Another alarming US missile strike in Caribbean waters this week has reignited regional concern about the growing militarisation of the Caribbean and the threat it poses to the region’s long-standing commitment to being a Zone of Peace.
According to reports by Reuters, a suspected drug-trafficking vessel was destroyed in a US military operation off the coast of Venezuela on Thursday, killing two people and leaving two survivors now held aboard a US Navy ship. The strike, personally authorised by President Donald Trump, marks the latest in a series of aggressive counter-narcotics actions that have left at least 27 people dead in recent months.
Trump described the target as “a drug-carrying submarine built specifically for the transportation of massive amounts of drugs,” but regional leaders and analysts have questioned the legality and proportionality of the attacks. The Pentagon has so far provided no evidence that the vessel’s occupants were engaged in illicit activity.
The incident comes amid a significant US military build-up in the southern Caribbean involving guided-missile destroyers, nuclear submarines, and over 6,500 troops. Washington has also announced a new joint task force, led by the II Marine Expeditionary Force, to oversee expanded operations near Venezuelan waters.
While the Trump administration insists the actions are part of a “non-international armed conflict” against narcoterrorist networks, several Latin American and Caribbean governments have condemned the escalation, warning that it undermines the region’s sovereignty and violates international law.
Venezuela’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Samuel Moncada, has formally requested that the UN Security Council determine the strikes illegal and issue a statement reaffirming Venezuelan sovereignty.
In stark contrast, Trinidad and Tobago’s government has expressed support for Washington’s actions — a position regional observers describe as a sharp departure from the country’s traditional policy of non-alignment and non-interference. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who previously endorsed opposition leader Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s “interim president,” has publicly backed the US operations, continuing a pro-Washington stance dating back to her time in opposition.
Regional commentators have called this position “deeply disappointing,” arguing that it risks eroding the foundation of Caribbean unity and independence. “This reverses Trinidad and Tobago’s long tradition of pursuing an independent foreign policy based on mutual respect and sovereignty,” one regional analyst said.
The situation has also exposed divisions within CARICOM, as some governments reaffirm the region’s right to self-determination while others remain muted or supportive of US militarisation. The stance threatens to fracture the consensus forged in 1973 when CARICOM’s founding leaders — including Errol Barrow of Barbados and Eric Williams of Trinidad and Tobago — first declared the Caribbean a Zone of Peace, free from external aggression and military dominance.
Barrow’s words in 1986 now ring with renewed urgency: “Our territory will not be used to intimidate any of our neighbours, be that neighbour Cuba or the USA.” His declaration reflected a shared belief that the Caribbean must resist becoming a theatre for geopolitical confrontation.
Today, that vision is under threat. With US warships patrolling regional waters and Status of Forces Agreements (SOFAs) being expanded with several Caribbean nations, critics fear the Caribbean is again being drawn into great-power conflicts. Reports of US special operations near Trinidad and Tobago and Grenada have added to anxiety about the erosion of regional neutrality.
Civil society groups across the region have begun mobilising in response. The Assembly of Caribbean People, representing grassroots and progressive organisations, recently led a “Day of Action in Defence of the Caribbean” on 16th October, with demonstrations and public statements in more than 15 countries. Their message was clear: the Caribbean must not become a battleground for foreign powers.
“The people of the Caribbean are raising their voices in defence of peace, sovereignty, and self-determination,” the Assembly said in a statement. “We call on all governments to reaffirm the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace and reject any attempt to militarise our region.”
As tensions rise and the United States continues to expand its military footprint, regional leaders face mounting pressure to take a collective stand. Whether CARICOM can maintain its independence and unity in the face of these challenges may determine the Caribbean’s place in the emerging global order.
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