Global Field Notes20262 min read

One island, two outcomes

Same beach, same climate, almost the same history. Completely different fates.

I visited every country in the Caribbean. The two that taught me the most were not the ones with the best beaches. They were the two that share an island and have completely different outcomes.

Same geography. Same starting point. One gets seven million tourists a year. The other gets close to zero.

Hispaniola is one island: same beach, same climate, almost the same colonial history, different fates. What created the gap is not geography. It is a series of decisions, identities, and brand choices that compounded over decades.

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