Last Updated on December 30, 2025, 5:00 AM AST by Anthony Morris
The Premier of Nevis, Mark Brantley believes that St Kitts and Nevis holds the key place to regional stability in the Caribbean. The Premier made these remarks in an op-ed he contributed to the Nevis Island Administration. The assertion comes at a time when St Kitts and Nevis holds the Chair of the Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
The nation is also poised to succeed Jamaica as the incoming chairperson of the CARICOM in January 2026. The Premier of Nevis rightly surmises that at the time when St Kitts and Nevis held these important positions within the region.
Premier Brantley highlighted that the Caribbean finds itself at an inflection point in the present circumstances.
In the present circumstances, the United States has amassed an armada in the south Caribbean Sea. The United States of America has clarified that the reason for this to fight drug trafficking emanating from Venezuela.
Some experts will also argue that this can also be a trigger for the deeper purpose of regime change in Venezuela.
The Premier of Nevis has shared that Venezuela holds significant geographical importance because of the vast oil deposits which the island holds within its borders. The military amassment of the United States has been openly supported by Trinidad and Tobago, a founding member nation of the Caribbean Community.
On the other hand, Grenada has been asked to have radar installations on its territory. The Premier of Nevis has expressed his concern on the matter saying that all these developments have been made bilaterally and the overarching stability of the region has not been a matter of concern for the people of the country.
The Premier observed, “Claims of sovereignty and putting national interests first have resulted in regional leaders shouting at each other across the Caribbean Sea”, As a result of the unrest which has been affecting the Caribbean region, the region is being called dysfunctional and an unreliable partner.
Premier Mark Brantley has opined in his writeup that some of the situations which have been seen recently suggests that the touted Zone of Peace is now at the brink of war. The leader of the federal opposition of St Kitts and Nevis has thus shared some course of action as St Kitts and Nevis prepares to take the chair of the CARICOM starting January 2026.
The suggestions include:
- Prioritizing the engagement on the issues of Venezuela over the individual national interests and furthering the interest of the CARICOM as a whole.
- The region should continue to assert that we are a zone of peace.
- Caribbean leaders must refrain from public attacks on each other and maintaining the external posture of unity
- CARICOM elder statesmen, Prime Minister of Jamaica PJ Patterson, former Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines Dr. Ralph Gonsalves and former Prime Minister of St. Lucia Dr. Kenny Anthony should be deployed as the representatives of the region to negotiate peaceful resolution of the tensions.
- CARICOM should improve their relationships with Latin America including those through the 35 member OAS and the (CELAC) to seek a wider regional views and agreements on Venezuela and our region as a Zone of Peace.
- CARICOM should work in unity with the United States on de-escalating tensions in the region. The region should invite support from UN, EU and Canada to support in the de-escalation effort.
- Finally, he has suggested that The 50th Regular Meeting of CARICOM Heads of Government which is scheduled for 25-27th February, 2026 in Basseterre, St. Kitts should be called earlier given. This suggestion comes in light of the gsituation in the south Caribbean Sea.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
