Spotlight on the Caribbean
With so many current issues across the globe that are deserving of attention it can be difficult to choose what to focus on. In this post, we concentrate on the Caribbean, a region of the world largely overlooked in relation to its impact on global affairs. While our previous blog posts have focused on climate change and disasters around the globe, we want to draw attention to foreign policy and international relations, as they are all inevitably linked.
Cuba
Just weeks after President Biden announced the US will remove Cuba from its list of state sponsors of terrorism as part of a prisoner release deal, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the US would once again restrict financial transactions with the Cuban military and government-linked entities. The restricted departments consist of a large share of Cuba’s economy, putting into question the future stability of a nation that largely depends on state-run enterprises. The Biden administration briefly rescinded the 2017 memorandum which initially imposed these sanctions during Trump’s first presidency. Plans for Cuba to gradually release 553 prisoners have stalled, as the deal made at the end of former President Biden’s term remains in limbo.
Other countries currently on the state sponsor of terror list are Iran, North Korea, and Syria. It is unclear what further policy changes will look like with the new Trump administration, though Secretary Rubio is critical of opening relations with the island. These changes demonstrate that the US relationship with Cuba is largely dependent on the priorities of the president rather than the furtherance of international policy and diplomacy.
Haitian Gangs
Armed gangs killed at least 50 people and injured dozens more in a large-scale operation to secure control in Kenscoff, a town outside of the capital Port-au-Prince. This is the latest development amid months of violence and turmoil in the island nation. Reinforcements were sent after local security forces were overwhelmed, and security forces killed 20 gang members.
Earlier this year, Haitian police arrested Prophane Victor, an ex-politician who has been accused of arming gangs for political support. Victor was sanctioned by Canada in 2023 and the US in 2024 for his involvement in supporting gang members in Petite Riviere, which eventually formed the gang Gran Grif. Gran Grif perpetrated the attack in Pont-Sonde in October, killing 70 people. It was one of the largest massacres in Haiti’s recent history.
The situation in Haiti remains dire; the number of people internally displaced in Haiti has reached over one million, according to the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration. Gangs control an estimated 80% of the capital Port-au-Prince, despite UN-backed efforts to restore order and drive out gang leaders.
With over 1.5 million Haitians in the US, Haitian officials express concern over President Trump’s proposed hardline policies against migrants and foreign aid.
