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February 7, 2023
“Some talk of legality
Constitutionality
But only to export their hypocrisy.
If you examine
The state of affairs in their land
You will find human rights violations,
Total disregard for the constitution.
Complex political persecution,
And a wave of sanctioned violence
With the blessing of legislative criminals.”
King Short Shirt, “Viva Grenada.“
Anticipating continuity rather than discontinuity with President Biden simply following the saber-rattling characteristic of the Trump presidency regarding Cuba, Venezuela, and any nation which stood on principle against America’s impulse to dominate, we wondered if, based on a few positive signs in the administration’s early domestic policy, the new czar would follow a “foreign policy consistent with the principles enshrined in various bodies advocating non-interference in nations’ internal affairs.”
However, it soon became evident that rather than getting change in the White House, there was simply an exchange. Despite the high-sounding rhetoric, the new occupant continued advancing Trump’s dastardly plan by imposing America’s will on Venezuela, as manifested in the recent action preventing two sovereign states, Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago, from conducting business in furtherance of their national interest.
In “Gas By Any Means–A Dangerous Road,” Clyde Weatherhead situates America’s designs within the larger global atavistic context and calls on regional governments, Trinidad and Tobago particularly, not to compromise its historical and moral position of not bowing to the dictates of the American or any leviathan.
This call for preserving national independence and resisting American hegemony has been well-advocated on these pages. For example, in our Letter Calling For “Reset US’s Latin American/Caribbean Policy,” we argued that Biden’s foreign policy must recognize the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace, thus underscoring regional sovereignty “based on equity, grounded in ethics, yet mindful that these countries are Not For Sale, and definitely In Nobody’s Backyard!”
Elsewhere, we bemoaned Caribbean leaders’ aversion to the fount of “calypso pedagogy, a bulwark against Yankee imperialism,” which could provide a “united front in defense of Caribbean sovereignty and self-determination.” Indeed by turning away from our indigenous scholars’ insights, we’ll end up stuck on “A Dangerous Road.”
From BDN Editors
The reality of American hegemony and dominance can never be ignored. Against this background, can we realistically expect transformation in American Latin American/Caribbean foreign policy? We may have to reinvent the wheel, perhaps by reconstructing our Caribbean Beingness on a basis that includes American instinct for dominance with our instinct for self-determination. What might that look like? Does Grenada point the way?
Nice exposition. Glad that the Zone of Peace concept is being invoked. Seems like a lot of us have forgotten this progressive regional mantra. It has been also echoed by Ms Mottley, the erudite lady of Bimshire. We cannot allow these people to selfishly ruin the future for us and for our children.