On Monday our Prime Minister meets with the US Secret of State to discuss - haven’t got a clue. But what would be nice to hear Marco Rubio say is; that Trump has recanted and will bring the States back into the Paris Agreement. That “Drill Baby Drill” is a forgotten fantasy and that Air Force One is plotting a global flight plan to take the President on a Whirlwind Tour of Apology. Barring that, any other conversation with top US officials at this point means nothing to us - Their words already lack cred.
This post comes on top of concerns previously aired here. At that point the perspective was regional and the possibility of us slipping into slavery once more - or losing everything Caribbean people this part of the world hold dear. As time passes however, those concerns have broadened to the point where one begins to think that having the Trinidad and Tobago currency hitched to a falling star (well, 51 stars) is about as smart as believing in Santa Claus (quite possibly Trump’s next job in front some NY skyscraper).
And anyway, what can Rubio possibly tell Stuart Young that we the population will believe? That the Explore, Drill, Market license (Dragon Gas) deal is on again? In that case will it be off again, on again next month and then the month after that (depending on what Putin wants?). Would it be that the USAID is going to come on-stream again? Incidentally at least one local project died when the programme closed. An now the illegal wildlife trade is back bigger than ever.
To speak frankly, and one hopes that in Monday’s meeting Young keeps an eye on the big picture: As the Dragon Gas deal is a short term solution - as well as a nail in our emissions ambition. It also places Trinidad and Tobago in somebody’s gunsights - USA being the merchant of war and all that.
Our new Prime Minister may also want to use the Rubio opportunity to leverage the meeting into something that is possible - and more credible than pollution derived income. He can speak for Greening the tourism sector (Americans will want to invest closer to home, will want to travel safely abroad, now they are not welcome in so many places). He can speak with a Caribbean voice, a message that CARICOM will hear. Because what are the chances of the Secretary of State viewing the archipelago as anything except a series of little villages with ’no cards’. Nah, Stuart Young’s chance at Caribbean statesmanship is on for Monday. Let’s see if he is up to it.