President Donald Trump is making it known that he and the United States determine the fortunes and favours in the Caribbean and that island-state politicians are impotent and have no say.

President Trump is not deterred and has no time to hear calls to desist from blasting boats out of the water in the Caribbean Sea with impunity. He is not fettered by the rule of law, existing treaties and claims of sovereignty. 

If you are bringing drugs into the United States, your life is forfeit,…end of story. On Thursday, he said he “would kill all those deemed drug traffickers travelling across the Caribbean Sea”. Already, a number of Venezuelans have been killed, and many Caribbean fisherfolk are scared to take to sea for fear of meeting a grisly end.

Many Caribbean leaders, including sitting regional chairman Andrew Holness, have kept quiet because they don’t want to irk President Trump. They are literally “small fry” who are inconsequential here. The way Trump sees it, if you can’t deal with drug traffickers and gun runners, we will. If you can’t solve your crime problem and it affects the United States, Uncle Sam will put things in order.

The Donald Trump administration is taking a no-nonsense approach to immigration and imported crime and is ensuring that such activity from its neighbours will not be tolerated.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the United States’ position clear and put the Caribbean on notice.

“The president is waging war on narco-terrorist organisations. It is well known that there is an ongoing narco-terrorist operation the US is conducting. Let’s be clear, these are terrorists. As to details on the strikes, when we are prepared to announce these, we will.

“If people want to stop seeing drug boats destroyed, stop sending drug boats to the United States. These are people in international waters, heading to the United States with hostilities in mind, which includes flooding our country with deadly, dangerous drugs, and they are going to be stopped. Last week, we saw a submarine, a submerged vessel carrying drugs, not fish. We know who are on these boats, where they are coming from and what they are carrying. If you are running a drug boat, you are in grave danger.”

Caribbean people are crying to their governments, citing sovereignty, but these poor islands can do nothing against the power of the United States. They are small dogs who must get in line and comply. The alpha male is running things. They have no say. President Trump doesn’t have to justify military action in the Caribbean Sea. He pulled the trigger, and that’s it. Go write a letter. 

Last week, CARICOM issued a statement which read: “Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) met and discussed various issues on the regional agenda, including the increased security build-up in the Caribbean and the potential impacts on Member States. Save in respect of Trinidad and Tobago who reserved its position, heads agreed on the following:

“They reaffirmed the principle of maintaining the Caribbean region as a Zone of Peace and the importance of dialogue and engagement towards the peaceful resolution of disputes and conflict. CARICOM remains willing to assist towards that objective.

“CARICOM Heads of Government reiterated their continued commitment to fighting narcotrafficking and the illegal trade in small arms and light weapons, which adversely affect the region. They underscored that efforts to overcome these challenges should be through ongoing international cooperation and within international law.

“They reaffirmed unequivocal support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries in the region and the safety and livelihoods of the people of the region.”

CARICOM sees the region as a zone of peace and that its sovereignty should be respected. President Trump doesn’t share that view. For too long, Caribbean countries have been lax on drug and gun running and have not kept criminals in check. In many instances, the politicians have been complicit, as was discovered in St Thomas, Jamaica.

President Trump will not tolerate the cavalier approach to accountability when it comes to drugs from Caribbean governments. He is noting those who show sympathy for Venezuela. The military presence in the Caribbean will continue. President Trump has said that drugs coming in from the Caribbean have dramatically fallen since last year as a result of his actions.

Speaking to Our Today from North Carolina at Cherry Point, former Sergeant-Major Peter Halle, now a Republican fundraiser, said: “President Trump has made it clear that drug smuggling from the Caribbean will not be tolerated. It has gone on for far too long, and the governments have done very little to put a stop to it. If they can’t, Trump will, and there is nothing they can do about it.

[The sentiment is that] CARICOM is a waste of time. It is an ineffective organisation that has never accomplished anything. It is run by a bunch of academics chasing a paycheck who can’t get their act together. In fact, tomorrow, Trinidad and Tobago will be assisting the United States in its military operations in the Caribbean. You have a bunch of former Caribbean leaders talking about infringement and protecting the Caribbean, but when they were in power, they couldn’t and wouldn’t do anything of worth for their people, but now they are grandstanding.”

Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who is the current chairman of CARICOM, has not uttered a word about the United States blasting vessels out of the Caribbean Sea. He has not said this constitutes a violation of rights, and how it pertains to territorial waters. He has remained mute on the matter.

Former Jamaican prime ministers, PJ Patterson and Bruce Golding have joined with other former Caribbean heads of government including Kenny Anthony (St Lucia), Baldwin Spencer (Antigua), Edison James (Dominica) and Freudel Stuart (Barbados) to issue a statement on the matter which in part read: “ Our region has maintained that established international law and conventions, rather than war and military might should prevail in finding solutions to seemingly intractable problems.

“We urge adherence to this experience of our collective sovereignty to avoid endangering our citizens in any crossfire or suffering collateral damage and economic harm.

“During 52 years of its existence, leaders of our community have never wavered in their total commitment to the rule of law and reliance on the provisions of the UN Charter, which forbid ‘the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state’.

“The gravity of present signals demands that we use all existing channels for dialogue to perpetuate a Zone of Peace on the edifice of respect for our sovereignty, international conventions and the rule of law.”

Prime Minister of Trinidad & Tobago Kamla Persad-Bissessar is not with CARICOM on this issue and is firmly with the United States, fully supporting its approach on the matter. She is very happy with the US attack on the boats in the Caribbean and is not phased about the twenty people killed in six attacks.

“The slaughter of our people is fuelled by evil cartel traffickers. The harm and suffering the cartels have inflicted on our nation is immense. I have no sympathy for traffickers; the U.S. military should kill them all violently,” she said.

Her Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs issued a statement reiterating the country’s support for the United States and President Donald Trump.

“Trinidad & Tobago wishes to once more categorically express its strong support for the ongoing military intervention of the United States. These operations aimed at combating narco and human trafficking and other forms of transnational crime are ultimately aimed at allowing the region to be a true ‘Zone of Peace’, where all citizens can, in reality, live and work in a safe environment.

“We affirm that these operations are not meant to target law-abiding persons, specifically fisherfolk and other seafaring individuals seeking to earn an honest living. Alternatively, all persons who may seek to engage in or indirectly support any illegal activities in the region are warned that should they be so inclined, they do so at their own peril.

“The Government of Trinidad and Tobago reiterates its commitment to the people of the Caribbean for the creation of a safer, stronger and more prosperous region.”