By Ron Cheong

News Americas, TORONTO, Canada, Mon. Feb. 23, 2026: Memories are short in Guyana as elsewhere.  In the daily churn of corruption allegations, political theatrics and partisan outrage, perspective is often the first casualty. But a country on the cusp of historic transformation cannot afford amnesia – especially as another charade unfolds, with the leader of the official opposition trying to block the US government’s extradition request on charges of fraud and gold smuggling.

The New Demerara River Bridge commissioned on Sunday, October 5, 2025 in Guyana. (DPI image)

So even as development is progressing at a whirlwind pace, it is worth pausing deliberately and unsentimentally to look back at the calamity avoided – to examine the past decade and the country’s remarkable comeback. Guyana could have continued along the 2015–2020 trajectory of stagnation, fiscal contraction, stalled growth and political deadlock. Instead, beginning in 2020, the country pivoted aggressively toward expansion, social investment, housing acceleration, infrastructure build-out and unprecedented economic output.

The difference is not rhetorical. It is measurable. 

The Years Of Stagnation And Regression

The coalition government was in power when oil production began in December 2019. The contract was inked on its watch – Guyana entered the petroleum age on its watch.

But even that milestone later revealed a failure of leadership that let down the Guyanese People’s interests.

The administration was resistant and unprepared to answer legitimate public concerns about the oil contract and revenue management. The creation of the Natural Resource Fund was necessary, but its structure left unresolved questions about transparency. When citizens demanded clarity, they received defensiveness.

From 2015 to 2020, when not inert, governance was ineffective.  Infrastructure expansion was modest. Social reform was limited. The controversial closure of sugar estates displaced workers without delivering a credible economic transition plan. Fiscal conservatism may have reflected limited pre-oil revenues, but strategic imagination does not require surplus cash.

Then came the defining failure.

The 2018 no-confidence vote and the protracted 2020 election crisis were not minor political scuffles. They severely tested the country’s democracy.  For five months, Guyana’s reputation teetered. At the exact moment when oil required institutional strength and investor confidence, the country projected instability and constitutional brinkmanship.  The conflict was finally resolved through the intercession of CARICOM countries, including Mia Mottley – Barbados, Ralph Gonsalves -St. Vincent, and Keith Mitchell – Grenada, the US, the UK, the EU and others.

Oil did not destabilize Guyana. Politics nearly did.

By the time the coalition left office, production had begun, but trust had eroded. The country had entered the oil era, but the government was without a plan or a strategic vision.

A Remarkable Recovery

When the current administration returned to office in 2020, it inherited both oil revenues and institutional strain. Unlike its predecessor, it did not hesitate.

From 2022 onward, Guyana recorded the highest GDP growth rates in the world – over 60 percent in one year, above 30 percent in another, and more than 40 percent in 2024. Oil production surged from under 100,000 barrels per day in 2020 to well above 600,000 barrels per day within a few short years.

But numbers alone do not tell the story.

The difference was visible. Roads expanded. Bridges rose. Housing schemes multiplied. Hospitals were commissioned. Pensions increased. Cash transfers were rolled out. Scholarships widened access to education. Public investment moved at a speed that would have seemed implausible during the previous administration.

This was not reticent governance. It was an assertive deployment of government potential.

Critics rightly warn about inflation and procurement oversight.  Oil wealth, if poorly managed, can distort institutions as easily as it builds infrastructure. But even critics concede the obvious: execution under the 2020-2025 administration has been faster, more coordinated, and more ambitious.

The Ali government did not merely preside over oil production. It operationalized it.

Yes, there are thorny issues to deal with on an everyday basis:  There is systemic corruption, the country is caught between a rock and a hard place geopolitically, the coast which is under sea level is even more prone to flooding with climate change, and the country is challenged by the large influx of Venezuelans fleeing their country and elements of associated crime – to name some of the issues.

Also, despite record GDP growth, poverty remains stubbornly high. Entire communities, particularly in rural and hinterland regions, still struggle. Oil has expanded the state’s balance sheet faster than it has equalized opportunity – an indictment of how difficult structural transformation truly is.  But the administration is working on these gritty issues.

Competence Is Not Partisan

Strip away party loyalties and the contrast is stark. The earlier period was marked by:  Historic opportunity met with limited strategic boldness, political instability that shook democratic credibility and Institutional inactivity bordering on paralysis

The latter period has been marked by: Aggressive scaling of production and spending, visible infrastructure transformation and decisive executive action

One government seemed reluctant to move. The other has moved rapidly. History will not treat these periods as equal.

The first government will be remembered for ushering in oil. It will also be remembered for allowing political miscalculation to overshadow that milestone.

The second government will be remembered for converting oil revenue into visible transformation. It will also be judged on whether that transformation becomes sustainable and equitable.  

Learnings That Inform Future Prosperity

Guyana’s first oil decade has revealed something uncomfortable: economic destiny can change faster than political culture.

Oil did not make Guyana great. Governance determined whether oil translated into momentum or mismanagement.

Between inertia and acceleration, the country has seen both the fragility and the force of political power. The lesson of 2015–2025 is that leadership matters. Guyana now stands richer than ever before. The question is no longer whether the country can grow. It is whether its leaders, present and future, can continue to build institutions and govern competently

The 2015-2020 experience and the current political distractions reinforce and make clear that democracy, competence, and people-centered governance are the crucial bedrock for the country’s continued development and prosperity.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Ron Cheong is a frequent political commentator and columnist whose recent work focuses on international relations, economic resilience, and Caribbean-American affairs. He is a community activist and dedicated volunteer with extensive international banking experience. Now residing in Toronto, Canada, he is a fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Toronto.

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By Dr. Isaac Newton

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Feb. 20, 2026: How will the Caribbean secure a future where our children, our workers, and our communities thrive within the region instead of seeking opportunity elsewhere? On February 24, 2026, the Fiftieth Regular Meeting of CARICOM Heads of Government will convene in Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis. Citizens across the region are seeking commitments that translate into stronger families, resilient economies, and improved daily lives.

In every island, a teacher in Kingston wonders if she can continue educating her students without leaving for employment abroad. A nurse in Bridgetown faces a similar choice. A fisherman in St. Lucia worries that his livelihood will be lost to environmental decline. Immigration systems must provide certainty and fairness. Leaders should implement structured labour mobility agreements, expand professional and student visa pathways, and establish a permanent migration review council that publishes regular reports. Citizens require frameworks they can rely on and opportunities they can plan for with confidence.

Security demands transparency and accountability. Criminal networks exploit maritime corridors and digital systems, leaving small states to bear the social and economic consequences. Cooperation must rest on enforceable protocols and shared responsibility. Investment in coast guard capacity, forensic expertise, and judicial institutions is essential to protect citizens and reinforce governance.

Climate change poses immediate risks to homes, food supply, and water systems across the Caribbean. Hurricanes and rising seas place enormous pressure on national budgets and livelihoods. Governments must secure reliable climate financing, simplify access to concessional funds, and establish joint platforms for renewable energy, resilient water systems, and adaptive agriculture. Engagement with Haiti and Cuba is critical, and any approach involving Venezuela must protect regional stability while preserving sovereignty. Citizenship by Investment programmes must operate under strict oversight and transparency to ensure schools, hospitals, and infrastructure reach communities that need them most.

Economic transformation must be deliberate, measurable, and inclusive. The Orange, Blue, and Green economies present concrete opportunities. A Caribbean Creative Innovation Fund can support cultural enterprises that preserve heritage and generate revenue. A Blue Economy Accelerator can scale sustainable fisheries and maritime technologies. A Green Infrastructure Pact can deploy energy, water, and agricultural systems built for climate resilience. Connecting research institutions, private capital, and local communities ensures that each initiative generates employment, strengthens supply chains, and produces outcomes that are verifiable and lasting.

Integration should empower citizens directly. Mobility for students, entrepreneurs, and creators should be seamless, fostering collaboration, skills development, and knowledge sharing. Caribbean identity can be strengthened through four guiding pillars: peace, public health, paradise, and prosperity. Peace reflects political stability and respect for sovereignty. Public health emphasizes resilient healthcare systems and preparedness for crises. Paradise embodies environmental stewardship, cultural richness, and the beauty of our islands. Prosperity represents innovation, economic opportunity, and inclusive growth. These pillars attract investment, nurture talent, and reinforce cohesion across the region.

Citizens are observing progress carefully. Success will be evident in enforceable policies, implemented projects, and tangible results. Basseterre is an opportunity to demonstrate that the Caribbean can act with precision, implement with focus, and deliver improvements that transform communities.

As Caribbean folklore reminds us, “One hand cannot clap alone, but many hands can lift a mountain.” Meaningful progress requires governments, communities, and citizens to act with purpose, responsibility, and unity.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Isaac Newton is a globally experienced thought leader, Harvard, Princeton, and Columbia-trained strategist, and advocate for social justice and leadership excellence. With over thirty years of experience bridging cultural, economic, and ideological divides, he translates strategy into measurable results. His work spans governance, economic development, and public policy, consistently delivering initiatives that create employment, strengthen institutions, and advance sustainable growth across the Caribbean.

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By Vijay Prashad

News Americas, WASHINGTON, D.C., Thurs. Feb. 19, 2026: In January 2026, US President Donald Trump declared Cuba to be an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to US security – a designation that allows the United States government to use sweeping economic restrictions traditionally reserved for national security adversaries. The US blockade against Cuba began in the 1960s, right after the Cuban Revolution of 1959, but has tightened over the years. Without any mandate from the United Nations Security Council, which permits sanctions under strict conditions, the United States has operated an illegal, unilateral blockade that tries to force countries from around the world to stop doing basic commerce with Cuba. The new restrictions focus on oil. The United States government has threatened tariffs and sanctions on any country that sells or transports oil to Cuba.

Members of the Association of Cuban Residents in Mexico A.C. “Jose Marti” prepare humanitarian aid in front of posters of Argentineborn Cuban revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara and Cuban leader Fidel Castro at a collection center set up in Plaza El Zocalo in Mexico City on February 17, 2026, as part of a collection campaign in solidarity with Cuba. (Photo by Yuri CORTEZ / AFP via Getty Images)

On 3 January, the United States attacked Venezuela and kidnapped President Nicolás Maduro Moros and National Assembly deputy Cillia Flores. As 150 US military aircraft sat above Caracas, the United States informed the Venezuelan government that if they did not concede to a list of demands, the US would essentially convert downtown Caracas to Gaza City. The remainder of the government, with no leverage in the conversation, had to effectively make a tactical compromise and accept the US demands. One of these demands was that Venezuela cease to export oil to Cuba. In 2025, Venezuela contributed about 34 percent of Cuba’s total oil demand. With Venezuelan oil out of the picture in the short run, Cuba already anticipated a serious problem.

But this was not all. Mexico supplied 44 percent of Cuba’s imported crude oil in 2025. Pressure now mounted from Washington on Mexico City to cease its oil exports to Cuba, which would then mean that almost 80 percent of Cuba’s oil imports would disappear. In a phone call between Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum and Trump, he claimed that he told her to stop selling oil to Cuba, but she denied that, saying that the two presidents only talked in broad terms about US-Mexico relations. Either way, the pressure on Mexico to stop its oil shipments has been considerable. Sheinbaum has stressed that Mexico must be permitted to make sovereign decisions and that the Mexican people will not buckle under US pressure. Cutting fuel to Cuba would cause a humanitarian crisis, so Sheinbaum said her government would not accept the Trump demand.

Trump’s savage policy has effectively cut off much of Cuba’s oil imports, which has created a major energy crisis on the island of eleven million people. There are rolling blackouts, fuel shortages for hospitals, water systems, and transportation, and rationing of electricity. Due to the lack of aviation fuel, several commercial airlines – such as Air Canada – have stopped their flights to Havana.

The United Nations has warned that the US pressure campaign – especially the policy to target fuel – threatens Cuba’s food and water supplies, hospitals, schools, and basic services. UN officials, including the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Cuba, have condemned the US tightening of the blockade as a measure that directly harms ordinary citizens. They pointed out that restrictions make it harder for hospitals to obtain essential medicines, dialysis clinics to operate, and medical equipment to reach patients, worsening the health crisis on the island. The Special Rapporteur described the policy as “punitive and disproportionate,” emphasizing that it violates international law and deepens socio-economic hardships. The UN has urged the United States to lift sanctions and prioritize humanitarian exemptions, stressing that dialogue and cooperation—not coercive measures—are necessary to protect Cuban lives and human rights.

A group of United Nations human rights experts condemned Trump’s executive order as a “serious violation of international law” and “a grave threat to a democratic and equitable international order.” They argued that Trump’s order seeks to coerce Cuba and third states by threatening trade sanctions, and that such extraterritorial economic measures risk causing severe humanitarian consequences. Their statement made it clear that no right under international law permits a State to impose economic penalties on third States for lawful trade relations, and they called on the Trump administration to rescind the illegal order. The UN General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly against the blockade every year since 1992, often with only the US and Israel opposed.

The Blockade by the US has had a grave impact on Cuba’s development paradigm. Since the start of the Blockade over sixty years ago, the US has cost Cuba $171 billion or if adjusted for the price of gold, $2.10 trillion. Between March 2024 and February 2025, the Cuban government estimates that the Blockade caused about $7.5 billion in damages, a 49 percent increase since the previous period. If you take the $171 billion number, the Cuban people lose $20.7 million per day or $862,568 per hour. These losses are grievous for a small country that attempts to build a rational society rooted in socialist values.

Response from Havana

Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel has strongly condemned the tightened US measures as an ‘economic war’ and has argued that the US policy is designed to weaken Cuba’s sovereignty. The government calls this an “energy blockade” and emphasises that the shortages on the island are a direct result of US coercive policies. In reaction, the Cuban Revolution has implemented emergency plans, including fuel rationing to prioritise essential services such as hospitals, water systems, and public transportation. Cuba has also announced state directives to manage diminished energy supplies, including shifts toward alternative and renewable energy sources where feasible. The Chinese government has donated equipment for large-scale solar parks to be built in Artemisa, Granma, Guantánamo, Holguín, Las Tunas, and Pinar del Río. In the long-term, China will assist Cuba to build 92 solar farms to add 2,000 megawatts of solar capacity. To assist households in remote areas, the Chinese government has sent 5,000 solar kits for rooftop energy harvesting. Fuel from Mexico and Russia, as well as other countries is now on the way to Cuba. Trump’s policy of isolation has not fully succeeded.

The Cuban government said it is in touch with Washington but has not yet held direct high-level talks. President Díaz-Canel has said that his government would speak to the United States but only under three important conditions. First, that the dialogue will be respectful, serious, and without pressure or preconditions. Second, the dialogue must respect Cuba’s sovereignty, independence, and political system. And finally, the Cuban government is unwilling to negotiate the Cuban Constitution (recently revised in 2019) or Cuba’s commitment to socialism. If the United States insists on a discussion on any of these three issues, there will be no dialogue. The Cuban Revolution’s defiance on these issues is rooted in its history, since the Revolution itself was an act of defiance against the US claim to control the Western Hemisphere through the 1823 Monroe Doctrine (now renewed by Trump in 2025 with his Corollary). This defiance has been contagious, building a Latin American resistance to US imperialism from the 1960s to the present – including at the heart of the Bolivarian process in Venezuela.

The Angry Tide

Latin America is going through a rapid and dangerous transformation. Country after country – from Argentina to El Salvador – have elected to power political formations from the Far Right of a Special Type. These are leaders who have committed themselves to strong conservative social values (rooted in the growth of reactionary Evangelical Christianity across the Americas), to a ruthless attack on the poor through a war on crime (shaped by a theory that calls for the arrest of any potential criminals and their incarceration, a policy pioneered by El Salvador’s Nabil Bukele), and by a sharply turn toward Western Civilisation that includes an orientation towards the United States and against China (this sentiment oscillates from a celebration of Western culture to a hatred of communism). The emergence of the Far Right of a Special Type appears as if it will be in charge for a generation if it can erase the left from power in Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Venezuela (in Brazil, this Right has already taken charge of the legislature).

The parallel attacks on Venezuela and Cuba are part of the United States’s contribution to this rise of the Angry Tide across the Americas. Trump and his cronies would like to install their kind of leaders – such as Javier Milei – across the Americas as part of the Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine. It is this that revives the idea of sovereignty in the Americas. When the Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny ended his performance at the US Super Bowl with a celebration of all the countries in the Americas, and when he named each of them, that gesture was itself part of the battle over the idea of sovereignty.

The Cuban Revolution holds out against US imperialism, but under great pressure. Solidarity with Cuba is for the Cuban people, for the Cuban Revolution, for the reality of sovereignty across the Americas, and for the idea of socialism in the world. This is now the frontline of the fight against imperialism.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Vijay Prashad is an Indian historian and journalist. He is the author of forty books, including Washington Bullets, Red Star Over the Third World, The Darker Nations: A People’s History of the Third World, The Poorer Nations: A Possible History of the Global South, and How the International Monetary Fund Suffocates Africa, written with Grieve Chelwa. He is the executive director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, the chief correspondent for Globetrotter, and the chief editor of LeftWord Books (New Delhi). He also appeared in the films Shadow World (2016) and Two Meetings (2017).

SOURCE: Globetrotter

By NAN NEWS EDITOR

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Thurs. Feb. 19, 2026: US President Donald Trump is facing renewed criticism after appearing to confuse two nations in the Americas – The Bahamas and Bermuda – during of all events- a White House Black History Month event.

While recognizing former NFL star Herschel Walker, who currently serves as U.S. Ambassador to The Bahamas, Trump stumbled over the name of the country he represents.

“Herschel Walker… he’s ambassador to the Bahamas. I don’t know. Bahamas, Bermuda, Berhamas, whatever. A nice place!” Trump said, drawing attention for both the confusion and apparent dismissiveness.

Small business owner Arnetta Bradford of Hope, Arkansas speaks alongside U.S. President Donald Trump during a Black History Month reception in the East Room of the White House on February 18, 2026 in Washington, DC. The president issued a proclamation recognizing Black History Month on Feb. 3. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The Bahamas and Bermuda are distinct nations with separate governments, histories, and geopolitical roles. The Bahamas is an independent Caribbean nation of roughly 400,000 people and a key U.S. regional partner. Bermuda, meanwhile, is a British Overseas Territory located in the North Atlantic and operates under a different constitutional and diplomatic structure.

For Caribbean observers, the moment carries deeper symbolic implications beyond a simple verbal slip.

Small island nations in the Caribbean have long played outsized roles in global finance, climate diplomacy, tourism, and regional security cooperation with the United States. The Bahamas in particular is central to U.S. maritime security, migration management, and financial regulation cooperation.

Such misidentifications risk reinforcing longstanding frustrations among Caribbean leaders and diaspora communities who have often argued that the region is treated as interchangeable or peripheral in global political discourse, despite its strategic importance.

Diplomatic recognition, Caribbean analysts say, is not simply about protocol but about respect.

In recent years, Caribbean nations have increased their influence globally, particularly through climate advocacy, financial diplomacy, and economic partnerships. Leaders such as Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley have emerged as prominent voices in international forums, while countries like Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and The Bahamas are playing expanding roles in energy, finance, and regional development.

The Bahamas itself maintains deep diplomatic and economic ties with the United States, including cooperation on banking regulation, tourism, law enforcement, and national security initiatives.

The appointment of Walker as ambassador underscored the importance of that bilateral relationship. However, public confusion about the country’s identity – especially at a Black History Month event intended to recognize Black leadership and contributions – has prompted broader reflection on how Caribbean nations are perceived within U.S. political consciousness.

For many Caribbean Americans, the moment highlights a larger issue of visibility.

The Caribbean diaspora has made enormous contributions to American society, from civil rights and politics to medicine, business, and culture. Yet, Caribbean nations themselves often remain misunderstood or overlooked in public discourse even as the US has turned the region from a zone of peace into a region where boats are being bombed without real cause, leaving several Caribbean nationals dead to date. Since September last year, the United States has carried out at least 36 similar strikes in Caribbean and Eastern Pacific waters, killing more than 120 individuals suspected of involvement in drug trafficking, according to U.S. military data.

The incident also comes at a time when the Caribbean is gaining increasing geopolitical relevance amid shifts in global energy markets, climate negotiations, and nearshoring strategies. Ultimately, while political misstatements are not uncommon, moments like these resonate deeply in regions whose histories have long been shaped by external powers.

For Caribbean nations that continue to assert their voice and sovereignty on the global stage, recognition – accurate and respectful – remains an essential part of partnership.

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