In his 2026 New Year’s Address, Prime Minister Gaston Browne articulated Antigua and Barbuda’s strategic approach to navigating an increasingly volatile global landscape. The Caribbean leader emphasized that small states like his nation face disproportionate impacts from international policy decisions and geopolitical shifts occurring beyond their borders.
Browne acknowledged the substantial challenges confronting small, open economies in today’s uncertain world, where foreign decisions frequently create direct consequences for vulnerable nations. Rather than adopting confrontational or reactionary positions, Browne outlined a foreign policy framework rooted in disciplined diplomacy, competence, and restraint.
‘Global currents shift from time to time, creating geopolitical challenges,’ Browne stated, observing that ‘decisions taken elsewhere ripple across small states such as ours.’ Despite these external pressures, the Prime Minister asserted that Antigua and Barbuda would engage from a position of strength, emphasizing that true national power derives not from grievance or anger but from steadfast diplomacy and resilience.
Browne positioned diplomacy as an essential pillar of national survival and advancement for smaller states that lack military might or economic scale. He stressed that emotional or divisive reactions to international developments ultimately weaken a country’s capacity to protect its interests. Using the maritime proverb ‘Calm seas never made a skilled sailor,’ Browne underscored the necessity of steadiness and resolve when confronting global uncertainty.
The Prime Minister further connected domestic unity to international credibility, asserting that ‘Unity at home is our first line of defense abroad.’ This cohesion, he argued, enhances the nation’s negotiating power on the global stage. Browne concluded by urging citizens to maintain confidence and patience, reaffirming that Antigua and Barbuda would continue pursuing constructive engagement with international partners while safeguarding national interests through principled diplomacy rather than hostility.