Reflections on Trump’s address

THE EDITOR: While Donald Trump tried hard to strike the right notes with acknowledgement of Martin Luther King’s legacy, his call for national unity, and his recognition of the contribution of black and Hispanic voters to his electoral successes, it was manifestly clear that he was deadly serious about putting America first and all that implies.

President Trump’s policies could have far-reaching consequences for TT and the Caribbean region. Several areas of concern have already been raised, as follows:

* Immigration: His commitment to mass deportations and ending birthright citizenship will increase our difficulties. Unchecked deportations will severely strain our social services and increase unemployment, leading potentially to a surge in crime.

Some Caribbean states may even be forced to accept deportees. We note the firm stance of Bahamian PM Phillip Davis that his country will, under no circumstances, be used to house US deportees.

* Energy sector: Trump’s “drill, baby, drill” theme signals a renewed commitment to increased use of fossil fuels. It reinforces his withdrawal from global climate change agreements. These have regional implications for unstable weather patterns, increased hurricanes and coastal erosion.

Increased production of US oil can lead to market oversupply and reduced prices. This will directly impact our energy revenue situation.

* Reinstating the “Muslim ban”: This Islamophobic order signals stricter scrutiny of visas, potentially delaying applications for Muslims, including possibly those from TT.

* Imposing tariffs on imports from China, Mexico, and Canada: We may experience secondary effects, such as increased costs for US imports manufactured using components from these countries.

* Pulling out of the World Health Organization (WHO): Trump’s threat to leave the WHO signals his move away from multilateralism and a rules-based international order, leaving small countries like TT vulnerable in global crises. Imagine a world without an ICC (International Criminal Court) – which we started – or an ILO (International Labour Organization), or various climate-change agreements, or an even more emasculated United Nations, whose charter recognises the sovereign equality of all states.

* Gender policy: Trump’s executive order affirming a sole two-gender policy may further marginalise groups, exposing them to renewed discrimination and persecution.

We need to be diplomatically agile in the era of Trump. We have no ambassador to the US currently. We have no lobbyists with close links to the decision-makers in the Republican Party. We have articulated no roadmap on how we will deal with a Trump administration. We have no leadership role in Caricom to champion a regional response, and we remain very vulnerable on the cross-border gas deals with Venezuela.

It is not business as usual. We must act decisively to safeguard our nation’s interests in an increasingly unpredictable global environment.

In all this we must be careful not to box ourselves in a corner but leave our options open as we navigate an uncertain global future.

RODNEY CHARLES

Naparima MP

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