Caribbean Journey
Jamaica Just Rejected U.S. Trade Demands... And America Was The One Winning
For over forty-one years, ninety per cent of everything Jamaica exported to the United States entered duty-free. No tariffs. No import levies. A congressionally protected arrangement called the Caribbean Basin Initiative built on the recognised principle that small island developing states cannot negotiate from the same position as the world's largest economy.
In April 2025, Washington dismantled it.
The United States runs a trade surplus with Jamaica of nearly one billion dollars a year. America earns more from the trade relationship than Jamaica does. And the Trump administration still classified the arrangement as unfair to the United States then imposed a ten per cent tariff on Jamaican exports.
This documentary covers thirteen months of what happened next. How Jamaica, as chair of a fifteen-nation Caribbean bloc, led one of the most consequential trade fights the region has seen in a generation. What they actually won. What the official press releases did not say. And what is still coming because the Section 122 surcharge that replaced the tariffs the Supreme Court struck down expires on the twenty-fourth of July 2026, new Section 301 investigations are already open, and Jamaica still does not have a bilateral trade agreement with the United States.
WHAT THIS VIDEO COVERS:
— The Caribbean Basin Initiative: 41 years of preferential trade and how it worked
— Liberation Day, April 2nd 2025: how the tariff formula was built and why economists rejected it
— Jamaica's trade exposure: $945 million US surplus, 90% CBI-dependent exports, alumina, sugar, rum
— The three economic lifelines: exports, tourism (50% American visitors), and remittances ($3.49 billion in 2025, two-thirds from the US)
— CARICOM's coordinated response: the Montego Bay summit, CPSO modelling ($653.6 million projected annual losses), and the USTR submission
— The November 2025 partial win: which tariffs were removed and what remained
— The Supreme Court ruling (February 20, 2026): Learning Resources Inc v Trump, 6-3 majority
— Section 122: the 150-day replacement surcharge at 15%, expiring July 24, 2026
— Section 301 investigations: 60+ countries, no rate cap, no time limit, timed to replace Section 122
— What Jamaica does not have: no bilateral framework deal, unlike Argentina, Ecuador, Indonesia, and the UK
— The diversification response: Brazil, India, Africa, and the updated CARICOM Common External Tariff
— What July 24, 2026 means for every Jamaican and Caribbean household
SOURCES USED IN THIS DOCUMENTARY:
Jamaica Information Service (JIS) PM Holness statements, EXPO Jamaica 2025, CARICOM summit reporting Jamaica Gleaner editorial analysis, Elizabeth Morgan trade commentary, Bank of Jamaica reporting Jamaica Observer trade statistics, alumina export data, remittance figures CARICOM Secretariat official communiques, Ambassador Wayne McCook statements, COTED meeting records CARICOM Private Sector Organisation (CPSO) Dr Patrick Antoine statements, export revenue loss modelling Caribbean Council tariff rollback reporting, November 2025 executive order analysis Caribbean News Global Supreme Court ruling analysis, CPSO tariff removal statements Stabroek News CARICOM summit coverage, trade diversification reporting WiredJA Liberation Day Caribbean impact analysis Caribbean Today News Jamaica government USTR engagement reporting Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) merchandise trade data, export statistics Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) remittance bulletins, quarterly monetary policy reports Coface Country Risk Analysis Jamaica economic indicators, export dependency figures
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Published Jun 12, 2026