Prime Minister ๐๐๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐๐-๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ซ believes the change in the US Congress will have little impact on Trinidad and Tobagoโs relationship with Washington.
But can we seriously conclude that nothing will change?
The ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ ๐, ๐๐๐๐, midterm elections handed Democrats control of both chambers of Congress. By ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ ๐, Democrats had secured at least ๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ญ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ญ๐ฌ and gained at least ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ญ๐ฌ.
President ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฉ retains the White House, his veto and executive authority. But Congress controls appropriations, confirms senior appointments through the Senate, and possesses extensive investigative powers.
๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ข๐๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐๐ง ๐ง๐๐ ๐จ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ญ๐, ๐ญ๐ก๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ง ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐. ๐๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ง ๐ข๐ง๐ฏ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ ๐๐ญ๐, ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฒ, ๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ญ ๐จ๐ซ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐.
Even Vice-President ๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ has publicly blamed the Iran war for Republican losses, while Trump continues defending the conflict. Foreign policy has become a domestic political liability.
There are ๐ญ๐ฐ๐จ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ an executive-only diplomatic strategy exposes Trinidad and Tobago.
๐ ๐๐๐๐: ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐.
Between ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐, the sitting presidentโs party lost House seats in ๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฆ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ โ ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฑ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐%.
President ๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ค ๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ lost ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐๐. Trumpโs Republicans lost ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐๐.
Why would a small island state concentrate its diplomatic relationships in the White House when history repeatedly demonstrates the likelihood of congressional reversal?
๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ญ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ซ๐๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง ๐๐ง๐๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ.
๐๐๐๐๐๐: ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐.
Affordability, government expenditure, oversight and the next election become competing priorities. Foreign initiatives must compete for funding and political support.
What appeared secure yesterday could face scrutiny tomorrow.
Consider T&Tโs support for US military operations in the Caribbean. Families of ๐๐ก๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ก ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐ข ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐จ๐จ, two Trinidadians killed in an ๐๐๐ญ๐จ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐, ๐๐๐๐, US boat strike, filed a federal lawsuit in Massachusetts on ๐๐๐ง๐ฎ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐, ๐๐๐๐. Their allegations remain subject to litigation.
A Democratic-controlled Congress could investigate such operations. That does not mean an investigation involving T&T has already begun.
This makes Persad-Bissessarโs ๐๐๐ง๐ฎ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐, ๐๐๐๐, condemnation of the Democratsโ โ๐ค๐๐๐, ๐๐ฅ๐ก๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ก-๐ค๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐โ diplomatically relevant.
How does one now engage politicians previously dismissed in such terms?
๐ ๐จ๐ซ ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ญ๐๐ฌ, ๐๐ข๐ฉ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฑ๐ข๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ฐ๐๐๐ค๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ. ๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ฅ.
Former Prime Minister ๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐ฅ๐๐ฒ maintained engagement across Washingtonโs political institutions.
On ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐, ๐๐๐๐, Rowley met US House Democratic Leader ๐๐๐ค๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฌ during a congressional delegationโs visit to Trinidad and Tobago.
In ๐๐๐ง๐ฎ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐, then Energy Minister ๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ accompanied Rowley to Washington for high-level discussions on energy, investment, trade and national security.
These engagements demonstrate the importance of relationships beyond one American administration.
Energy diplomacy involves Congress, regulators, financiers, sanctions and cross-border agreements.
๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ข๐๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ฒ ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ง ๐ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ซ. ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฉ ๐ค๐๐๐ฉ ๐ข๐ญ ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ง.
The economic stakes are substantial. According to the US Trade Representative, bilateral goods trade between T&T and America reached ๐๐$๐.๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐๐.
That relationship demands political access across party lines.
Multilateral institutions such as ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ provide additional channels for dialogue and disagreement without sacrificing strategic cooperation.
Imagine the advantage today: Trump in the White House, ๐๐๐ค๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ค๐๐ซ, and established relationships across both parties.
๐๐ฐ๐จ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ๐ง ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง ๐จ๐ง๐.
The objective should not be to abandon Trump. It should be to maintain executive cooperation while strengthening congressional relationships, including committees responsible for energy, trade, foreign affairs, security and appropriations.
๐ ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐ฅ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐๐ง ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ, ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ญ๐ก, ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ฎ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ฉ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ๐ฌ.
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ๐๐๐ฅ๐. ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ค ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ง๐.
๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ค ๐ฆ๐๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐, ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ข๐ง ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฏ๐๐ญ๐จ, ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐๐ง๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ง๐.
Trinidad and Tobagoโs diplomacy must be capable of navigating ๐๐จ๐ญ๐ก ๐ฐ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ฆ.
โธป
๐๐ซ ๐๐ฐ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ฎ๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ง๐ซ๐ฒ Leadership Advisor Mwale.henry@gmail.com
