Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - Hier 07:42

Caribbean must be respected as zone of peace

CIKIAH THOMAS THE CARIBBEAN has long declared itself a zone of peace – a region committed to sovereignty, non-interference, mutual respect, and peaceful coexistence among all nations. This principle, endorsed by the Caribbean Community (Caricom) and supported by the United Nations, affirms our collective right to live free from external aggression, military intimidation, and economic coercion. Yet today, this commitment to peace is under threat from the unlawful military actions of the Donald Trump administration in Caribbean waters, which have led to the tragic murders of innocent civilians in boats in the Caribbean Sea. Unfortunately, these actions are not isolated or accidental. They reflect a long and troubling pattern in US foreign policy – one built on the falsification and fabrication of facts to justify military aggression. The use of unverified intelligence, propaganda, and false claims to rationalise intervention has become a hallmark of US imperial power projection. From Vietnam to Iraq and Cuba and now towards Venezuela, Washington has repeatedly manipulated facts and manufactured consent to wage wars that serve its own geopolitical and economic interests. The Caribbean must not be drawn into this destructive pattern of imperialist manipulation to effect regime change in Venezuela and control its oilfields. Our nations, small but sovereign, have fought too hard to achieve independence, only to see our territorial integrity undermined by foreign military power. The Caribbean Sea is not a theatre for war or domination; it is a shared space of culture, commerce, and co-operation – a vital lifeline for our peoples and economies. The Trump administration’s military incursions into Caribbean waters, carried out under the pretext of “security operations,” represent a clear violation of international law and of the region’s sovereign rights. They also reveal a dangerous disregard for human life, as innocent fishers and civilians become victims of an agenda rooted in oil politics and imperial ambition. Such behaviour revives the old colonial mindset that once subjugated our region – a mindset that treats Caribbean and Latin American nations not as sovereign nations, but as pawns to be used in imperial geopolitical manipulation rooted in the Monroe Doctrine. The latter is unacceptable. Caricom nations together with regional civil society must speak with one voice in defence of the Caribbean’s status as a zone of peace. This principle is not symbolic; it is a moral and legal commitment grounded in the desire of Caribbean peoples to live free from fear, militarisation, and foreign manipulation. As such, to ensure that the Caribbean as a zone of peace be a reality and not simply a populist phrase, it is required that Caricom leaders mobilise their populations to be in the streets and capitals of their nations, demanding that Trump and his imperialist gangsters respect our rights as sovereign peoples to live and work in peace. The continued presence and aggression of US forces in Caribbean waters directly undermine this commitment and threaten regional peace and the stability that it sustains. It is time for the region’s leaders to act with unity and courage to send Trump and his band of gangsters the common message of our inviolable principle that the Caribbean is and must remain a zone of peace for our peaceful development and existence as a people. We firmly believe that Caricom must call for a full international investigation into any US military operations that have resulted in loss of life or violation of our territorial waters. We further believe that the US government must be held accountable under international law, and the world must be reminded that peace in the Caribbean is not negotiable. The Global African Congress (GAC) stands firmly with all nations of the Caribbean and Latin America in opposing any form of military aggression, coercion, or subversion. The Caribbean’s voice must be clear and unwavering: our region’s peace and sovereignty are not for sale, and our seas must remain free from the ambitions of the US empire. History teaches us that silence in the face of injustice breeds impunity. The Caribbean – a region forged through resistance to slavery, colonialism and imperialist exploitation – must once again stand tall in defence of its freedom and sovereignty. Our ancestors fought for a future where our nations could govern themselves in peace and dignity. We owe it to them, and to our future generations, to protect that legacy. Our message to Washington is simple and resolute: the Caribbean Sea is a zone of peace, not a zone of war. Our nations are sovereign, not subjects. And our people are not to be used as collateral damage. Against all the above, we in the GAC wish to remind the imperialist warriors in Washington that the geopolitical balance of forces are not what they used to be in the 1960s or even in the 1990s. We now have options to assert our sovereignty, development, and our region as a zone of peace, as the global presence of other powers in our atmosphere indicates. Cikiah Thomas is the Ambassador General of the Global African Congress Cikiah.t@sympatico.ca The post Caribbean must be respected as zone of peace appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.