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The US needs to respect the Caribbean zone of peace
Washington’s lawless behaviour towards countries in the region it considers its ‘back yard’ should be condemned by all law-abiding people, says LUKE DANIELS
Picket of the Trinidad High Commission to condemn Trinidad & Tobago’s support for the US aggression against Venezuela [Pic: Author supplied]
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THE massive build-up of US troops and armaments, including the world’s largest warship, is a dangerous development for the “zone of peace” declared decades ago by the Caribbean Community (Caricom).
Many suspect that the escalation hopes to effect regime change in Venezuela. There have been attempts on the life of Venezuela’s elected President, Nicolas Maduro. Donald Trump has offered a $50 million reward for information leading to his arrest, with delusional accusations of Maduro being “one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world.”
This is lawless cowboy territory and should be condemned by all law-abiding people.
US governments have long envied Venezuela’s oil reserves — the largest in the world — and have considered the Caribbean and Latin America as the US’s “back yard” since the Monroe Doctrine of 1823. We are nobody’s back yard.
Trump has already bullied Panama into submission, with the threat of war forcing it to withdraw from the Chinese Belt and Road initiative that has brought enormous benefits to many countries in the region through large-scale investment in infrastructure. With China seen as the biggest threat to US hegemony, we are being drawn into a global conflict.
Despite most Caribbean leaders’ opposition to any foreign military bases, Grenada is being pressured to allow US use of Maurice Bishop Airport to target Venezuela.
On October 17, Caribbean Labour Solidarity (CLS), with others, picketed the Grenada High Commission, calling on the government of Dickon Amiss Thomas Mitchell to resist US bullying. We also picketed the Trinidad & Tobago High Commission in London on October 29 to shame the government of PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who is the cheerleader for the US’s war on Venezuela, despite two Trinidadian fishermen having arbitrarily been murdered on the high seas by the US, in an attack claimed to be on “narco-traffickers.” To date, more than 52 have been killed in what could justifiably be seen as war crimes, with no evidence of wrongdoing being provided.
We call on the US to show respect for the zone of peace and respect for sovereignty in the region. Guyana is believed already to have US boots on the ground. Far from protecting Guyana, permitting this is to invite trouble for Guyanese citizens should the US attempt to invade Venezuela. We urge that the Yankees are sent home. Caribbean citizens need to resist this US aggression and make clear we want to protect our zone of peace. The Guyana government must understand that putting Guyanese citizens’ lives at risk will not be taken lightly.
Luke Daniels is president of Caribbean Labour Solidarity.
