BY EMMANUEL OGBONNA
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived Wednesday in Saint Kitts and Nevis for high-level talks with Caribbean leaders grappling with the rapid recalibration of American foreign policy under President Donald Trump.
Rubio’s visit coincides with a summit of the Caribbean Community, the 15-nation regional body known as CARICOM, whose members are confronting mounting economic pressures, geopolitical uncertainty and the ripple effects of recent U.S. actions in the hemisphere.
The secretary of state flew to the Caribbean immediately after Trump concluded a lengthy State of the Union address in Washington, where the president defended his administration’s muscular posture abroad. Trump highlighted last month’s U.S. military operation that led to the removal and arrest of Venezuela’s leader, Nicolás Maduro, describing the capture as “an absolutely colossal victory for the security of the United States” and a turning point for Venezuela’s future.
The operation, coupled with stepped-up maritime interdictions targeting suspected drug-smuggling vessels and intensified pressure on Cuba, has unsettled governments across the Caribbean. Leaders in the region are weighing how to respond to a U.S. policy approach that many view as both assertive and unpredictable.
Trump has framed his strategy as a revival of American primacy in the Western Hemisphere, echoing themes associated with the Monroe Doctrine. In his address, he declared that his administration is “restoring American security and dominance in the Western Hemisphere,” pledging to secure U.S. national interests against violence, narcotics trafficking, terrorism and foreign interference.
For Caribbean leaders gathered in Basseterre, however, the moment is defined as much by uncertainty as by alignment. Terrance Drew, prime minister of St. Kitts and Nevis and current CARICOM chair, told delegates at the summit’s opening ceremony that the region “stands at a decisive hour.”
“The global order is shifting,” Drew said, pointing to fragile supply chains, volatile energy markets and intensifying climate shocks that disproportionately affect small island states.
Several leaders voiced concerns that established international norms are eroding. Godwin Friday, the newly elected prime minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, said the Caribbean is being tested “from inside and out,” warning that long-standing rules and practices in international relations have changed in troubling ways.
Beyond Venezuela, Cuba’s deepening humanitarian crisis loomed large over the discussions. Andrew Holness, prime minister of Jamaica, cautioned that instability in Cuba would not remain contained within its borders.
“It must be clear that a prolonged crisis in Cuba will not remain confined to Cuba,” Holness said, noting the potential consequences for migration flows, regional security and economic stability. While affirming Jamaica’s commitment to democratic principles, he called for constructive dialogue between Havana and Washington aimed at de-escalation and reform.
The humanitarian dimension has also drawn attention from international officials. Francisco Pichón, the United Nations resident coordinator in Cuba, has said that the longstanding U.S. oil embargo is complicating recovery efforts after Hurricane Melissa struck eastern Cuba as a Category 3 storm last October. Fuel shortages and energy constraints, he noted, are disrupting logistics chains and hampering the delivery of aid across the island.
Caribbean governments have also raised concerns about specific U.S. policy demands, including calls for nations to accept deportees from third countries, distance themselves from Cuban medical missions and reconsider expanding economic ties with China.
Fred Mitchell, foreign minister of The Bahamas, said ahead of the summit that he anticipated a broad discussion with Rubio about the overall character of U.S.-Caribbean relations. “It is about mutual respect and a rules-based order,” Mitchell said, adding that regional leaders remain open to both public and private dialogue with the U.S. delegation.
In addition to plenary sessions, Rubio is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with Drew and Kamla Persad-Bissessar, prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, among others. According to the State Department, discussions are expected to focus on regional security cooperation, trade, economic growth and stability.
The United States has long supported Caribbean initiatives aimed at combating gun trafficking and narcotics smuggling, and some leaders have welcomed Washington’s tougher enforcement measures. Since early September, U.S. forces have conducted maritime strikes targeting small boats suspected of transporting drugs, resulting in at least 151 deaths, including three in a strike earlier this week in the Caribbean Sea. The U.S. has not publicly released evidence confirming that the targeted vessels were engaged in narcotics trafficking.
Persad-Bissessar has praised the interdiction efforts, thanking Trump, Rubio and the U.S. military for standing firm against narcotrafficking and assisting Trinidad and Tobago’s national security operations. “The crime is so bad, I cannot depend on just my military, my protective services,” she said, underscoring the strain on small nations confronting transnational criminal networks.
Rubio’s presence at the CARICOM summit comes at a moment when Washington is also increasingly focused on tensions with Iran, adding another layer of global complexity to U.S. diplomacy. For Caribbean states, the immediate challenge is to navigate a shifting geopolitical landscape while preserving sovereignty, economic resilience and regional solidarity.
As leaders continue their deliberations, the summit reflects a broader recalibration underway across the Americas — one in which small island nations are seeking assurances that engagement with the United States will be grounded in partnership and predictability, even as Washington pursues a more forceful vision of hemispheric security.
Original article
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