By: Omar Silva – Editor/Publisher

National Perspective Belize – Digital 2026

www.nationalperspectivebz.com

Belize City: Tuesday 24thy February 2026

From 24–27 February 2026, leaders of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) convene in Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis for their 50th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government.

Fifty summits.

Half a century of regional aspiration.

The official theme reads:

“Beyond Words: Action Today for a Thriving, Sustainable CARICOM.”

But beyond the ceremonial language, this summit unfolds under a far more serious question:

Is the Caribbean negotiating partnership — or managing pressure?

And in that equation, one fact stands unmistakably visible:

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is present — prominently.

That is not coincidence.

Great powers do not dispatch their chief diplomat casually. His presence is deliberate. Strategic. Calculated.

The Caribbean must read that correctly.

A Milestone — With Optics That Matter

This 50th summit should, in principle, be about Caribbean self-definition — regional integration, economic resilience, climate security, food sovereignty, and the strengthening of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy.

Yet when the Secretary of State of the United States becomes one of the most visible figures at a milestone Caribbean gathering, the optics shift.

Washington is not merely attending.

It is signalling influence.

And in geopolitics, influence is rarely neutral.

Rubio’s presence elevates the summit — but it also brings the full gravity of U.S. policy priorities into a room designed to chart Caribbean direction.

That tension must be acknowledged.

The Strategic Reality

The United States remains:

• The region’s dominant trading partner
• The issuer of the global reserve currency
• The gatekeeper of correspondent banking access
• A central security actor in the hemisphere
• The architect of sanctions regimes affecting Latin America

CARICOM states, by contrast, are small, climate-vulnerable, import-dependent economies navigating fragile fiscal landscapes.

That imbalance does not automatically create injustice.

But it creates leverage.

And leverage defines negotiations.

Consultation or Compliance?

One of the quiet but defining issues surrounding Caribbean–U.S. relations is consultation.

When Washington makes major policy moves in the hemisphere — whether sanctions, migration shifts, security deployments, or enforcement expansions — are CARICOM states engaged beforehand?

Or are they briefed afterward?

For small states, exclusion from decision-making is not symbolic.

It has material consequences:

• Trade disruptions
• Fuel supply volatility
• Shipping insurance fluctuations
• Migration flows
• Diplomatic pressure

If partnership is genuine, consultation must be structured — not discretionary.

The Cuba Question — Still a Fault Line

The long-standing U.S. embargo on Cuba continues to ripple through the region.

Several CARICOM states rely on Cuban medical professionals to stabilize rural and underserved health systems. That cooperation is lawful under domestic and international frameworks.

When external pressure is perceived as discouraging or penalizing such arrangements, Caribbean governments interpret it as intrusion into sovereign public policy.

This is not ideological alignment.

It is structural necessity.

And structural necessity cannot be negotiated away lightly.

Venezuela and the Doctrine of Non-Intervention

CARICOM has historically upheld the principle of non-intervention regarding internal political matters in Venezuela and elsewhere in the hemisphere.

While member states differ in their assessments of Venezuela’s internal governance, the regional doctrine emphasizes peaceful resolution and multilateral dialogue.

When major powers take unilateral positions or actions in Latin America, Caribbean governments face a diplomatic dilemma:

Align — and risk domestic backlash.

Criticize — and risk bilateral strain.

Remain silent — and risk appearing irrelevant.

Unity is the only stabilizer in that equation.

Banking De-Risking: The Silent Economic Threat

Beyond headline geopolitics lies a quieter danger.

U.S.-driven compliance regimes have led to correspondent banking withdrawals across parts of the Caribbean.

Without correspondent banking access:

• Remittances slow
• Tourism payments stall
• Investment hesitates
• Small businesses suffer

This is not abstract.

It is existential.

If Washington seeks security cooperation, it must recognize that financial suffocation breeds instability far faster than diplomatic disagreement.

Climate Security — The Unanswered Priority

The Caribbean stands on the frontlines of climate change.

• Hurricanes intensify.
• Sea levels rise.
• Insurance premiums climb.
• Debt accumulates.

If the United States views the region as strategically important, then climate resilience must be treated not as charity — but as security investment.

Because economic fragility fuels migration.

And migration fuels the very enforcement debates Washington seeks to manage.

The Core Question at 50

The 50th CARICOM Summit is symbolic.

But symbolism without doctrine is ceremony.

The defining issue is not Rubio’s speech.

It is CARICOM’s posture.

Will the region articulate:

• A unified consultation framework?
• A collective stance on financial stability?
• A coordinated voice on sovereignty?
• A shared demand for equitable climate financing?

Or will bilateral accommodations quietly shape the outcome?

Fifteen small states negotiating separately are manageable.

A unified regional bloc negotiating collectively is consequential.

Superpowers respect cohesion.

They manage fragmentation.

The Moment Before the Turning Point

• Rubio’s presence is visible.
• Conspicuous.
• Strategically intentional.

The Caribbean must ensure that this summit remains Caribbean-led — not externally framed.

• This is not about hostility.
• It is about equilibrium.

The United States matters to the Caribbean.

But the Caribbean also matters to the United States — geographically, economically, strategically.

The question is whether that mutual importance will translate into structured respect.

At fifty, CARICOM must decide whether it remains a forum — or becomes a force.

Because in geopolitics, visibility without leverage is theatre.

And this summit must not become theatre.