Human Security: A New Regionalism for the Caribbean

Abstract

 

 

This study argues that the impetus to reconceptualize security in the Caribbean region has not been as obvious and decisive as it has been in other regions of the international global system. The Caribbean security approach remains delimited by the traditional security paradigm and has not made the same transition in security thinking. Consequently, it seeks to answer questions such as: Does the Caribbean possess the necessary conditions to adopt a human security approach to regional security? Could the Caribbean experience successful security re-orientation? Can human security emerge as a new regionalism in the Caribbean region? In an attempt to provide an answer to these questions, the role, function and impact of security initiatives in the Caribbean region are examined in an attempt to ascertain to what extent they represent a shift in security thinking, more specifically, how they address the traditional and citizen security issues and to understand this in the context of human security and new regionalism.