US pledges renewed Caribbean focus

Positioning the United States as a true “Caribbean nation”, US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau says Washington under the Trump administration is actively reorienting its foreign policy back to its immediate neighbourhood after years of relative neglect.

“For far too long, we have been looking at things that are happening halfway across the world, and we have been ignoring things that are happening right in our own neighbourhood,” Landau told a gathering of Caribbean leaders at a US-Caribbean Dialogue last Thursday.

“We are restoring the Western Hemisphere to its position of pre-eminence and priority in American foreign policy,” he said.

His statement preceded the announcement of a US$340-million investment package in the region for economic growth, security, digital connectivity, and healthcare.

Landau said the relationships between the United States and the Caribbean have been crucial throughout history, noting that the gathering is not a blank slate being written on.

“And frankly, it has been a source of pain for many of us as Americans to see the United States not giving the Western Hemisphere, generally, the attention it deserved, and specifically, the Caribbean,” he said.

Landau noted that he and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio believe that what is in the region’s interest is also in the United States’ interests, mentioning that there are several areas where there should be deepening cooperation and where there are great solutions.

He said while short-term government grants are helpful, sustainable Caribbean growth relies primarily on long-term private-sector investment and business partnerships.

“But ultimately, the greatness of the United States is not driven by the government; it’s driven by our private sector. And so our job – or what I see our job as being – is just to be an interlocutor so that our private sector is aware of the opportunities in the Caribbean and that the Caribbean is aware of what the private sector might be interested in here,” he said, mentioning next year’s planned investment conference in the region.

At the same time, he expressed concerns about an “uptick” in recent years of drugs being smuggled through the Caribbean from South America towards the United States.

NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT

Landau warned that the US would no longer rely solely on legal extraditions to combat trafficking, officially framing the overdose epidemic in that country as a national security threat. He said the US would continue to take stronger, more direct action across the region.

“And we’d like to work with your countries to make sure that we’re all on the same page, at least in recognising the common danger of this and seeing how we can try to address this scourge together,” he said, announcing US$37 million for new programming in security.

Addressing the persistent flow of illegal guns fuelling violence in the region, Landau highlighted US state efforts to clamp down on gun trafficking originating in Florida, particularly shipments bound for Haiti.

He noted that the State Department is working closely with federal prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida to dismantle illicit smuggling networks.

Added to that, he said illegal fishing has been a priority of his and the State Department worldwide.

“If there are people fishing illegally in your waters, we want to work with you to address that because obviously, fish is an important resource for all of our peoples,” he said, announcing a US$55 million grant to strengthen law enforcement and US$11 million in Foreign Military Financing to build the capabilities of security forces of the countries in the region.

kimone.francis@gleanerjm.com