US pressing reset on CARICOM relations

Washington is seeking to repair its soured relations with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) following the regional divisions that ensued after the Trump administration handpicked four member states for an exclusive meeting in March 2019, sparking criticism from sidelined heads of government.

In a Gleaner interview Friday, Mark Wells, US deputy assistant secretary for Caribbean affairs and Haiti, said the Biden administration is renewing its engagement with the regional bloc following several “high-level” meetings.

“There will be more,” he said, adding that the US has had strategic dialogue with Jamaica, which began under the Trump administration, and is looking to have more with other member states.

The US has often described Caribbean countries as vital partners on security, trade, democracy, and hemispheric issues.

Wells said that the US placed a premium on collaboration between the North American country and the region.

“When things are strategic, we’ve recognised that our societies and our nation-states need to have cooperation along a certain agenda. We’ll have a very broad discussion, hopefully, in the coming weeks or months,” the diplomat underscored.

At the same time, he disclosed that Jamaica can expect “high-level visitors on a broader scale” from the Biden administration but did not go into specifics, including timelines.

Jamaica, St Lucia, Haiti, and The Bahamas drew the ire of Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and St Vincent and the Grenadines when they broke ranks and accepted the invitation of contentious then US President Donald Trump to meet at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Miami.

The Dominican Republic was also part of that meeting, which involved discussions on Venezuela’s future after the US and dozens of other countries recognised an interim government there, led by Juan Guaido, declaring the 2018 re-election of socialist President Nicolas Maduro fraudulent.

CARICOM leaders had taken a position of non-interference and non-intervention in the internal affairs of the South American country.

Things escalated in January 2020 when Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley accused the Trump administration of seeking to divide CARICOM when only some regional leaders were invited to a meeting with the then United States Secretary of State Michael Pompeo in Kingston.

“We don’t look to pick fights. I don’t look to pick fights, but I am conscious that if this country does not stand for something, then it will fall for anything. As chairman of CARICOM, it is impossible for me to agree that my foreign minister should attend a meeting with anyone to which members of CARICOM are not invited. If some are invited and not all, then it is an attempt to divide this region,” Mottley said then.

The US is looking to revitalise its subregional initiatives such as the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, which covers programmes that support efforts to reduce illicit trafficking, increase citizen security, and promote crime prevention in the region.

Wells said that this initiative enjoys bipartisan support in the US Congress and has helped Jamaica and other Caribbean countries facing a broad range of security issues.

“We’re also looking at how we can help on climate change as well as building resilience in these countries not only on their energy matrices but also in their critical infrastructure to build resilience especially during the hurricane season,” he said.