Trinidad and Tobago’s support for a new United States-led anti-cartel coalition may bring increased security cooperation, but it could also carry geopolitical implications for the country’s international partnerships, political scientist Bishnu Ragoonath says.
Speaking during a telephone interview yesterday, Ragoonath noted that the coalition, announced by US President Donald Trump, is intended to unite a select number of countries across the Western Hemisphere in a coordinated effort to combat drug-trafficking networks and organised criminal cartels.
The initiative forms part of a wider strategy by Trump to intensify the fight against drug cartels operating across Latin America and the Caribbean through a new military partnership known as the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition.
Announcing the initiative, Trump said the coalition would bring together countries willing to coordinate military and maritime operations to disrupt drug-trafficking networks.
“On this historic day, we come together to announce a brand-new military coalition to eradicate the criminal cartels plaguing our region,” Trump said while unveiling the initiative. “We’re calling this military partnership the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition.”
Ragoonath said the coalition could strengthen security cooperation, particularly for smaller states like Trinidad and Tobago that often lack the resources to monitor their borders and territorial waters.
He explained that participation could allow Trinidad and Tobago to access additional security assets and intelligence-sharing arrangements from larger partner nations.
“What I gather is that this coalition would mean that you get assets that will not be limited, for instance, to assets from the US, but you may also get assets from other countries,” Ragoonath said.
However, he cautioned that aligning closely with Washington could present challenges for the country’s broader international relationships.
Geopolitical tensions between the United States and China, he said, could complicate investment and energy agreements with Chinese companies.
Ragoonath also highlighted the uncertainty surrounding the US mid-term elections. He said if Trump were to become a lame-duck president without support from both houses of Congress, the coalition’s effectiveness and international partnerships could be affected.
“While it’s positive that the coalition involves multiple countries beyond the US, it still leaves open the question of how the rest of the world will engage with it,” he noted.
Also weighing in via telephone interview, international relations expert Anthony Gonzales said the coalition could result in a stronger US naval presence in Caribbean waters, including operations alongside Trinidad and Tobago’s security forces.
“Trump has started a new military advance with these countries in order to make a new attack on drug trafficking and the drug cartels,” Gonzales explained, noting that the strategy mirrors previous operations in Ecuador, where US forces worked alongside local authorities to combat organised criminal networks.
Gonzales said the coalition could involve closer coordination between US naval forces and regional security agencies, particularly in intercepting vessels suspected of transporting narcotics from Colombia, Venezuela and Mexico, while also carrying wider geopolitical implications for the Caribbean.
“They don’t want the Chinese getting involved in ports in the Caribbean here,” he said, highlighting Washington’s intent to limit Chinese strategic access to regional infrastructure.
Highlighting broader strategic implications, Gonzales said the initiative also signals Washington’s intent to limit Chinese influence in the Caribbean.
“The Americans are keen to reduce Chinese access to ports and critical resources. Projects in La Brea and Point Fortin may have been affected due to US pressure,” he said.
Gonzales compared the potential US presence to historical precedents.
“During the Second World War, the US stationed troops here, which had serious implications. Today, a similar decision—allowing US naval vessels to operate from our waters—could expand our capacity to fight drug traffickers but also raise questions about sovereignty and foreign influence,” he said.