COMMENTARY: Is  the  Caribbean  a  National  Security  Threat  for the  United  States?

By: Rebecca Theodore

March 28, 2025

In China’s potential for war against Taiwan, one  thing  is  certain.   The   Caribbean  is  a  potential  national  security  threat  for  the  United  States.

 Although the subject of   United States  Caribbean national security has always been a crucial component   on bilateral agendas, it is now  evident, that  authoritarian regimes like China are  crushing  democratic movements in the Caribbean.   China  is  now  rewriting  international  national security norms to advance their interests.

Within this light,  many  Caribbean  nations  are  set  to become  very  problematic in the  competition between authoritarianism and democracy, thus  absconding from the West.

While many Americans may not  regard  the  Caribbean  as  of much significance,  the  Caribbean  is  the  third  border  of  the  United  States.  The  Caribbean   plays a great strategic role  to the  well  being  of the  United States   through bonds of commerce, geography, and family.

In this context, China’s emergence as a  global  power in the  Caribbean is  one  of the  chief  fundamental factor  that  triggers a new  United  States  national  security  concern.  If   figures  of  the   Center   for Strategic and  International Studies (CSIS)   are  correct,   then  China’s  acceptance  into the  World  Trade  Organization not  only  increases  China’s bilateral  trade with  the  Caribbean eightfold; but the  US  must  now  seek to    interact positively with the Caribbean in the  provision of sustainable economic opportunities to provide  substitutes to the rapacious actions  of PRC-based companies there.  It is well  known that signature Chinese projects  in the  Caribbean   include the $4.2 billion Chinese-owned Baha Mar Resort,  and Hutchison Port Holdings  of the Freeport port complex  in the   Bahamas.  Also, reports from   generation.com,  UCLA’s foreign affairs  magazine states,  that Jamaica is the centerpiece of Chinese engagement in the  Caribbean, with  China  currently financing $2.1 billion worth of projects there, followed by investment in Suriname of $773 million   and  elsewhere.

The problem here is that, not only is China expanding its strategic foothold perilously close to U.S. shores, thus  disturbing  national  security  operations  with the  United  States, but Chinese influence in the  Caribbean   is now  having  a powerful  impact on the  electoral process  of  many Caribbean  states.  It is the  supposition, that Chinese influence on the  electoral  process   are  the  cause  of  divisive domestic politics; technological disruption  and long  term  governments  in the Caribbean.  These electoral events must also be noted,  as they    help in  shaping  the corrupted and convoluted  foreign policies   and  national security of  Caribbean  states.

 Meanwhile, the  Chinese  agenda  in the  Caribbean  goes  further. Chinese engagement in  the  Caribbean  has given rise  to Confucius institutes in Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname,  Dominica, and Trinidad and Tobago among others. The problem for the U.S. is that this Chinese influence in  the  Caribbean  is set to grow, and become a major political  national security force.

It is  also  significant to note  that beyond commercial and cultural activities, China is  also showing  its interest in the  Caribbean through  engagement with its security institutions. According  to  CNN  files, China has been operating military and intelligence facilities in Cuba since  2019, and is continuing to expand its intelligence gathering capabilities around the world.  In addition, a  report by the  Wall  Street Journal  further  clarifies,  that Cuba agreed to allow China to build a new spying facility on the island that could allow the Chinese to eavesdrop on electronic communications across the southeastern United Staes.  Evidently, the installation of an electronic intelligence collection base by   China in the republic of Cuba, and    negotiations with Russia and Iran for the establishment of military forces in the  Caribbean basin  should  now  propel   the   Trump administration    to rise to the occasion to take  U.S. national security  relationship with its Caribbean partners in a more positive direction.   Further  the  recent  announcement  by Chinese  ambassador  Chu Maorning  of  a distribution  center   for  Chinese  products on the  Caribbean island  of  Dominica  propels  even greater attention  to the  issue of maritime and aerial security, law enforcement capacity building, border and port security, and crime prevention by  the  United  States.

 At the  same time, money laundering and  the  citizenship by investment program  (CBI)  presently  poses another  challenge that threatens the national security  of  U.S Caribbean relations. Disputes  over  cheap  dishonest   sale  of  Dominica  passports are   now  entangled in  many  claims  in Washington that the  Caribbean  island  of  Dominica   is   the   chief  gateway  for  terrorists    and  a  threat  to the  national   security  of the  United  States.  Similarly,  the  Caribbean’s reputation as a “tax haven” has led major banks to evade correspondent banking relationships in an effort to reduce risks.  This  has led to  a negative impact on the financial health of the Caribbean.  Moreover,  geopolitical tensions, armed violence and a Venezuelan gang epidemic, exacerbated by drug trafficking, organ harvesting  and competition for drug routes, further  fuels  the  national security  dilemma.

Noteworthy is that, Chinese engagement in the Caribbean  is growing  and  the  United States  require cohesive solutions to address its national security  issues.  International cooperation  with the United States  plays a crucial role in  combating crime and corruption, and strengthening institutions in the  Caribbean.  .

In the grand theater of public discourse, congressional action must be  resolute   if the United States truly desires to regain its traditional influence and competence in the  Caribbean. The U.S Southern Command’s Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-S),  must begin working in coordination with the Eastern Caribbean’s Regional Security System, (RSS) in the  patrolling for drug-smugglers. There  must  be  a    State Department-led Response to China initiative for the  Caribbean  to respond to the challenge of the PRC advance.

At the same time,  the  United  States should also develop information collection, communication, and incentive strategies particular to the Caribbean context. By addressing these challenges head-on,  the  U.S  can reaffirm its strategic credibility and strengthen its deterrent position in the  Caribbean. At a time when China is actively working to capture global leadership in   the  realm of  national security, addressing the  Caribbean’s  troubling  national security concerns is essential to preserving  a U.S efficacy in a rapidly evolving global national  security  landscape.

(Rebecca Theodore is an international journalist and syndicated op-ed columnist based in New York.  She writes on the platform of national security, politics, human rights and the environment.  Email her at rebethd@aol.com )

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