AC and Belize in general have a lot going for them. I would say the main problem is structural corruption. I'm not sure how it's developed in the 25 years since colonial rule ended, since I doubt it was much of an issue before then, but it really is a serious problem.

Just a quick overview of the country's finances (what comes in vs. what goes out) shows there must be something very wrong somewhere, and when you look at the tremendous wealth of certain people who can only have acquired it dishonestly and remember that the base population of the country is only 1/4 million, it's not difficult to see why it has had such a dramatic effect.

Belize needs to manufacture much more of what it consumes and long-term there's no reason why this shouldn't happen, but when and how will it start?