CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY governments often reveal surprising reluctance to publicly respond to challenges relating to violations of fundamental human rights and the rule of law when, generally, the  United States of America is involved.

This attitude was quite in evidence prior to and during meetings with US Vice-President, Joseph Biden last month in Port-of-Spain where virtual back-to-back meetings also took place with China’s President Xi Linping.
The separate meetings between Vice-President Biden and President Xi, (minus those leaders whose governments continue to maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan), have served to fuel optimism for increased trade and economic investments within CARICOM by these major world players.
Current realities in trade relations with both the USA and China should remind us that given the nature of small and vulnerable economies, CARICOM ought to remain appreciative of practical advantages inherent in sustaining such friendly ties.
While, of course, being sensibly vigilant against erosion of our national political sovereignty as Washington and Beijing continue to adeptly compete for influence in the Latin America/Caribbean region.
In today’s ever-increasing  globalised world, practical realities include that both the USA and China would continue to benefit from trade surplus advantages with CARICOM countries, even as their respective aid policies vary–both in quantum and concessionary terms–with Beijing reputedly doing a better job than Washington for beneficiary states.
However, it is felt that while we expectantly await fulfillment of promised improved trade, aid and economic investment from the USA, to flow from the framework accord CARICOM signed with Vice-President Biden, it’s relevant to observe that no official mention was alluded to, in respect of two quite important issues currently being debated in the USA and countries in this hemisphere as well as in other regions.

Public silence
That lapse to mention was consistent with what has emerged as the norm for CARICOM governments to expediently being silent publicly on issues involving Washington’s contradictions on issues of fundamental human rights and the rule of law.
This time around the public silence pertains to controversial policies for which President Barack Obama’s administration is facing strident criticisms from various quarters at home and abroad (except, of course, by governments and organizations in our Caribbean Community).
The issues relate to Washington’s use of unmanned drones aircraft to combat international terrorism—including pursuing such surveillance in our Caribbean region, and, secondly:
Continuing misuse of Guantanamo Bay (part of Cuba’s sovereign territory) as a vast political prison for claimed terrorists who continue to be denied standard trials by a court of law.
*Killings by drones: This policy of unmanned drones surveillance  by Washington, was executed under the former administration of President George W Bush and  is being sustained under President Obama’s presidency—even outside of military war zones– and resulting in indiscriminate deaths of innocent civilians.
*A related controversy involving the rule of law,  is President Obama administration’s failure to shut down, as promised since his first term, Guantanamo Bay, where political prisoners have been in detention WITHOUT a normal court trial, since the September 11, 2011 terrorists attack on the USA.
Since both political issues have to do with the rule of law in civilized societies, and to which all CARICOM states claim to embrace—then it’s high time for governments and representatives institutions/agencies of our Community to stand up and be counted.
After all, such indiscriminate killings of civilians, and even alleged wanted ‘terrorists’, without resorting to the jurisdiction of courts of law, could well be viewed as acts of murder by the state—wherever they occur.
President Obama has been driven on the defensive by spreading protests at home and abroad, (though not including CARICOM), to re-assess his administration’s policy of systematically resorting to killings of suspected “terrorists” unilaterally deemed to be threats to America’s national interest.
Many innocent foreign nationals, among them students and women, have fallen victims to this murderous policy that mocks the rule of law.

A “drones agreement”?
Against this scenario, it is relevant to ask what specific development, if any, had led to CARICOM’s unannounced “agreement” (sic) with Washing to facilitate America’s resort to using unmanned aircraft (drones) in the Caribbean to more effectively track narco-trafficking?
It’s almost a year ago that disclosure of this vital information of public interest came from Washington, announced by the US Department of Homeland Security.
This columnist cannot recall any official disclosure about such an involvement by CARICOM, at any level—diplomatic, ministerial  or Head of Government. Are we awaiting the occurrence of an unpleasant, or worse, tragic development, before receiving some relevant official explanation from CARICOM?
Surely our governments cannot forget, or be unmindful of the controversies, resulting from either arrogance and claimed “errors” by the US coastguard service that made necessary what came to be known as “The Shipriders Agreement” between CARICOM and USA.
And what about the continuing silence by CARICOM about political prisoners of Guantanamo Naval Base?
They are languishing; being forced fed; getting chronically ill, a few dying, and young ones reaching the age of manhood.
They are all being denied a normal court trial, since 2001, by the self-proclaimed “greatest democracy” of the world that loves to lecture all and sundry on the virtues of “the rule of law” in governance of a democratic state!
President Obama is currently agonising –again—over when to make good on his original promise to shut down the Guantanamo prison and ensure either legitimate court trials or otherwise arrange for their freedom.