Awakened to the new geopolitical agenda in the Caribbean

The dawn of a new geopolitical agenda in the Caribbean region

Deo Adjuvante, Non Timendum

“With God as My Helper, I Have Nothing to Fear”

The Bombastic geopolitical politics of the region 

Dr. Kevin J Turnquest-Alcena
Nassau, N.P., The Bahamas

As we sit and meditate in The Bahamas, our region is waking up to a new geopolitical agenda.  Guyana is heading to the polls on the first of the month, Jamaica follows with its general election on the third, and Venezuela shows signs of anxiety and paranoia.  We must be mindful of one fact: America will not invade Venezuela.  Instead, we must learn to recognize the art of propaganda and the craft of deceit.  These two forces dance like partners in a Machiavellian tango.

Brazil sits quietly, watching as the wider region anticipates a shift in direction.  This is the complexity of our world: nations caught between hope and manipulation, where the ambitions of men can easily pull us into conflict.  And when that conflict erupts, history reminds us there are no heroes, only survivors.

“The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.” — Sun Tzu

We must understand that the strength of a nation lies not in war, but in the wisdom to avoid it.  We should reflect deeply on the lessons of Vietnam and Afghanistan, where decades of bloodshed proved that there are no true winners in wars of intimidation.

Point One: The Role of Regional Unity

One of the greatest weaknesses of the Caribbean has been its fragmentation.  Each island often pursues its own agenda while outside powers exploit division.  The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) was designed to strengthen cooperation, yet its voice is too often muted on global stages.  If we fail to speak as one, we risk being manipulated as many small pieces rather than one strong collective.

“Unity is strength… when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.” — Mattie Stepanek

Point Two: The Economic Battlefield

Geopolitics is not only about armies.  It is also about economics.  Foreign powers use loans, trade deals, and aid packages as weapons of influence.  The region must be careful not to trade independence for short-term financial relief.  Debt diplomacy is as dangerous as military occupation because it shackles future generations to decisions made in desperation.

“It is not the creation of wealth that is wrong, but the love of money for its own sake.” — Margaret Thatcher

Point Three: The Importance of Youth and Education

The future of the Caribbean does not belong to the politicians of today but to the youth who will inherit tomorrow.  Education must prepare our young people not only for jobs, but for leadership, diplomacy, and critical thinking.  If our region fails to invest in its human capital, we will remain vulnerable to external manipulation.  A population that cannot think critically is easily swayed by propaganda.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” — Nelson Mandela

Point Four: Climate Change as a Political Weapon

The politics of the region cannot be separated from the reality of climate change.  Rising seas, stronger hurricanes, and environmental stress place small island nations at risk.  Wealthy countries make promises of aid and green funding, yet often use climate negotiations to exert influence over poorer nations.  For the Caribbean, survival itself is political, and climate change is now part of geopolitics.

“We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” — Native American Proverb

Point Five: Venezuela and the True Prize of Oil

At the center of much of this regional tension is Venezuela, a nation that sits on the largest proven oil reserves in the world.  This wealth of natural resources makes Venezuela a constant point of contention.  For decades, outside powers have eyed Venezuelan oil as if it were a prize for the taking.  Yet we must be clear: Venezuelan oil belongs to the Venezuelan people, not to Washington, Beijing, or any foreign capital.

Exiled Venezuelans who were driven away by political repression yearn to return home not only to reclaim democracy, but also to reclaim the oil wealth that rightfully belongs to them and their children.  Oil should be a national inheritance that lifts Venezuelans out of poverty, not a bargaining chip in global power games.  The true prize of Venezuela’s oil is the survival and prosperity of Venezuela itself.

“Natural resources should serve humanity, not dominate it.” — Wangari Maathai

Point Six: Security and Migration

Instability in one nation often spills into its neighbors.  The Caribbean has seen waves of migration from Venezuela and Haiti, placing pressure on small island states with limited resources.  This is not just a humanitarian challenge but also a political and security issue.  Increased migration fuels debates about border control, law enforcement, and social stability.  How the region responds will determine whether it embraces compassion and order, or allows chaos and division to spread.

“Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

Point Seven: Macha Positioning and Geopolitical Posture

Another layer of politics in the region is what can be called macha positioning.  This is the display of strength, the flexing of influence, and the posturing of nations without committing to open war.  Countries use military exercises, diplomatic statements, and economic alliances to show dominance and intimidate rivals.  It is a game of appearances, where leaders project toughness to secure leverage at the negotiation table.

The danger of macha positioning is that it can create unnecessary tensions.  Pride and image become more important than peace and cooperation.  History shows us that wars have often been sparked not by necessity, but by leaders refusing to lose face.  The Caribbean must be wise enough to avoid becoming a stage for these dangerous displays of bravado.

“It is not power that corrupts, but fear.  Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it.” — Aung San Suu Kyi

“More the knowledge, lesser the ego. Lesser the knowledge, more the ego.” — Albert Einstein

“War does not determine who is right, only who is left.” — Bertrand Russell

Conclusion

The Caribbean stands at a crossroads.  Its unity, economic independence, and the education of its youth are the pillars that will determine whether the region thrives or falters.  Climate change and migration test our resilience, while Venezuela’s oil reminds us that the true wealth of nations lies in the hands of their own people.

Macha positioning and external pressures challenge our ability to act with wisdom rather than ego.  To navigate this complex landscape, the Caribbean must prioritize cooperation over division, long-term vision over short-term gain, and vigilance over impulse.  Only by putting people first, respecting sovereignty, and embracing strategic patience can the region safeguard peace and prosperity for generations to come.

August 29, 2025

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A Call on World Governments to Rapidly and Radically Reduce the Gap between the Super-rich and the Rest of Society

Billionaires of the world are $3.3 trillion richer than in 2020, and their wealth has grown three times faster than the rate of inflation 

Oxfam Report

Despite representing just 21 percent of the global population, rich countries in the Global North own 69 percent of global wealth and are home to 74 percent of the world’s billionaire wealth

The world’s five richest men have more than doubled their fortunes from $405 billion to $869 billion since 2020 —at a rate of $14 million per hour— while nearly five billion people have been made poorer, reveals a new Oxfam report on inequality and global corporate power.  If current trends continue, the world will have its first trillionaire within a decade but poverty won’t be eradicated for another 229 years.

“Inequality Inc.”, published today as business elites gather in the Swiss resort town of Davos, reveals that seven out of ten of the world’s biggest corporations have a billionaire as CEO or principal shareholder. These corporations are worth $10.2 trillion, equivalent to more than the combined GDPs of all countries in Africa and Latin America.

“We’re witnessing the beginnings of a decade of division, with billions of people shouldering the economic shockwaves of pandemic, inflation and war, while billionaires’ fortunes boom.  This inequality is no accident; the billionaire class is ensuring corporations deliver more wealth to them at the expense of everyone else,” said Oxfam International interim Executive Director Amitabh Behar.

“Runaway corporate and monopoly power is an inequality-generating machine: through squeezing workers, dodging tax, privatizing the state, and spurring climate breakdown, corporations are funneling endless wealth to their ultra-rich owners.  But they’re also funneling power, undermining our democracies and our rights.  No corporation or individual should have this much power over our economies and our lives —to be clear, nobody should have a billion dollars”.

The past three years’ supercharged surge in extreme wealth has solidified while global poverty remains mired at pre-pandemic levels.  Billionaires are $3.3 trillion richer than in 2020, and their wealth has grown three times faster than the rate of inflation. 

• Despite representing just 21 percent of the global population, rich countries in the Global North own 69 percent of global wealth and are home to 74 percent of the world’s billionaire wealth.
   
• Share ownership overwhelmingly benefits the richest.  The top 1 percent own 43 percent of all global financial assets.  They hold 48 percent of financial wealth in the Middle East, 50 percent in Asia and 47 percent in Europe. 

Mirroring the fortunes of the super-rich, large firms are set to smash their annual profit records in 2023.  148 of the world’s biggest corporations together raked in $1.8 trillion in total net profits in the year to June 2023, a 52 percent jump compared to average net profits in 2018-2021.  Their windfall profits surged to nearly $700 billion.  The report finds that for every $100 of profit made by 96 major corporations between July 2022 and June 2023, $82 was paid out to rich shareholders.

• Bernard Arnault is the world’s second richest man who presides over luxury goods empire LVMH, which has been fined by France‘s anti-trust body.  He also owns France’s biggest media outlet, Les Échos, as well as Le Parisien.
   
• Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest person, holds a “near-monopoly” on cement in Nigeria.  His empire’s expansion into oil has raised concerns about a new private monopoly. 
   
• Jeff Bezos’s fortune of $167.4 billion increased by $32.7 billion since the beginning of the decade.  The US government has sued Amazon, the source of Bezos’ fortune, for wielding its “monopoly power” to hike prices, degrade service for shoppers and stifle competition.

“Monopolies harm innovation and crush workers and smaller businesses.  The world hasn’t forgotten how pharma monopolies deprived millions of people of COVID-19 vaccines, creating a racist vaccine apartheid, while minting a new club of billionaires,” said Behar.

People worldwide are working harder and longer hours, often for poverty wages in precarious and unsafe jobs.  The wages of nearly 800 million workers have failed to keep up with inflation and they have lost $1.5 trillion over the last two years, equivalent to nearly a month (25 days) of lost wages for each worker. 

New Oxfam analysis of World Benchmarking Alliance data on more than 1,600 of the largest corporations worldwide shows that 0.4 percent of them are publicly committed to paying workers a living wage and support a living wage in their value chains.  It would take 1,200 years for a woman working in the health and social sector to earn what the average CEO in the biggest 100 Fortune companies earns in a year. 

Oxfam's report also shows how a "war on taxation" by corporations has seen the effective corporate tax rate fall by roughly a third in recent decades, while corporations have relentlessly privatized the public sector and segregated services like education and water.

“We have the evidence.  We know the history.  Public power can rein in runaway corporate power and inequality —shaping the market to be fairer and free from billionaire control.  Governments must intervene to break up monopolies, empower workers, tax these massive corporate profits and, crucially, invest in a new era of public goods and services,” said Behar. 

“Every corporation has a responsibility to act but very few are.  Governments must step up.  There is action that lawmakers can learn from, from US anti-monopoly government enforcers suing Amazon in a landmark case, to the European Commission wanting Google to break up its online advertising business, and Africa’s historic fight to reshape international tax rules.”

Oxfam is calling on governments to rapidly and radically reduce the gap between the super-rich and the rest of society by:
 

• Revitalizing the state.  A dynamic and effective state is the best bulwark against extreme corporate power.  Governments should ensure universal provision of healthcare and education, and explore publicly-delivered goods and public options in sectors from energy to transportation.
   
• Reining in corporate power, including by breaking up monopolies and democratizing patent rules.  This also means legislating for living wages, capping CEO pay, and new taxes on the super-rich and corporations, including permanent wealth and excess profit taxes.  Oxfam estimates that a wealth tax on the world’s millionaires and billionaires could generate $1.8 trillion a year. 
   
• Reinventing business. Competitive and profitable businesses don’t have to be shackled by shareholder greed.  Democratically-owned businesses better equalize the proceeds of business.  If just 10 percent of US businesses were employee-owned, this could double the wealth share of the poorest half of the US population, including doubling the average wealth of Black households.

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