Part I
MELISSA DOUGHTY
Tariffs, annexation, independence and sovereignty have all become buzzwords around US president Donald Trump’s administration. The impacts of his foreign policies are being felt globally and regionally. What do these decisions mean for people of the region and how best could they be addressed?
Newsday took an in-depth look at some of these issues particularly in the context of most Caribbean countries being former colonies. This two-part series shares the voices and ideas of academics, a former minister and the chair of the Emancipation Support Committee of TT.
US President Donald Trump’s recent statements of annexing Greenland, reclaiming the Panama Canal and referencing Canada as the US’s 51st state raised questions of sovereignty and independence once again.
Regionally, some questioned what this could mean for former European colonies.
University of the West Indies (UWI) historian Dr Jerome Teelucksingh and economist and former minister of foreign affairs Winston Dookeran spoke to the issue and how the region and Trinidad and Tobago should best respond.
When Teelucksingh heard of Trump’s intentions for Greenland and the Panama Canal it reminded him of the 1823 Monroe Doctrine.
Former US president James Monroe articulated its four basic points: the US would not interfere in Europe’s internal affairs or wars; the US recognised and would not interfere with existing colonies and dependencies in the western hemisphere; the hemisphere was closed to future colonisation and any attempt by a European power to oppress or control any nation in the western hemisphere would be viewed as an act of aggression against the US.
In a recent phone interview, Teelucksingh said Trump's statements were a “backward step” in US foreign policy.
But this was not the only regressive step Teelucksingh noticed.
[caption id="attachment_1148318" align="alignnone" width="695"] Dr Jerome Teelucksingh -[/caption]
The tense political situation existing between Venezuela and the US also reminded him of another piece of 20th century US foreign policy: dollar diplomacy.
It was the brainchild of US president William Howard Taft and his secretary of state Philander C Knox, “to ensure the financial stability of a region while protecting and extending US commercial and financial interests there,” Britannica.com said.
Answers to how the region should address this starts with Caricom, Teelucksingh said.
“We need to ensure all Caribbean governments, in a collective way, deal with this and I think this is very relevant. It has to be dealt with this year and cannot be delayed to 2026 or 2027.
“We have to examine what would be the impact on taxes for us and the higher cost of goods, Caribbean security.”
In 2024, TT allocated $6.9 billion to national security but much of that was spent on internal defence and crime suppression as opposed to a focus on external threats.
TT’s crime problem made it “ripe” for invasion and sent a bad international message, Teelucksingh said.
He added that the US was h
