UK, US 'Not the Future,' Skelton-Cline
On Honestly Speaking on November 25, 2025, Claude O. Skelton‑Cline warned that the United Kingdom and United States are no longer the dominant global powers and urged Virgin Islanders to prepare for a 21st century led by the Asia‑Pacific and China. He cited shifting passport rankings and investment patterns, and said the BVI must broaden its diplomatic and economic outlook despite limits imposed by its status as a British Overseas Territory.
Skelton‑Cline told listeners on Honestly Speaking on November 25, 2025, that the United Kingdom and the United States are no longer the future of global leadership and urged Virgin Islanders to adjust to a changing world order. Referencing recent passport rankings — which he said show the United States passport falling outside the top ten for the first time in two decades — Skelton‑Cline named Singapore, South Korea, Japan, France, Finland and the Netherlands among the top ten.
Skelton‑Cline said his advice on returning to the Virgin Islands was practical: learn Mandarin. "Great Britain ruled the 19th century, the United States ruled the 20th century, and the 21st century is being led by the Asian Pacific countries and China," he said. "I told you to learn Mandarin, ya’ll thought I was joking…here we are 14/15 how many years later, and the evidence is clear, it’s trending in the same direction.
The Asian Pacific countries, where China will lead, will own the 21st century." He also pointed to expanding Asian and Chinese investment in Africa as part of a broader global shift. "The United Kingdom is not the future; it hasn’t been since World War II. The United States, as it sits today, is not the future and is not going to be," he added, acknowledging that such a view may clash with long‑standing Western narratives.
For residents of the British Virgin Islands, Skelton‑Cline said the shift has direct implications for ongoing debates about independence and self‑determination. He warned that looking only to the United States for answers is short‑sighted and highlighted the BVI’s diplomatic constraints under its current constitutional relationship with the United Kingdom. "The kind of diplomatic and other relationships that should be had can be had with emerging countries of the earth; we are limited to engage in any kind of conversation with them outside of the permission of the United Kingdom," he said, adding that this limitation could leave the Territory "languishing." His comments suggest policy and community considerations for the BVI: diversifying economic partners, strengthening education in languages and skills tied to new markets, and debating how constitutional arrangements affect the Territory’s ability to pursue independent foreign and economic relationships.
Skelton‑Cline’s remarks were reported by Virgin Islands News Online (VINO) following the November 25 broadcast. Whether or how the Territory should respond to the long‑term trends he described will be a continuing topic for public discussion and political debate in the BVI.
Primary source: VINO