Peta-Gay Ferguson | Standing together or standing alone

The Caribbean is once again being reminded that in the eyes of powerful nations, our sovereignty is tolerated only when it is convenient. The recent posture of the United States towards Caribbean engagement with Cuba is not diplomacy in its purest form.

It reflects the modern expression of an old imperial instinct — the belief that small nations must ultimately defer to the authority and interests of larger ones. This is not partnership. It is pressure. And the Caribbean must recognise it for exactly what it is.

For decades, the United States has positioned itself as a global defender of democracy and freedom, yet its relationship with this region has too often been shaped by control, intimidation, and consequences for independent decision-making. When Caribbean nations pursue policies grounded in humanitarian concern and regional solidarity, those decisions are treated not as sovereign choices but as acts requiring scrutiny and correction. This reflects a deeper logic — one in which compliance is rewarded and independence is disciplined.

Nowhere is this contradiction more evident than in the global narrative surrounding Cuba. The hardship facing the Cuban people is frequently attributed to communism or internal economic mismanagement as though their suffering exists in isolation from external forces. This framing is not only incomplete, it is deeply misleading. For more than six decades, Cuba has been subjected to one of the most comprehensive and sustained economic blockades in modern history. The United States has deliberately restricted Cuba’s access to international trade, financial systems, credit markets, and essential imports, effectively cutting the country off from the economic lifelines that most nations depend on to function and grow.

ECONOMIC STRANGULATION

No economy, regardless of its internal structure, can operate normally under conditions of sustained economic strangulation. The blockade has defined Cuba’s economic trajectory. Shortages of food, medicine, fuel, and critical infrastructure are not simply the result of domestic policy choices. They are the predictable outcome of a systematic effort to isolate and weaken a nation economically. To ignore this reality while blaming Cuba entirely for its circumstances is to obscure the role of external power in producing internal hardship.

Yet, despite its own constraints, Cuba has consistently demonstrated a level of regional solidarity that stands in stark contrast to the hostility it has endured. Cuba sent doctors to Caribbean communities when our healthcare systems were under strain. Cuban medical brigades served the poor, the rural, and the marginalised, strengthening public health across the region. Cuban teachers contributed to literacy programmes that expanded opportunity and human development. These were not symbolic gestures. They were tangible contributions that improved and saved lives.

Similarly, Venezuela’s PetroCaribe initiative provided critical economic breathing room for Caribbean countries facing rising energy costs and fiscal pressure. Through PetroCaribe, nations like Jamaica were able to redirect resources towards infrastructure, education, and development rather than exhausting their budgets simply to keep the lights on. This arrangement was not structured as a mechanism of control but as an instrument of cooperation designed to strengthen regional resilience.

UNCOMFORTABLE QUESTION

These raise an uncomfortable but necessary question. Where was this same spirit of partnership from the international financial institutions that claim to support Caribbean development? For decades, Caribbean nations have engaged with the International Monetary Fund and other global financial institutions in pursuit of economic stability. Yet these agreements often came with austerity measures that weakened public services, suppressed wages, and constrained long-term development. Rather than liberating our economies, these programmes frequently entrenched dependence, prioritising debt repayment over human well-being and limiting our ability to chart independent economic paths. This was not economic freedom. It was economic management imposed from afar.

Against this backdrop, the expectation that Caribbean nations should distance themselves from Cuba is not a neutral diplomatic request. It is part of a broader pattern in which external powers seek to influence the relationships and decisions of sovereign states. The message is clear: alignment is encouraged, but independence carries consequences.

This moment demands clarity because the implications extend far beyond Cuba itself. The Caribbean has a long history defined not by submission but by resistance. From the Haitian Revolution to Jamaica’s independence movement, this region has repeatedly challenged the assumption that small nations must accept external domination. That legacy is not merely symbolic. It represents a continuing responsibility to defend the sovereignty that was so hard won.

A divided Caribbean will always be vulnerable to external pressure. Fragmentation makes it easier for powerful states to apply influence selectively, isolating countries and shaping their decisions. Unity, however, transforms that dynamic. A united region possesses greater negotiating power, greater economic resilience, and greater capacity to defend its collective interests.

If Caribbean nations fail to stand together now, we risk establishing a dangerous precedent in which our sovereignty exists only within limits defined by others. We risk allowing our foreign policy to be shaped not by principle but by fear. Over time, this erodes not only our independence but our dignity.

There is, however, the path of regionalism. It is the path of recognising that our strength has always come from solidarity with one another, not dependence on external approval. Strengthening CARICOM, deepening regional cooperation, and supporting each other in moments of difficulty are no longer optional aspirations. They are necessary strategies for survival and self-determination.

The Caribbean cannot afford to bow to pressure that undermines its sovereignty and unity. Our history demands more of us. Our future depends on it.

We must stand together.

Peta-Gay Ferguson is the general secretary of the People’s National Party Youth Organization. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com