds and political experiences in an effort to both identify commonalities among the women leaders and assess the challenges they faced on account of their sex. Keywords: Women leaders, world leaders, gender and politics History Over time countless women have led governments, empires, tribes, and even armies.
    [Show full text]
  • Dominica-Caribbean's Iron Lady Profile
    a0665----- ¶ r ibx ¶ AM-Caribbean's Iron Lady, Bjt,0709 ¶ Iron Lady of Caribbean to Retire After 15 Years Leading Dominica ¶ AP Photo ROS101 ¶ By LISA M. HAMM ¶ Associated Press Writer ¶ With AM-Caribbean Leaders Box, AM-Dominica-Elections ¶ 06-11-1995 16:15 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Doc: 00489155 DB: research_f_95_1_2 Date: Sun Jun 11 16:15:00 1995 *** Version history. (* = this story, F = final, S = semifinal) *** aF5VDKTH01 06-11-1995 16:15:00* AM-Caribbean's Iron Lady, Bjt:Iron Lady of Copyright 1995 By The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- a0665‡----- r ibx ^AM-Caribbean's Iron Lady, Bjt,0709< ^Iron Lady of Caribbean to Retire After 15 Years Leading Dominica< ^With AM-Caribbean Leaders Box, AM-Dominica-Elections< ^AP Photo ROS101< ^By LISA M. HAMM= ^Associated Press Writer= ¶ ROSEAU, Dominica (AP) _ Prime Minister Eugenia Charles answered the door of her third- floor walk-up in a house dress, a mustard-colored scarf covering curlers in her hair, her feet tucked into green terrycloth slippers. ¶ Her casual image belies the reputation she has built over the past 30 years _ a politician so tough that she's known as the Iron Lady of the Caribbean. ¶ But the 76-year-old Charles is about to relinquish her grasp. She's not running in the national elections Monday and will leave her post as soon as a winner is declared, which may require a runoff. ¶ Charles became widely known when she stood beside President Reagan on the White House steps on Oct. 25, 1983, while he announced the invasion of Grenada. She took much criticism for supporting the invasion, but, she said in a recent interview, "The Grenadians wanted it, and that's all that counts.
    [Show full text]
  • List of Participants
    CBD Distr. CONVENTION ON GENERAL BIOLOGICAL UNEP/CBD/CBW-NBSAP/CAR/2/INF/1 DIVERSITY 21 October 2011 ENGLISH ONLY REGIONAL WORKSHOP FOR CARIBBEAN COUNTRIES ON UPDATING NATIONAL BIODIVERSITY STRATEGIES AND ACTION PLANS St-George's, Grenada, 17 - 21 October 2011 List of Participants Liste des Participants Lista de Participantes Registered Participants 21 October 2011 Convention on Biological Diversity CBWNBSAP-CAR-02 List of Participants CBD Parties Antigua and Barbuda Belize Ms. Ruleta Camacho Ms. Tanya Marsden Senior Environment Officer Policy Coordination and Planning Unit Environment Division Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment Ministry of Agriculture and the Environment Zenia Streeet, Cohure Walk St. John's Belmopan Antigua and Barbuda Belize Tel.: +268 720 5510 E-Mail: [email protected] Fax: +268 562 2568 E-Mail: [email protected], Mr. Eugenio Wilber Sabido [email protected] Chief Forest Officer Ms. Orianne Nurse CBD National Focal Point Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Research Officer Forest Drive Economic Policy and Planning Unit Belmopan City Antigua and Barbuda Belize E-Mail: [email protected] Tel.: +501 822-1524 / 2079 Barbados Fax: +501 822-1523 E-Mail: [email protected], [email protected] Mr. George Browne Dominica Deputy Chief Town Planner Mrs. Kongit Haile-Gabriel Town and Country Planning Department Barbados Environmental Coordinating Unit Tel.: +1 246 467 3085 Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, Physical Planning and E-Mail: [email protected] Fisheries Roseau Fisheries Complex Building Mrs. Kim Downes-Agard Dame M.Eugenia Charles Blvd Roseau Environmental Officer Dominica Natural Heritage Department Tel.: +1 767 266 5256 Ministry of the Environment, Water Resources and Drainage Fax: +1 767 448 4577 Sturges E-Mail: [email protected], [email protected] St.
    [Show full text]
  • DOMINICA Country Profile
    October 2017 DOMINICA Country Profile Summary indicators Indicator Value Year Population number (last census) 71,293 2011 Population number (projection) 73,000 2015 Population growth rate 0.5% 2016 Population density 105/km2 2011 Urban composition 67% 2011 Average household size 3.02 2010 Age distribution (% under 15) 21.84% under 15 2016 Life expectancy at birth (years) 77 years (male:74 female:80.1) 2016 Under-five mortality 11/1,000 live births 2013 Maternal mortality 92 per 100,000 live births 2016 HDI ranking (value) 96 (0.726) 2015 Corruption Perceptions Index ranking (value) 38 (59) 2015 People below the poverty line 29% 2015 INFORM Risk Index Ranking (value) 113 (3.00) 2017 Literacy rate 91.8% (male:91.2% female:92.3%) 2015 Net migration rate -5.4 migrants/1,000 population 2016 Immunisation Coverage 96% 2013 Sources: IFPRI 2015, Census 2011, World Bank 2016, Caribbean Development Bank 2010, CIA World Factbook; Transparency International The Commonwealth of Dominica is a sovereign island country, part of the Windward Islands in the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The island lies - southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its area is 750km2, and the highest point is Morne Diablotins. The island’s vegetation is dense, a consequence of its elevation and very high rainfall, which varies from about 1800mm per year on the western coast to over 7,500mm in the mountainous interior. Dominica is a lower middle-income country and the poorest of the southeastern Caribbean islands. (Clarke G. Collin 1991). Hazard profile communities of Canefield, Massacre, Mahaut, Cochrane, Coulibistrie and Campbell were most affected (IFRC 11/10/2011).
    [Show full text]