Venezuela 11 km away: What does it mean that Trinidad and Tobago allows US military aircraft to arrive at its airports?

Although Port of Spain insists that it is not a permanent base or a platform for offensive actionsthe authorization adds to a series of previous movements by Washington in the Caribbean country, which include joint military exercises, naval presence with the arrival in October of the USS Gravely, and the reinforcement of surveillance capabilities in the area through a radar installed in an airport.

At this point, it is worth remembering that the prime minister denity of the Tobago, Kamla Perish-Bussarhas praised US attacks on suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific.

Monday night, The Pentagon announced three new attacks against boats suspected of transporting drugs in the Caribbean and the Pacific, with a death toll of eight. Since September, similar actions have already left 95 people dead.

Washington alleges that it seeks to neutralize drug trafficking that leaves Venezuela bound for the United States.

Furthermore, he points out that behind the shipment of drug shipments to the United States is the so-called Cartel of the Sunsan alleged mafia that would be led by Nicolas Maduro and its military and political leadership.

On Tuesday, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wile said the president Donald Trump wants to continue destroying ships supposedly loaded with drugs in the Caribbean until Maduro “gives up.”

The latest decision of Trinidad and Tobago did not go unnoticed in Caracas. The government of Nicolás Maduro reacted with harsh criticism and He described the rapprochement between that country and the United States as a threat to regional stability and denounced a covert military escalation near its territory.

Besides, Venezuela reported that Treat participated on December 10 in the seizure by the United States of a oil tanker that he was sailing under a false flag and that he was transporting crude oil from the South American country.

In retaliation, the Executive Vice President and Minister of Hydrocarbons, Delcy Rodriguezsaid that Venezuela “immediately” extinguished any “agreement, contract or negotiation” to supply natural gas to Trinidad and Tobago.

He also accused Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar of revealing “a hostile agenda” against Caracas and pointed her out for converting her territory into “American aircraft carrier to attack Venezuela”, what he described as “vassalage.”

Not always Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago They have had a bad relationship, on the contrary, they were partners in the energy issue until not long ago. For example, in 2015 they signed a cooperation agreement aimed at promote Venezuelan gas export projects to Trinidad and Tobagoincluding technical studies and collaboration commitments in hydrocarbons.

In December 2023both countries signed an agreement to develop the Dragon Gas Fieldan extensive natural gas field located in Venezuelan waters adjacent to the Trinidad shelf. The Venezuelan state PDVSA awarded a 30 year license to the Tobago Company (NGC) to explore, produce and process gas, with participation as operator of Royal Dutch Shell.

This project envisaged building infrastructure, including a submarine gas pipeline and processing plants to export liquefied gas to the Caribbean and international markets.

In addition to Dragon, both nations signed an agreement in August 2024 for the development of the field Cocuina–Manakin for 20 years, aimed at sharing production and mutually benefiting from the resource.

However, given the approach of Trinidad and Tobago to the United States, since October this year The Maduro government has announced the suspension or termination of agreements.

Maduro’s final dilemma

The international journalist and analyst Carlos Novoa points to The Commerce that he rapprochement between the United States and Trinidad and Tobago is a reflection of the maximalist pressure strategies that the administration of Trump has applied in Latin America.

According to Novoa, while Washington presents its relationship with Trinidad and Tobago as a simple “logistical support”the truth is that it has deployed an increasingly visible military presence in the Caribbean, which reinforces the message of regional domination.

“Trump is taking over the entire Caribbean,” affirms Novoa, who highlights that the US administration has adopted a position authoritarian-confrontational with respect to Venezuela. Through its policy in the region, Washington is imposing order and authority from your perspective, which includes direct and indirect threats to the government of Maduro.

In this sense, Novoa affirms, Trinidad and Tobago, although it is a small country, becomes a key strategic point due to its proximity to Venezuela, its historical relationship with the North American giant and its location in an area of ​​high maritime traffic.

Novoa emphasizes that, despite shared energy intereststhe relationship between Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago has been tense, with suspended energy agreements due to international pressure and the impact of the sanctions on Caracas.

The analyst highlights that Trinidad and Tobago, like many other Latin American countries, is seen forced to give in to pressure from the United States by political realism and for its own economic and strategic interests. “They are not going to fight with the United States”he explains.

Regarding the fate of MaduroNovoa maintains that The United States will continue to push to the limitsearching politically and economically hang the Venezuelan regime. He says that despite the internal tensions and mass migration that has affected Venezuela, support for Maduro continues to be strong among popular sectors that benefit from the State’s perks.

“Maduro has two options: stay until the end and be overthrown, or leave when the pressure turns untenablewith the support of a country willing to give him asylum”, concludes Novoa.

US alliances around Venezuela

For the defense and intelligence specialist Andrés Gómez de la Torrethe rapprochement between Trinidad and Tobago and the United States is not an isolated event, but part of a Washington’s broader strategy to consolidate a system of diplomatic and military alliances in the Caribbeanwhich includes countries like Dominican Republic, Guyana, Panama and Suriname. It is, he points out, a regional architecture of security cooperation that seeks to surround the Venezuelan geopolitical space.

According to Gómez de la Torre, Specific agreements with Trinidad and Tobago are focused on logistical support to US forcesa key component within this deployment. For your immediate proximity to the Venezuelan coaststhe Caribbean country acquires a unique strategic value, to the point of being able to function as a sort of “intermediate aircraft carrier” for eventual air operationsincluding those involving drones and advanced surveillance systemssays the analyst.

Gómez de la Torre emphasizes that this approach also responds to a US diplomacy that, since 2024, has been strengthening ties of mutual defense and cooperative security with states peripheral to Venezuela. In this sense, Trinidad and Tobago appears to be a particularly attractive partner, not only because of its geographical location, but also because of the political harmony of his current government with Washingtonwhich facilitates and accelerates this type of understanding.

The analyst also remembers that Trinidadian defense forces have already carried out joint exercises with US troops and that Port of Spain has authorized the installation of a TPS-80 radarwhich is an advanced airspace control system. Added to this, he warns, is an additional geopolitical component: the implicit alignment of Trinidad and Tobago with Guyana in the territorial dispute with Venezuela over Essequibowhich reinforces the perception of a regional bloc that positions itself against Caracas.

“We are facing a profuse and multidimensional geopolitics,” concludes Gómez de la Torre, “in which not only is the bilateral relationship between the United States and Trinidad and Tobago redefinedbut also the balance of power in the Caribbeanwith several States aligning themselves with Washington in a regional scenario marked by “growing tensions and strategic repositioning against Venezuela”.