Trinidad and Tobago stands firm with US on regional security

The government of Trinidad and Tobago (TT) has publicly diverged from Caricom’s collective stance on maintaining the Caribbean as a zone of peace, opting instead to support the United States’ military intervention in the region. This decision, announced on October 19, follows Caricom’s October 18 statement reaffirming the principle of regional peace, which noted TT’s reservation on the matter. The Caricom statement emphasized dialogue and international cooperation to combat narco-trafficking and illegal arms trade, while TT’s government expressed unwavering support for US-led operations aimed at curbing transnational crime. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has consistently endorsed US military presence in the southern Caribbean, citing the threat posed by criminal organizations. International relations experts have criticized TT’s stance, with some describing it as a setback for Caricom’s integration efforts. Meanwhile, the US has intensified its anti-narcotics operations, recently targeting a vessel allegedly linked to Colombia’s National Liberation Army (ELN), a group classified as a terrorist organization. The incident has raised concerns about regional stability and the potential for collateral damage in the ongoing US-Venezuela tensions.