For many in the Caribbean region, the fact that the Trump administration has moved one of the world’s largest aircraft carriers to nearby Jamaica is proof that the U.S. is preparing for some kind of military action against the country, as promised.
For five days this week, the USS Nimitz will be in Jamaica for what the American mission in the capital, Kingston, said is a visit to reinforce decades of super-strong relations, but many think the port call has more to do with preparations against neighboring Cuba, just 90 miles north.
The Nimitz had sailed to the North Caribbean after tours to South America and Caribbean Community (Caricom) nations like Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad, and Grenada, where top government, military, and other officials were flown miles offshore to the carrier for a day trip of talks and courtesies.
Washington has made no secret of its desire to deal with Cuba, threatening military action to remove the top leadership and to push for the return of American conglomerates that were kicked out of the island during the revolution in the early 1960s.
The American mission, through Chargé d’Affaires Scott Renner, argued that the visit is a goodwill one linked only to the 11th iteration of Operation Southern Seas that was announced back in March by U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command out of Florida. Jamaica, the mission stated, will serve as the final stop in a multinational goodwill deployment that has taken the carrier through parts of the South and now to the North Caribbean.
“The visit underscores the depth of the U.S.-Jamaica bilateral relationship and the importance the United States places on its enduring partnership with Jamaica,” said Renner. “The visit of a U.S. aircraft carrier to Jamaica marks an important milestone in the longstanding partnership between our countries. Beyond strengthening maritime cooperation and regional security, this visit creates opportunities for meaningful people-to-people connections and economic benefits for local communities. We are proud to welcome these sailors to Jamaica and to continue building on the strong ties between our two nations.”
The presence of the vessel in Jamaica comes just days after regional foreign ministers had issued one of their strongest statements in recent decades in support of Cuba, expressing deep alarm about recent statements (from the U.S.) that “suggest the possibility of military aggression against Cuba. Any such action would inflict unnecessary human suffering, impose grave material costs, and fundamentally destabilize the security architecture of the entire Caribbean region,” the bloc had stated. Incidentally, Guyana and Trinidad had expressed reservations about the statement and asked that such reservations be laid bare on official documents. The two, Trinidad especially, have backed U.S. military and other action in the region in recent months and are known to be close allies of the U.S.
As the five-day visit begins, seasoned regional politicians and diplomats like Barbadian David Commissioning want the Caribbean region to help Cuba and for the U.S. to abandon its unhumanitarian embargo against the island.
“Without a doubt, the current situation in our sister Caribbean nation of Cuba constitutes a severe humanitarian crisis that demands a significant and meaningful response from all people and governments of conscience,” said Commissioning. “Cuba is now the immediate target, but beyond Cuba is the entire edifice of multilateralism and international law as represented by the UN organization that produced some 33 successive resolutions condemning the U.S. embargo as illegal and demanding its termination. And, in light of the ‘special relationship’ that has existed between Cuba and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) over the past 53 years, it most definitely demands a response from the citizens and governments of CARICOM,” he said.
