The path forward for the Caribbean

Jan 27, 2025 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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Peeping Tom…

Kaieteur News- When the Cold War ended, western liberalism declared its victory over communism. It immediately embarked on constructing regional blocs such as NAFTA and the European Union. Aided by the development of technology, the triumphalist wave of neo-liberal globalization caused grave concerns in the developing world, particularly in the Caribbean.

The region, long reliant on preferential trade agreements and external markets, feared marginalization as the new global order took shape. This apprehension was eloquently captured by then Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, A.N.R. Robinson, in his paper, “The West Indies Beyond 1992.” Robinson tabled this paper before the Heads of Government Conference of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

Robinson’s analysis was later echoed in the West Indian Commission’s “Time for Action” report. His analysis  predicted the Caribbean’s potential relegation to irrelevance in an era dominated by economic blocs and great-power manoeuvring.

Fast forward three decades, and the fears of irrelevance and vulnerability have resurfaced. But today, the threat is not merely economic. It is also political and existential, embodied by none other than Donald Trump. As he resumes his shadowy command  over American politics, Trump’s vision of an imperial America poses a direct challenge to the sovereignty of smaller states and the fragile global order they depend upon. His open flirtation with territorial expansion—signalling intentions to seize the Panama Canal and making claims to Canada and Greenland—is nothing less than a revival of old discredited imperialism, with all its attendant dangers for the free world.

Trump’s latest proposal to uproot Palestinians from Gaza, “cleaning out” the strip and relocating its people to neighbouring Arab countries,  highlights  his disdain for international law and human decency. That such an idea can be publicly floated without immediate and unanimous global condemnation reveals the perilous state of contemporary geopolitics. Silence from other nations, including Guyana, a nation historically committed to upholding international law, further points to how fear and indifference have paralysed global resistance to Trumpism.

In the face of Trumpism, the Caribbean is once again at a crossroads. It cannot afford to not do anything. It has to now, with the same urgency as  in 1990, take action to  chart a path independent of America’s imperial games.

The Caribbean’s history has always been shaped by external forces—colonialism, slavery, and the post-independence struggles for economic survival in a world dominated by powerful states. The formation of CARICOM was meant to be a bulwark against these pressures. It was intended to foster regional cooperation and self-reliance. Yet, CARICOM’s achievements have been undermined by domestic squabbles. It has been stultified by policy inertia. And it been deformed by the region’s persistent dependency on the West.

The “Time for Action” report of the West Indian Commission in 1992 was a clarion call for a reimagined Caribbean. The region’s failure to act on this report speaks to a broader pattern of missed opportunities and unfulfilled potential. Today, as Trump’s brand of neo-imperialism resurfaces, the region must confront a sobering question: Can it afford to remain reactive and passive in the face of existential threats.

Trump’s worldview—rooted in “America First” exceptionalism—is a direct challenge to the principles of multilateralism and  respect  for international law. His disregard for international law threatens to destabilize regions far beyond America’s borders. For small states like those in the Caribbean, this behaviour is particularly alarming. The prospect of an emboldened Trump brings with it the risk of economic coercion, political interference, and even territorial encroachment.

His rhetoric on seizing the Panama Canal—a vital lifeline for global trade—is not merely bluster. It signals a willingness to upend decades of painstakingly negotiated agreements that returned the canal to Panamanian control. Similarly, his casual claims to Canada and Greenland evoke the colonial era, when powerful nations carved up the world with little regard for the inhabitants of those territories. The Caribbean cannot ignore these signals. The region’s proximity to the United States, coupled with its strategic importance, makes it a likely target for Trumpism.

In the face of these threats, the Caribbean must embrace a bold and unapologetically independent stance. CARICOM, despite its shortcomings, remains the region’s best hope for collective action. But to be effective, it must undergo a fundamental transformation, shedding its reputation for bureaucratic inertia.

The next intersessional of the regional integration movement must prioritize action to remove the Caribbean, economically and politically out of the American orbit. It must demand, at the least, observer status in BRICS. The Caribbean must deepen its partnerships beyond the traditional spheres of American and European influence. Alliances with Africa, Asia, and Latin America can provide new opportunities for trade, investment, and diplomatic collaboration. By broadening its horizons, the Region can reduce its dependency on any single power and secure greater autonomy in a future that is likely to see the decline of America.

The time has come for the Caribbean to leave America to its self-destructive quest for greatness. Trump’s promise to “Make America Great Again” is a nostalgic fantasy. MAGA ignores the realities of a changing world. Trump’s policies serve only to isolate the United States, undermining the very alliances and institutions that once made it a global leader. The Caribbean, by contrast, can carve out a different future—one defined not by dependency but by greater self-determination.

As Robinson warned in “The West Indies Beyond 1992,” the Region cannot afford to be passive in the face of global upheaval. The same holds true today. Trump’s rise is a wake-up call for the Caribbean to reclaim its agency and ensure that the region does not fall victim to a declining and deformed empire.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of this newspaper.)

(The path forward for the Caribbean)

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• Cold War, neo-liberal globalization, Peeping Tom, western liberalism

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