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CARICOM: TO BE OR NOT TO BE….
Dear Editor,
An article headlined ‘If US Secretary Rubio attends CARICOM Summit – let It mark a reset — not a reckoning’ was published on February 19,2026 on the Caribbean News Global (CNG) website. Its author is Ambassador Ronald Sanders.
In his article, the author sought to set the tone for the much-anticipated meeting between Caricom Heads of State and Government (COHOG) and the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in St. Kitts and Nevis this week.
The meeting will take place against the backdrop of a mix of uncertainty and tenacity as regards US foreign policy towards the collective and individual endeavours of Caricom member states. Indeed, these are convulsive ‘times that try men’s souls.’
Ambassador Sanders’ article is replete with references to partnership, its role and place in respect to Caricom/US relations. Essentially, a case was made in favour of partnership that should be neither over nor underestimated.
According to Sanders; ‘The Caribbean does not seek confrontation with the United States. Nor does it seek dependency. What it seeks — and has always sought — is partnership rooted in mutual respect and mutual benefit. Agreed.
Sanders went on to say; ‘The United States and the Caribbean have cooperated for generations — in trade, in security, in disaster response, and in shared democratic values. That record is solid. The meeting in St Kitts offers the chance to strengthen their cooperation for a new era.’ It is as if every new US president brings a new era.
A question is; is there anything new here? More than thirty-two years ago President Clinton convened the first Summit of the Americas (SOA) when much talk about partnership filled the air within the walls and halls of the Biltmore Hotel in Miami.
It was all said before. Talk about partnership between the US and CARICOM has been around for decades or more to the extent that there has been monologues on the subject. What has been in short supply is the twin challenge of recognising differences and reconciliation. Small wonder why, in a larger context, the tenth SOA to be held last December in the Dominican Republic was scuppered.
That being said, it is important to stress that what is needed at this time is a reinvigorated Caricom/US partnership, based on open-mindednesses and acceptance of each other’s differences as well as a willingness to learn, not teach. It is hoped that adaptation based on belief, fairness, mutual understanding and obligations would positively inform the outcome of the exchange of views.
An even greater challenge for participants at the St Kitts COHOG will be to judiciously navigate their assessments of US foreign policy at this time, and not to be bashful to call for tolerance and understanding in key and critical areas of cooperation vital for each member state. Guyana should not shy away from seeking reaffirmation of its vital territorial and security interests.
In the circumstances, attention should be paid to Mr. Rubio’s remarks at the Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on February 14, 2026. Of interest was the reassurance offered to European leaders that “the U.S. remains committed to partnership” and that “We belong together.” And while Rubio admitted that ‘… we Americans may sometimes come off as a little direct and urgent in our counsel,” he warned that “President Trump demands seriousness and reciprocity from our friends …reason being “we care deeply.”
Were Rubio’s remarks applied to a Caribbean context, Caricom leaders are forewarned that they ‘should be pragmatic, forward-looking, and prepared for empathetic and candid engagement; that ‘The moment calls for statesmanship.’
Yes, to statesmanship, upholding principles and application of balance in pursuit of a viable and reinvigorated Caricom/US partnership but not at the expense of the lofty objectives enshrined in the Revised Treaty of Chaguramas.
Yours faithfully,
Clement J. Rohee
Former Minister of Foreign Affairs
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- Biltmore Hotel, CARICOM Heads, of State and Government, US relations. Essentially, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio
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I remember the word CARICOM actually before it was coined.
In Surinam, back in the old days the talk was the terminology used by
them: “Carry Come, Bring Am Go”.
Perhaps, CARICOM was the ultimate choice as to who suggested it.