Former Caribbean Leaders Condemn Trinidad
Eleven former Caribbean heads of state, led by Barbados’ Freundel J. Stuart, have issued a joint declaration condemning Trinidad’s alignment with US military activity in the region, warning it risks dragging the Caribbean into conflicts not of its making. The declaration, titled Our Caribbean Space: A Zone of Peace on Land, Sea and Airspace Where the Rule of Law Prevails, urges a pullback from military build‑ups that threaten peace, tourism and regional stability.
Eleven former Caribbean heads of state have publicly condemned what they describe as a dangerous militarisation of Caribbean waters linked to Trinidad’s alignment with United States military deployments. Led by former Barbadian prime minister Freundel J. Stuart, the signatories issued a joint declaration titled Our Caribbean Space: A Zone of Peace on Land, Sea and Airspace Where the Rule of Law Prevails.
The statement expresses “apprehension on the increased military security build‑up and the presence of nuclear vessels and aircraft within the Caribbean archipelago” and calls on all parties to pull back to avoid any diminution of peace, stability and development in the region. The declaration was signed by former leaders P.
James of Dominica; Winston Baldwin Spencer of Antigua and Barbuda; Belize’s Said W. It was also endorsed by Trinidad and Tobago’s immediate past prime minister Dr Keith C. Rowley, who formally signed the document and criticised what he called a return to the colonial mantra that “might is right.” The former leaders warn that recent moves — including reports that the US aircraft carrier USS Gerald R.
Ford is operating in South American waters — risk pulling the Caribbean toward confrontation. Their concerns are voiced amid heightened regional tensions, including the ongoing Guyana–Venezuela border dispute and increases in foreign naval activity. Analysts quoted in the declaration’s coverage said the political alignment of some governments with US military priorities has isolated those states and weakened regional sovereignty.
Political analyst Peter Wickham was reported as saying that alignment with former US policies has left Trinidad “isolated and illogical,” while Professor Don Marshall described the actions as “a collapse of sovereignty.” For residents of the British Virgin Islands, the leaders’ warning has direct relevance.
Increased naval deployments can affect cruise and yachting routes, tourism perceptions, maritime safety, and the BVI’s marine environment — all key pillars of the local economy. The declaration urges CARICOM and other regional bodies to press for diplomatic solutions and for adherence to international law to protect the region’s fragile independence, stability and development.
The former leaders’ statement is a call for renewed regional unity and restraint. It asks governments and foreign powers to prioritise dialogue and legal processes over military presence to preserve the Caribbean as a zone of peace.
Primary source: VINO