A Shield or a Sword?

Geography remains a critical force shaping Trinidad and Tobago’s economic and political strategies. As the southernmost Caribbean island and the closest to Latin America, the country benefits from maintaining good relations with its Latin American neighbours, a market of about 670 million people, and the United States, the regional economic and military hegemon. This interest is reflected in its membership in the Organisation of American States (OAS) and the Inter-American Development Bank, as well as in its decision to host the 5th Summit of the Americas in 2009.

Attending yesterday’s “Shield of the Americas” summit was pragmatic and aligned with our country’s interests. Introduced as an initiative by the Trump administration, it aims to address regional threats, including drug trafficking and illegal immigration. Notably, the summit followed a meeting on drug trafficking enforcement, which was hosted by US Secretary of War (formerly Defence) Pete Hegseth at US Southern Command—a key agency responsible for contingency planning, security cooperation and military operations throughout Central and South America and the Caribbean.

The assembly of Latin American and Caribbean leaders was also notable for those uninvited: Mexico and Colombia—the countries responsible for 95% of the drugs entering the US. Furthermore, Brazil, arguably the most powerful and populous country in Latin America, was also not invited.

The apparent goal of this gathering of “like-minded conservatives” was to sign a proclamation calling for military force to “eradicate” drug cartels. Some attendees called this initiative a “Commitment to Countering Cartel Criminal Activity,” signalling a focus more on military partnership than on law enforcement. As the event took place amid the ongoing war in the Middle East, the Summit inevitably carried a military overtone. Illustrating this, Trump declared, “The only way to defeat these enemies is by unleashing the power of our militaries. We have to use our military. You have to use your military.” He also said, “Just as we formed a coalition to eradicate ISIS, we now need a coalition to eradicate the cartels.”

This is a new approach to counter drug trafficking. It reflects US military measures against suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific. These actions resulted in over 150 deaths. Human rights organisations, UN experts and regional governments have branded these operations as extrajudicial killings.

This initiative and proclamation come at a very sensitive time for Trinidad and Tobago. The TTPS seems unable to address violent crime or increase its detection rate in solving murders. A State of Emergency was declared on March 3, just weeks after the previous SoE ended on January 31, following security briefs which warned of credible intelligence indicating planned attacks on police officers, prison officers and members of the legal services. The cause of this upsurge in violence was not explained except to say that it was linked to organised criminal gangs. The presumption is that this upsurge was related to drugs.

The SoE gives the TTPS extra powers to arrest and detain. What is of great concern is that detection or conviction rates do not improve during or after an SoE. This makes an SoE a mere band-aid with no long-term benefit and only a temporary improvement in the country’s national security. What US support, if any, is obtained following the Summit, will be received to improve the efficacy of normal policing operations? The purpose of the Summit may have been noble, but it remains to be seen if its methods adhere to the law.