Corporate versus National Interest in US Trade Policy

Richard L. Bernal was Pro-Vice Chancellor for Global Affairs at the University of the West Indies, Jamaica.  He was a Member of the Board of Directors of the Inter-American Development Bank from 2008 to 2016. Previous to the IADB, he was the Director-General of the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (RNM) for eight years with responsibility for trade negotiations for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Cuba and the Dominican Republic. He was Principal Negotiator for the Forum of Caribbean States (CARIFORUM) in the negotiation of the CARIFORUM-European Union Economic Partnership Agreement and CARICOM’s lead negotiator and spokesperson in the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) negotiations. Bernal was Jamaica’s Ambassador to the US and Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States (OAS) from May 1991 to August 2001.

• 1. Objective and Organization.- 2. Corporate Influence in US Trade Policy.- 3. The Importance of Bananas in the Caribbean.- 4. The EU Banana Regime.- 5. Chiquita and Its Influence on US Trade Policy.- 6. Chiquita Overwhelms the Small Caribbean States.- 7. Impact of US Banana Policy on the Caribbean.- 8. Implications for US National Interest in the Caribbean.