May 6, 2025
A select group of Caribbean leaders met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio today for what we hope would have been a meeting where commitments were made on several key fronts.
Primary of which for the region is the Trump tariff’s and whether or not Caribbean goods can get prime access to US markets and consumers for crawfish, seafood and various spices. That should have been primary job one.
The second issue should have been the concerns over the reduction on USAID for several projects around the region. Sure, the money was a slush fund, but that money also kept China at bay. If no US money, then we will have Chinese money. America can’t have their cake and eat it too.
The third issue should have been with regard to Haiti and how can the Trump administration help to put a stable government in Haiti. We know they may not care, but the Caribbean cares about Haiti. It is a problem for us the way Haiti is.
We know Rubio may want to talk about Cuban doctors and human rights, which is fine. I don’t think any sensible leader would get into a spat over a few Cuban health professionals.
But the other aforementioned issues are of particular interest.