On October 7, Dr. Ivelaw Griffith returned to the 2021 Webinar Series for a discussion on “Conventional and Health Geopolitics in the Contemporary Caribbean” as addressed in his recent publication with the Perry Center.

In a thought-provoking presentation, he explained how the Caribbean performs as a geopolitical pivot as determined by its “sensitive location and vulnerable condition for the behavior of geostrategic players.” Dr. Griffith provided a comprehensive description of the different factors that make the Caribbean that center of connectivity and described how global strategic designs make the Caribbean key for countries such as China and other emerging competitors. Additionally, he addressed the impact of COVID-19 pandemic in the region as an age-defining pandemic. He included recent data on COVID-19 manifestations and recovery rates, as well as the financial crisis and declining tourism earnings because of the global health crisis. Dr. Griffith highlighted what he called “Pandemic Diplomacy,” wherein China, Russia, India, and later the Unites States provided considerable pandemic support in different capacities (global vaccine-sharing initiative) to the region.

Dr. Griffith is a Fellow at the Caribbean Policy Consortium and a recipient of the 2015 William J. Perry Award for Excellence in Security and Defense Education. WJPC professor Dr. Bill Godnick moderated this event which was also recorded.