Guest Editorial

Abstract

The subject of a regional court for the Commonwealth Caribbean is one that has never truly gone underground and continues to generate much interest. It has occupied the minds of scholars, practitioners, politicians and the general public for well over 50 years. The matter is inextricably bound up with concerns of sovereignty, self-sufficiency and maturity in the political and legal spheres. The evolution of this shared court mirrors the struggle for greater political and economic regional cooperation. In truth, the vibrancy and sometimes emotive character of the debate has much to do with the spectre of colonialism as former subjugated colonies strive to find their way in an often hostile world within the environment of a regionalism which promises a larger footprint for these small nations, an opportunity to maximise talent, resources and confidence, and the promise of a unique legal identity that is consonant with international standards.