00:00An immediate shake-up in the Caribbean, leaving regional stakeholders and onlookers wondering what's next.
00:07That's the reality, according to regional political analyst and director at the Caribbean Development Research Services, Peter Wickham.
00:15Admittedly, the move by the Donald Trump administration to launch an attack on the Venezuelan military
00:21and to capture the country's president, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife at 2 a.m. on January 3rd
00:27is something that came unexpectedly.
00:30I was actually quite surprised. I was surprised at the brazenness of it.
00:35It certainly went in a direction that I was not anticipating.
00:38My expectation was that there would have been a military standoff.
00:43And my hope was that Trump would have essentially called off the dogs eventually.
00:49But that hasn't gone that way.
00:51Wickham believes it is reminiscent of times past when the U.S. used its power to invade countries
00:56and remove targeted individuals.
00:59Discussions continue around the alleged breach of international law by the U.S.
01:04But Wickham says it now signals that it's a direction that President Trump is willing to go,
01:10spawning mounting concerns and regional instability.
01:14It makes it difficult in times of uncertainty to plan holidays, which are the lifeline for the rest of us
01:21in the region and in terms of planning business ventures, which would be the lifeline of people in Trinidad and Tobago.
01:30So your business sector, I'm sure the energy sector is perhaps very concerned.
01:34Because my question now is who exactly are you negotiating with and what does the future hold for major projects that are on the table now?
01:45And will Trump's actions stop with Venezuela?
01:49Wickham believes TNT ought not to take a nonchalant approach.
01:52What I am concerned about is that I'm hearing noises across the region now that there's an attempt now by the United States to implicate Caribbean leaders in this.
02:02And I see noises in the social media from Trinidad and Tobago where people are rejoicing and saying,
02:08well, you know, who next in the Caribbean, who in the Caribbean is next.
02:12I think that Trinidad and Tobago ought to be extremely careful because there is a level of comfort which they appear to have now.
02:21And, you know, that changes. It changes very, very quickly.
02:24He says today it might be Venezuela and tomorrow TNT, as he points to the unpredictability of President Trump.
02:31Wickham believes the response from CARICOM to what has transpired has been weak.
02:36But he has appreciation for the fact that the entity is straddled between 14 leaders with different viewpoints on the matter.
02:43However, he is waiting to see if CARICOM will speak clearly on the position relating to international law.
02:49TNT has denied involvement in the U.S. strikes on Saturday in Venezuela.
02:54But on the other hand, he notes that the country continues to support the U.S. in the fight against narco-trafficking.
03:00Wickham says all the while, President Trump himself pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez for narco-trafficking.
03:08What exactly is the United States' position on narco-trafficking?
03:12I see a strong inconsistency here.
03:14How will the military intervention in Venezuela impact TNT's carnival visitor arrivals and the petrochemical sector in the short to medium term?
03:24Wickham says the government is responsible for clearing the air on those matters.
03:29Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
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