War engulfing us?

From island to island, independent country or remaining colonial territory, the entire Caribbean continues to be threatened by a wave of violent crime and murder. It varies from country to country, but is still a salient feature of the region. There are those who try to attribute this unwanted situation to local political factors, but such is the situation that the causes are more deep-rooted than this.

In the circumstances, it is reassuring to hear the leader of one of the affected countries, Barbados, pledge that her country will not succumb to this violent wave. It is not that Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s government has solved the crime wave, but it indicates a healthy determination not to capitulate to the forces of evil. This is significant because there are no easy or ready-made solutions to the threats facing us all. In addition to the local crime element there are factors relating to illegal activities in the trade in guns and illegal drugs, worth billions of dollars. To add to this volatile situation, the Caribbean region is now threatened by possible military conflagration which has nothing to do with its peoples. Over the last month, tensions, built up by a long-standing territorial dispute between Guyana and Venezuela which originated from the colonial predations of Britain, now exacerbated by extraordinary finds of oil and gas in the disputed territory, have taken an ominous turn.

The USA, home of the multinationals which have signed agreements to develop the oilfields, and which already has a dispute with Venezuela on political grounds, has seized upon these differences and difficulties to ramp up the conflict in a dangerous direction. Declaring a “war on drugs”, accusing the Venezuelan political leadership of drug-dealing on a massive scale, the USA has dispatched significant military assets to the southern Caribbean. Worse, it has begun attacks on what it calls “drug boats” threatening to blow them all up and kill the opponents.

It does not take a rocket scientist to note how explosive the situation has become. In addition to the heavy military presence in the southern Caribbean, our neighbourhood, the USA has moved additional military forces into Puerto Rico and is urging Caribbean states to back a military invasion of Haiti. Clearly, we are in a military tinderbox. The role and actions not just of CARICOM, but of states adjacent to the disputing countries, are going to be important if this region, considered a “zone of peace”, is not to be engulfed in a military conflagration.

So far, the US military has boasted of intercepting and blowing up three boats without supplying proof of drug trading. But following the first, and knowing of the heavy military presence, it is baffling why drug dealers would choose such a situation to embark on further drug shipments.

Then there are other questions. For instance, this is not the first announced “war on drugs” by US administrations. How come though, this war is always waged outside? For a drug trade to be successful on such a massive scale, there must be importers as well as exporters, persons in the USA who import and distribute the drugs, so why is there not a commensurate campaign in the USA?

The dangers of the illegal drug trade are well known and all Caribbean countries, which suffer not only from such imports, but moreso the guns and violence associated with it, are opposed to such nefarious activity. Yet we do not wish to be scapegoats for wider adventures which have nothing to do with us. The last time this region suffered from a military invasion, a supposed Russian military base, and Cuban soldiers were given as the excuses. Both turned out to be dangerous hoaxes.

We must do our best to exhort Guyana and Venezuela not to take actions to present opportunities for military invasion and strongly insist on our peace and stability in the region.