In Caribbean, analysts expect little change regardless of who wins U.S. election

While Barack Obama, the likely Democratic presidential nominee, appears to be the rage across the Caribbean, some analysts express concerns about how his policies would affect the region. And, although John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, generates less attention in the Democratic-leaning Caribbean, some observers say his support of free trade and his policy experience could be better for the islands. Still other analysts see the Caribbean as a low priority for each and express little optimism that either will produce radical change. Neither McCain nor Obama has 'expressed serious positions on the Caribbean, with the exception of Cuba, where there is a difference between the two candidates,' said Rupert Lewis, a political science expert at the University of the West Indies (Mona) in Jamaica. In a speech in Miami, McCain singled out several Spanish-speaking nations - but not any in the Caribbean. And Obama has shown little interest in the region - aside from an Easter vacation in St. Thomas.