The Commonwealth Caribbean And The Development Of The Law Of The Sea

The Law of the Sea in the Caribbean discusses the evolution and growth of the law of the sea in the Caribbean and its contribution to the sustainable development of Caribbean States.

In 1982 the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea was signed by a number of countries. For many smaller countries, such as the island states of the Caribbean, the significance of this major law reform movement became apparent in terms of expanded economic benefits, e.g., expanded fishery resources and offshore energy supplies. However, the responsibilities of expanded ocean jurisdiction also became apparent, as did the geopolitical controversies surrounding it. This new volume in the Lecture Notes on Coastal and Estuarine Studies presents the reader with the results and synthesis of a major study undertaken by the Ocean Studies Programme of Dalhousie University in the Eastern Caribbean on the New Law of the Sea with special attention to marine pollution, coastal zone management, international law, marine transportation, maritime boundary delineation and ocean development.

Fully updated and revised to fit in with the new laws and structure in the Commonwealth Caribbean law and legal systems, this new edition examines the institutions, structures and processes of the law in the Commonwealth Caribbean. The author explores: - the court system and the new Caribbean Court of Justice which replaces appeals to the Privy Council - the offshore financial legal sector - Caribbean customary law and the rights of indigenous peoples - the Constitutions of Commonwealth Caribbean jurisdictions and Human Rights - the impact of the historical continuum to the region's jurisprudence including the question of reparations - the complexities of judicial precedent for Caribbean peoples - international law as a source of law - alternative dispute mechanisms and the Ombudsman Effortlessy combining discussions of traditional subjects with those on more innovative subject areas, this book is an exciting exposition of Caribbean law and legal systems for those studying comparative law.

Taking a critical look at the major areas of constitutional and administrative law, Commonwealth Caribbean Public Law places a firm emphasis on the protection of citizens' rights and good governance. The third edition of this book builds on the success of the previous two editions, setting-out the established legal principles through Caribbean cases, along with critique and commentary of the law where appropriate. Contemporary issues and changes in Caribbean public law are addressed including: the refining of the rules governing judicial review; recent cases dealing with the death penalty; and the likely impact on CARICOM initiatives on the rights of citizens.

This book includes the reforms proposed by the various Caribbean Commissions since 1985, making it a comprehensive guide to constitutional law in the Caribbean. It outlines sources of the law and developing changes in the doctrine of sovereignty of Parliament and the Conventions of the Constitution as well as in the role of the Public Service. There is also an expanded commentary on the Caribbean judiciary in which special reference is made to the proposed Caribbean Court of Justice.Caribbean Constitutional Law will be valuable to students of law and political science and practitioners wishing to renew their acquaintance with the basic concepts of constitutional law.

By Christina M. Cerna.

The Commonwealth Caribbean comprises a group of countries (mainly islands) lying in an arc between Florida in the north and Venezuela in the south. Varying widely in terms of their size, population, ethnic composition and economic wealth, these countries are, nevertheless, linked by their shared experience of colonial rule under the British Empire and their decision, upon attaining independence, to adopt a constitutional system of government based on the so-called 'Westminster model'. Since independence these countries have, in the main, enjoyed a sustained period of relative political stability, which is in marked contrast to the experience of former British colonies in Africa and Asia. This book seeks to explore how much of this is due to their constitutional arrangements by examining the constitutional systems of these countries in their context and questioning how well the Westminster model of democracy has successfully adapted to its transplantation to the Commonwealth Caribbean. While taking due account of the region's colonial past and its imprint on postcolonial constitutionalism, the book also considers notable developments that have occurred since independence. These include the transformation of Guyana from a parliamentary democracy to a Cooperative Republic with an executive president; the creation of a Caribbean Single Market and Economy and its implications for national sovereignty; and the replacement of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council by the Caribbean Court of Justice as the final court of appeal for a number of countries in the region. The book also addresses the resurgence of interest in constitutional reform across the region in the last two decades, which has culminated in demands for radical reforms of the Westminster model of government and the severance of all remaining links with colonial rule.