Why T&T Must Rebuild Security Ties with the US.
Trinidad and Tobago cannot afford to pretend it can handle today’s cross-border criminal threat on its own. With wide stretches of coastline and borders that are effectively open to anyone determined enough, she sits exposed to transnational gangs and trafficking networks that operate with the discipline, funding, and firepower of a modern fighting force. These groups don’t just “pass through” the region; they embed themselves, forge partnerships, and build supply lines across the hemisphere, including inside our own communities.
Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali has warned, too, that these criminal organizations can overwhelm state institutions, erode democracy, twist the rule of law, and degrade human dignity and development. That is not rhetorical overreach. It is a realistic description of what happens when criminal networks become stronger than the agencies meant to restrain them.
Our own record should end any debate about whether this danger is theoretical. Over the last quarter-century, Trinidad and Tobago has endured more than 10,000 murders. And just last year, more than 40% of the 623 killings were linked to gangs, with narcotics and illegal firearms acting as the fuel. We don’t need to imagine what destabilization looks like; we’re living with the early stages of it.
Kamla Persad-Bissessar has made the point internationally that without decisive, forceful action, drug cartels will continue to expand their destructive reach. It’s in that context that she has defended Trinidad and Tobago’s support for international security cooperation involving the United States and partner countries in South America to disrupt trafficking in the hemisphere.
That cooperation matters, and it has not always been handled wisely. Under Dr. Keith Rowley, the relationship took a hit, not because disagreements are forbidden in diplomacy but because political theatre replaced measured statecraft. People still remember the parliamentary outburst about “taking umbrage” at a US ambassador’s criticism, accompanied by jeers from government MPs. That kind of rally-style bravado might excite a partisan crowd, but it does nothing to strengthen a country facing an escalating security threat.
Under Persad-Bissessar, relations appear to be stabilizing and expanding on foundations that already exist. Trinidad and Tobago has long had a shiprider agreement with the United States (dating back to 1998 under Basdeo Panday), and the Status of Forces Agreement signed in 2013 during Persad-Bissessar’s first term has remained in place since. These aren’t symbolic gestures; they’re practical tools that support joint operations, training, and intelligence coordination in a region where the traffickers are fast, flexible, and well-armed.
None of this means Trinidad and Tobago should neglect its other bilateral, multilateral, and regional ties. But it would be reckless not to acknowledge that the US relationship is uniquely consequential. The United States is the world’s dominant power, our largest trading partner, a major source of investment, and, crucially, part of the same hemispheric space where these criminal networks operate. Geography is not optional.
The kind of violence seen elsewhere could happen here. In truth, there are already signs that it can. When Donald Trump recently spoke about “rough communities” and warned of transnational gangs taking control of parts of the Western Hemisphere, he framed US support as targeting those that rule through murder, extortion, trafficking, bribery, and terror. Whatever one thinks of Trump’s style, the underlying issue is real: these organizations are not petty criminals; they are power structures.
Recent remarks from US officials suggest a renewed push toward closer cooperation. Secretary of State Marco Rubio referred to a “close partnership” and expressed interest in continued collaboration on regional security, economic growth, and stability. Persad-Bissessar, for her part, described those statements as reaffirming longstanding ties grounded in shared democratic values and a mutual commitment to peace and security.
At bottom, the argument is simple. These criminal organizations represent an intolerable national security threat. They spread like a disease, eating away at institutions, normalizing violence, and turning neighbourhoods into battlegrounds. Trinidad and Tobago should treat them exactly as the danger they are, and it should deepen the alliances that give it a fighting chance of stopping them before they become unstoppable.
Sarge
Some excerpts from a few publications.