While Caribbean territories do share similar cultural bonds anchored in our common history and fondness for music, food and familial structures, at the political level the region remains a segregated complex of differing neighbouring states. 

Politically the Caribbean is made up of independent countries, non-independent territories, and regions or provinces of independent countries (Colombia, Panama, Venezuela, Costa Rica). Some countries are republics ( Santo Domingo), others are Westminster style democracies, while others are single party socialist states(Cuba). It can be said that the differences in policy-making and administration of each country has led to fragile ties between Caribbean nations and mistrust between sovereign powers. According to Colin Clarke,the end results of such a kinship could be seen in the failure of the West Inadian Federation, which existed from 3rd January 1958 to 31 May 1962 as a short lived Union between the United Kingdom’s former colonies. A common Caribbean identity and common Caribbean interests are difficult to identify. One may even say that due to the differences in our political systems but uniformity of goals between Caribbean nations, we are a region that exemplifies simultaneously trust and mistrust, tolerance and yet intolerance of each other in an effort to achieve unified pursuits. According to Paul Sutton(2000), one such pursuit of a common Caribbean identity was the formation Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and others being, the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) and Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) to promote cooperation among its member states, economic integration, and homogeneity and equality foreign policies with each other and between the region and world powers. 

The region is united in its front to the ‘world’, yet divided from each other by interpersonal politics, the results of which filter down from the top brass to the lower tiers of society as each individual seeks to get his or her own it breeds intolerance and mistrust of the very political system itself. A report covered in an article by the JamaicaObserver can be quoted as saying, “The people of Jamaica, 78 per cent of the 1,044 Jamaicans surveyed think Government corruption is a big problem and more than6 80 per cent of respondents were concerned about retaliation in Jamaica”. It also goes on to state that the Jamaica’s political leaders “need to address issues of vote-buying and specific gendered forms of corruption both which could be seen as fuelling misgivings in a society already plagued by various socioeconomic issues”. 

A solution to all of these issues could be the creation of homogeneous, unbiased and fair policies that benefit individuals in the various tiers of society and kill the ‘trees’ of mistrust and intolerance that bloom in the ‘gardens’ of the Caribbean communities.  

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