00:00M.W.A. Henry notes the introduction of new tariffs by the Trump administration, some of which impact developing countries.
00:09He notes that President Trump is threatening an additional 10% tariff on nations aligning with the BRICS bloc.
00:16Today on the Morning Edition, the international relations expert expressed hope that Trinidad and Tobago's leadership will take a page out of India's playbook,
00:27especially following the recent visit by the Indian Prime Minister, who established new bilateral ties with this country.
00:35And we have to challenge this romantic view of foreign policy because it is not black and white when it comes to foreign relations.
00:45Number one, India has a close relationship with Russia and also has a close relationship with the U.S.
00:51So that's a learning for us. We should not polarize our neighbors, but we must engage our diplomacy from the point of a pragmatic approach.
01:02Henry advises that preserving a stance of strategic non-alignment would best serve the country's long-term diplomatic and economic interests.
01:11Our region, the Caribbean region, is geographically in a rock and a hard place, geographically positioned.
01:20And secondly, we should not choose sides. A non-aligned position is not a difference between, you know, what I would call,
01:30we need to understand the difference between alignment beating allegiance. And we should not be taking the position of allegiance.
01:38Henry emphasises that CARICOM integration and regional stability are goals to which member states must remain fully committed.
01:48In responding to questions about the region's economic and commercial outlook, he noted that integration is a gradual process,
01:56but one that has proven successful in the past.
02:00He draws parallels with other regional blocs, including the United States, European Union and Canada,
02:07suggesting that while CARICOM's path may be slower, its foundation and intent remains vital to the region's collective resilience and growth.
02:18In all of these examples, there is a legal framework that keeps these integration projects together.
02:25And that's where CARICOM needs to continue along its process.
02:30The CSME provides an opportunity for a deepening legal framework, a legal framework for us to be able to trade,
02:39a legal framework for us to deal with differences, a legal framework for us to be able to deal culturally, people to people.
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