Neutrality is T&T’s best defence in US-Venezuela standoff

As tensions rise once more between the United States and Venezuela, T&T finds itself at the edge of a storm. Geography, history and circumstance have placed this country in a position not of its own making.

Washington sharpens its rhetoric. Caracas defends its sovereignty. Energy diplomacy is wielded like a weapon. Soon, three US warships will be operating just off T&T’s shores. This is a stark reminder: this geopolitical rivalry is not distant—it is at our doorstep.

For small nations such as ours, the temptation may be strong to lean toward one side or the other. But in this moment, neutrality is not weakness—it is wisdom.

Venezuela is T&T’s closest neighbour, separated from our twin islands by only seven miles of water. Families, commerce, and history bind the two together.

The United States is T&T’s largest trading partner. It is a critical source of investment, remittances, and also offers security partnerships. To tilt too far toward either power is to risk alienating the other. The consequences are ones this country might not be able to bear.

What T&T can and must do is assert the right of small states to live free of coercion. This nation’s foreign policy, rooted in the principles of non-alignment and respect for sovereignty, has served us well for decades. In the era of Dr Eric Williams, T&T was declared to be “friends of all, satellites of none.” That maxim is as urgent today as it was at Independence.

Neutrality, however, does not mean silence. T&T must speak clearly in favour of peace, diplomacy and regional dialogue. Caricom has an essential role to play in lowering the temperature, offering itself as an honest broker and reminding the great powers that the Caribbean will not be used as a chessboard for their rivalries.

If warlike rhetoric is allowed to fester, it is this region—not Washington or Caracas—that will feel the first shockwaves: disrupted trade, refugee flows, and increased insecurity at sea. The presence of US naval vessels so close to T&T’s borders underlines the urgency of a Caribbean-led call for de-escalation.

Energy interests complicate matters further. The Dragon Gas deal with Venezuela is a lifeline for T&T’s economy, offering an avenue for natural gas supplies critical to our future. However, this, or any other project, cannot be allowed to drag this country into the orbit of one power at the expense of another. The Dragon Gas agreement must be pursued within the framework of international law and with full transparency, ensuring that T&T is never accused of violating sanctions or abetting unlawful activity.

Neutrality, then, must be active. It demands vigilance, diplomacy and constant reaffirmation of principle. T&T must be the calm voice in a noisy room, the bridge between worlds, and the reminder that peace and respect for sovereignty are lifelines for small states.

To abandon neutrality now would be to endanger not only this country’s economy, but also its credibility as a principled actor in regional and global affairs. To hold firm is harder, but it is the only path that secures T&T’s present and protects our future.

In the escalating tensions between two giants in the Americas, this country’s best defence remains the strength of its neutrality.