Source: Guardian.co.tt- Former Jamaican ambassador Curtis A Ward has warned that Trinidad and Tobago is now firmly “in the crosshairs” and is likely to face serious fallout for what he describes as its unreserved support of United States military actions against Venezuela, while sharply criticising Caribbean leaders for what he called weakness and fear in the face of Washington.
In a strongly worded post published on Boxing Day yesterday, Ward accused the Government of Trinidad and Tobago of aligning itself with US efforts aimed at regime change in Venezuela, arguing that this decision has placed the country’s people, infrastructure and economy at grave risk.
“Persad-Bissessar has placed a military target on the backs of the country and the people,” Ward wrote, asserting that T&T now faces consequences far greater than any short-term benefits derived from closer ties with Washington.
“It is a scenario in which more Trinidadian and Tobagonian than American citizens could be killed.”
Ward, a former ambassador and deputy permanent representative of Jamaica to the United Nations, claimed that Trinidad and Tobago’s support for the US has elevated it from a traditional security partner to an active collaborator in a military strategy against Venezuela.
He warned that the installation of a US military radar system at the country’s international airport has transformed critical civilian infrastructure into a legitimate military target.
“The T&T government made the airport perimeter a military target,” Ward said. “It has put T&T’s international civilian airport, which is integral to the country’s economy, in jeopardy – a target on her back, T&T in the crosshairs.”
According to Ward, the radar system is not designed for civilian or maritime monitoring, as initially suggested, but is instead a war asset integrated into an anti-missile response network.
In the event of escalation, he said, neutralising that system would be a priority for the Venezuelan military.
“What Venezuela has to offer is of far greater importance than what T&T has to offer the United States in the long term,” Ward added, referring to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves and strategic location.
Beyond the risks to T&T, Ward also launched a critique of regional leadership, accusing Caribbean heads of government of remaining silent out of fear of US retaliation.
“There is not even a discernible whisper of opposition or criticism from most Caribbean leaders,” he wrote. “Some cower in fear of retaliation by the Trump administration.
They lack courage. They compromise the dignity and what is left of their countries’ sovereignty.”
Ward said the principle of non-interference was being used as a shield for inaction, while the region drifted closer to a broader military conflict that could destabilise the Caribbean basin.
While warning that the tipping point toward conflict may already have been crossed, Ward said Caribbean leaders still had a responsibility to speak out in favour of dialogue and peace.
“War is not the answer. War is not the only option. And war is not inevitable,” he said, urging both regional governments and citizens of T&T, at home and in the diaspora, to oppose military escalation.
Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar has publicly supported US strikes on vessels it said were involved in drug trafficking from Venezuela, saying she and “most of the country” were pleased that the US naval deployment was “having success in their mission.”
She had said the efforts were already having an impact on illegal activity in T&T.
