The recent announcement by the United States that it is sending naval assets to the southern Caribbean as part of an effort to counter Latin American drug cartels, according to a U.S. official briefed on the planning. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to a question about the reported deployment during a press briefing, saying, in part, “The president is prepared to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our country and to bring those responsible to justice. The Maduro regime is not the legitimate government—it is a Nacro terror cartel.”
Reaction from within CARICOM has not been unified.
The PM of Trinidad and Tobago has supported the U.S. action against drug cartels, even as other T&T politicians are critical.
Former PM Stuart Young has said “TT has consistently respected and upheld the principles of non-intervention and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries and for good reason”.
Former PM Keith Rowley has accused Persad-Bissessar of setting aside decades of carefully cultivated regional foreign policy and aligning Port of Spain with Washington’s “Monroe Doctrine” playbook.
PM backs US military action against cartels – Trinidad and Tobago Newsday
Young on US, Venezuela conflict: Caricom must remain a zone of peace – Trinidad and Tobago Newsday
Rowley slams Trinidad PM’s support for US warships in Caribbean – Stabroek News
In addition, several members of CARICOM who are also members of ALBA (Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) signed on to an emergency resolution of that group. The international group ALBA—short for the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America—is currently chaired by Nicolás Maduro, the President of Venezuela. Venezuela has historically played a leading role in ALBA since its founding in 2004 by Hugo Chávez and Fidel Castro.
CARICOM | Caribbean Leaders Draw Red Line as US Warships Circle Venezuela