INTRODUCTION

About the Featured Book

​St. Kitts & Nevis - The Struggle to Become a Mature Nation is a detailed and candid examination of the country’s political, constitutional, and social development since independence.

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About the Country

This site focuses on the independent nation of St. Kitts (also called St. Christopher) and Nevis located in the Eastern Caribbean. The nation comprises the two islands in its name with a total size of 104 square miles and a population of 51,320. It is the smallest country in the Americas by both area and population and among the ten smallest independent nations in the world. The country was a colony of Britain from 1623 and gained internal self-government called Associated Statehood in 1967 and full independence from Britain on 19th September 1983.

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National Aspirations

The country is physically a tropical gem but it aspires to become also a mature democracy and a sustainable economy.

The independence constitution describes the country as a sovereign democratic federal state. It begins with the following Preamble which boldly sets out the aspirations:

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Preamble to the Constitution

WHEREAS the People of St. Kitts and Nevis

(a) declare that the nation is established on the belief in Almighty God and the inherent dignity of each individual;

(b) assert that they are entitled to the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms;

(c) believe in the concept of true democracy with free and fair elections;

(d) desire the creation of a climate of economic wellbeing in the context of respect for law and order; and

(e) are committed to achieve their national objectives with a unity of purpose.

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About the Work

The writer describes in frank and unreserved terms the country’s progress in fulfilling these ambitious aspirations and the challenges, external and self-induced, which the country faces on the long road to achieving them. The writer suggests changes to the constitution and the transformation of the political culture and the outlook and attitudes of the people which are needed.

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