The Trump administration’s ousting and imprisonment of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has sent shockwaves through the Caribbean, exposing deep divisions within the regional bloc Caricom. Trinidad and Tobago, a founding member, has openly aligned with Washington, allowing US military assets on its soil and supporting airstrikes that have killed over 80 people, including Trinidadian citizens.
Since November, Trinidad and Tobago has hosted a US Marine Corps G/ATOR radar on Tobago, just seven miles from Venezuela. In December, it permitted US military aircraft to transit through its airports for “logistics” purposes. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has justified the cooperation as part of the fight against transnational crime, amidst rising homicides and gang violence at home.
However, experts say these actions have laid the groundwork for the raid that removed Maduro. Dr Jacqueline Laguardia Martinez of the University of the West Indies described Trinidad’s stance as “divergent and adversarial” within Caricom, which has historically maintained a cohesive foreign policy based on multilateralism and the defence of Latin America and the Caribbean as a “Zone of Peace”.
Peter Wickham of Caribbean Development Research Services noted that Grenada and Antigua declined similar requests for radar installation. He suggested that Persad-Bissessar’s alignment with Trump may be driven by a desire for access to Venezuela’s natural gas reserves, rather than through negotiation with the Maduro administration.
Wickham questioned the wisdom of such a high-risk strategy, given Trump’s unpredictability, and noted that Trinidad and Tobago’s position could have long-term consequences, including potential proceedings at the International Criminal Court.
