A region of 7,000 islands and 40 million inhabitants. A boiling geopolitical crossroads that finds itself on the front line of the global climate emergency. The fight against the effects of climate change has become the primary concern for most Caribbean governments, which is profoundly changing their diplomatic priorities. We are talking about a geopolitics of survival for the region.
The climate priority is not that of Donald Trump more concerned about the place China occupies today in the region, drug trafficking, maritime trade, oil, migration issues. We no longer hear about his intentions on the Panama Canalbut the president used his strength at the start of the year (2026) by leading a military operation unprecedented in Venezuela, bombing Caracas and capturing Nicolas Maduro. As Washington intensifies its military presence in Caribbean waters, pressure on Nicolas Maduro’s regional allies increases. Cuba has suffered a total energy blockade since the start of the year: Venezuelan oil deliveries have stopped, the United States is blocking tankers bound for the island and sanctions are intensifying. Raul Castro was indicted on May 20, 2026 for the murder of Americans in 1996. A legal decision seen as an excuse for Washington to intervene on the island, kidnap and incarcerate the former guerrilla in order to precipitate a change of regime. Despite the fall of Nicolas Maduro, Beijing remains a key player in the region. As for the Caribbean Community and the Association of Caribbean States, they are having difficulty unifying their positions in the face of crises. Between energy dependence, geopolitical pressure and the quest for sovereignty, a look at the challenges of the Caribbean in writing its own destiny.
We are invited :
- Laura Faxas, sociologist, former ambassador of the Dominican Republic to France, Sweden and Austria as well as to UNESCO. Coordinator in France of the Dominican Think Tank FUNGLODE
- Jacqueline Laguardia Martinez, economist. Full professor at the Institute of International Relations at the University of the West Indies. Specialist in Caribbean international relations, regional integration of small island developing states and Cuba/CARICOM links
- Sebastian Nieto Parra, head of the Regional Development Dynamics Division – Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean – at the OECD Development Centre. Coordinator of “Caribbean Development Dynamics 2026”.
Broadcast in partnership with the Maison de l’Amérique Latine in Paris and its Forum 2026 “ Latin America always”, as part of the 13th edition of Latin America and Caribbean Weeks. And the collaboration of Christophe Ventura. Â
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