Are we but pawns in much bigger proxy war?

THE EDITOR: The recent promise by Washington to renew TT’s OFAC licence for engagement with Venezuela’s Dragon gas field deserves more than passing notice.

On the surface, this looks like a pragmatic nod to our energy security. But beneath it lies a troubling question: Is TT being used as a canary in a coal mine?

By dangling a licence that allows us to monetise Venezuelan gas, the US appears to be testing not just economic winds, but political ones. This arrangement places our country in the delicate position of engaging with the Nicolás Maduro regime in Venezuela under Washington’s watchful eye.

Should Caracas react rashly – perhaps by cancelling the existing 30-year contract or seeking alternative partners – the fallout could be framed as further evidence of Venezuela’s unreliability, justifying harsher measures or even a renewed push for regime change.

In short, TT risks becoming an expendable pawn in a geopolitical chess game. What is presented as energy co-operation may instead be a carefully laid trap, baiting Venezuela into a misstep that the US can weaponise.

Our government must tread carefully. Securing affordable gas supplies is vital, but not at the cost of being manipulated into someone else’s foreign policy experiment. TT’s sovereignty should not be bartered for a licence that may expire as soon as it serves its strategic purpose.

We must ask: Whose interests are truly being served here – ours or Washington’s?

B THOMAS

San Fernando