Political analyst Dr. Winford James weighs in on the impending arrival of U.S. warships in the Caribbean sea, the response from the government and the alarm being raised by the opposition PNM.....
00:00Political analyst Dr. James says the US government under President Donald Trump is now projecting
00:07its power. He says it has clearly invoked the Monroe Doctrine in that they believe they
00:13don't have to ask questions. They don't even have to inform they can take control even
00:18of the Caribbean Sea and now they're amassing military personnel in Venezuela's direction.
00:24They have determined that Venezuela is a threat and it's a threat because the state is engaging
00:33in narco trafficking. That's what they say. They have never really given the evidence
00:42of that. So they think that they can come into the Caribbean and threaten and bully the countries
00:53that are based in the Caribbean and so on. So I hope it doesn't go beyond that.
01:01Foreign Affairs Minister Sean Sobers has stated that the United States is a sovereign country
01:06and where it chooses to position its warships is not the business of Trinidad and Tobago.
01:12He added that this country will not be drawn into the ongoing dispute between Venezuela and
01:19the US. A statement that has drawn heavy criticism from the opposition PNM. Today Dr. Winford James
01:28tells TV6 the stance is a cautious one but not necessarily wrong.
01:33When you hear him say that they don't want to get involved there's a lot of wisdom in that
01:38but there's also fear. Mr. Sobers is fearful that Venezuela perhaps an American can take action
01:51that will cause the relations, the bad relations between the two countries to escalate because
02:00Trinidad and Tobago has no power to turn around America from its purpose. The same thing goes
02:11for PNM. PNM can make noise with their mouths and so on and they're out of government and they're
02:20hopeful to get back if not at term. Dr. James notes that while the PNM is voicing strong disapproval
02:28of the actions taken by the US president and what it sees as the government's inaction its stance carries
02:35little weight. He says the PNM can make noise with their mouths but being out of government their views
02:42have very little impact on Washington. Still Dr. James stresses that the region must stand united in the face of unfolding events.
02:52The PNM's perspective means little if anything at all to the Americans. The question though is how do we as peoples of the Caribbean and peoples of Latin America, how can we form a front against the Americans, you know, a united front or a front of unity that would perhaps even call it a united front of unity.
03:19That would perhaps even cause the Americans to reconsider.
03:24He notes that maps are being redrawn and countries are realigning themselves due to trade tariffs. Still, he emphasizes that sovereignty must be respected and we cannot allow America to trample upon the sovereignty of Trinidad and Tobago.
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