Trinidad and Tobago broke with more than three decades of foreign policy precedent by voting against a United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for an end to the economic embargo imposed by the United States on Cuba. The vote has exposed a rare split within the Caribbean Community, CARICOM, on a question that the region has long addressed with near-unanimity.
For many years, Caribbean states have consistently supported the annual UN resolution condemning the embargo, which Cuba and a broad coalition of countries argue causes hardship for ordinary Cubans and restricts trade and development. The Trinidad and Tobago decision represents a significant departure from that regional tradition, and its implications for CARICOM unity are being closely watched across the Caribbean.
The position of Dominica and other members of the Eastern Caribbean on the resolution forms part of the wider regional conversation about how CARICOM members balance their relationships with Washington, Havana and one another. Readers wishing to follow the matter further should monitor official statements from the Government of Dominica and the CARICOM Secretariat as they become available.
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