By: Omar Silva I Editor/Publisher

A National Perspective Belize Special Investigation

www.nationalperspectivebz.com

Belize City: Saturday 22nd November 2025

FEATURE ARTICLE

INTRODUCTION

For decades, CARICOM was sold to the Caribbean people as a shield: a bloc of small nations, united by the principle of sovereignty, democracy, and peace — a region that declared itself a “Zone of Peace” in defiance of Cold War militarisation.

But by late 2025, the façade of unity is cracking. What began as diplomatic discomfort over the United States’ escalating military operations in the southern Caribbean has now morphed into open warfare between Prime Ministers themselves.

And it is Trinidad and Tobago’s bold departure from the regional position that has detonated the crisis.

This is the story Belizeans have not been told — what is really happening inside CARICOM, who is breaking ranks, and how close the bloc actually is to internal collapse.

1. THE FIRST CRACK: CARICOM’S “ZONE OF PEACE” DECLARATION (18 OCTOBER 2025)

In mid-October, CARICOM issued a carefully-worded statement expressing concern about the increasing U.S. military presence in the Caribbean — naval deployments, targeted boat strikes, and intelligence manoeuvring that risked inflaming the already volatile U.S.–Venezuela–Guyana triangle.

CARICOM reaffirmed:

Commitment to a “Zone of Peace”

The importance of peaceful dialogue

Concern over “heightened security tensions”

The need to protect regional stability

The language was diplomatic — but unmistakably pointed at the Americans.

Then came the bombshell:

Trinidad and Tobago “reserved its position.”

Meaning: we do not support this statement.

Meaning: we are siding with Washington.

It was the first open break in regional cohesion.

2. TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO GOES ALL-IN WITH WASHINGTON (19 OCTOBER 2025)

The very next day, Trinidad & Tobago's Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs issued a statement that stunned regional observers.

T&T declared that it “strongly supports the ongoing U.S. intervention” in regional security, and that the American naval presence was necessary to counter transnational crime.

This was not neutrality.

This was alignment.

Within 24 hours, CARICOM’s united public façade collapsed.

Other CARICOM nations — including Antigua, St Lucia, Dominica, Grenada, and others — were blindsided. Privately, diplomats called T&T’s move “a breach of regional discipline”, but none went on record.

3. THE BACKLASH: FORMER CARICOM LEADERS SPEAK OUT

Within days, a group of former CARICOM prime ministers and presidents — eleven in total — released a statement condemning the militarisation of the Caribbean.

They warned:

U.S. naval operations threaten the economy, tourism and peace

The Caribbean must avoid becoming a pawn in great-power conflict

Governments hosting U.S. military activity risk destabilising their neighbours

CARICOM must defend the Zone of Peace doctrine

Trinidad & Tobago’s stance is “unprecedented and dangerous”

This was extraordinary.

Former heads of government almost never collectively rebuke a sitting CARICOM government.

Yet here they were — warning that one member state was undermining the entire region’s sovereignty.

4. VENEZUELA AND REGIONAL ACTIVISTS JOIN THE CRITICISM

Venezuela condemned what it called a “US-T&T military provocation”, accusing Trinidad of facilitating U.S. attempts to build a naval corridor near Venezuelan waters.

Trinidadian activists echoed this, describing their own government’s behavior as:

“Submissive”

“Complicit in U.S. escalation”

“A betrayal of the Zone of Peace”

The region was dividing into two camps:

The CARICOM Sovereignty Bloc

St Vincent

Antigua

Grenada

Dominican Republic observers

Former leaders

Regional peace groups

The U.S. Security Alignment Bloc

Trinidad and Tobago

Quiet sympathy from Jamaica and Haiti in certain areas

U.S. diplomatic approval

5. THE STRATEGIC PRESSURES UNDERNEATH THE CONFLICT

Why is Trinidad and Tobago breaking from CARICOM’s unified doctrine?

Three reasons:

A. Energy and Economic Survival

T&T needs Washington’s support to deal with:

its declining natural gas output

its stalled energy sector

its negotiations with Venezuela over shared gas fields (now suspended)

B. Crime and Domestic Politics

Kamla Persad-Bissessar is aggressively framing the crisis as a war on traffickers, saying criminals should be met with “violent force.”

Her political survival depends on looking strong.

C. U.S. Strategic Opportunity

With rising tensions in Venezuela, the U.S. sees Trinidad as:

the safest landing point

a cooperative naval staging area

the only Caribbean government willing to break regional tradition

Washington couldn’t have asked for a better foothold.

6. RALPH GONSALVES STRIKES BACK: “EXTERNAL MEDDLING IN OUR ELECTIONS”

On November 27, St Vincent and the Grenadines heads to elections.

And Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves drops a political earthquake:

He accuses financiers linked to Trinidad's ruling UNC of entering his country to support the Opposition.

He asserts:

UNC operatives are physically on the ground

They are bankrolling anti-Gonsalves forces

They are driven by “economic greed and desperation”

Trinidad has become a channel for foreign political interference

This is not a minor accusation.

This is a CARICOM Prime Minister accusing another CARICOM member of interfering in his democracy.

7. KAMLA FIRES BACK — AND ESCALATES THE WAR

Kamla Persad-Bissessar denies everything, calling the allegations:

“Misleading”

“Unfounded”

“A distraction”

She attacks Gonsalves by pointing to:

a corruption investigation involving his family

three luxury apartments they acquired in Trinidad

his alleged hypocrisy in lecturing others about greed

The gloves come off.

Caribbean diplomacy becomes street combat.

8. THEN SHE SAYS THE WORDS THAT WILL DEFINE THIS ERA

Kamla Persad-Bissessar publicly declares:

“It is only a matter of time before CARICOM implodes.”

Not “fractures.”

Not “weakens.”

But implodes — collapses inward under its own contradictions.

She blames:

“Leaders interfering in each other’s elections”

“Cavorting around the region for political gain”

“Disrespecting sovereignty”

But she does not address the deeper issue — that Trinidad is the one breaking the Zone of Peace principle and aligning with U.S. military power.

. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR BELIZE?

Belizeans are rarely told the truth about CARICOM’s internal fractures.

But here are the realities:

1. CARICOM is no longer united on foreign policy.

Belize is now part of a bloc where:

some countries align with U.S. military power

others cling to traditional sovereignty and peace principles

some remain silent to avoid economic retaliation

2. Election interference is now a regional accusation, not just a national one.

This has implications for Belize’s own democratic vulnerabilities.

3. The Zone of Peace doctrine — key to our safety — is being quietly undermined.

If CARICOM fractures, Belize will have no collective diplomatic shield.

4. Regional solidarity is being replaced by geopolitical opportunism.

This threatens:

our trade relations

our energy future

our diplomatic security

our position in the Guatemalan dispute

our role in SICA and CELAC

5. Countries are beginning to look out for themselves — not for each other.

The dream of unified Caribbean destiny is fading.

CONCLUSION: A REGION IN UNCERTAIN WATERS

The Belizean public deserves to understand that the Caribbean is entering a new era — one shaped not by unity, but by fragmentation.

The CARICOM family is:

split on US militarisation

divided over Venezuela

fractured by political interference accusations

pressured by energy politics

weakened by leadership egos

And for the first time in its history, a sitting Caribbean Prime Minister has publicly predicted its collapse.

Whether CARICOM survives the next five years will depend on whether its leaders confront this reality, or continue pretending the house is not already on fire.