As a sovereign nation, The Bahamas has a right to its own independent voice in the United Nations and all other forums where the world’s peoples gather to discuss world affairs.
There are times when some of our fellow Bahamians need to be reminded of the fact that this land of ours is a country and not some version of Dade County East.
We are certain that the record would show that successive Bahamian governments have been prudent and sensible in the manner that they have worked with our great neighbour to the north, the United States of America.
Regrettably, there is today a rabidly pro-American lobby in The Bahamas that would have The Bahamas adopt an attitude to foreign policy that would turn it into a type of toy poodle or other such plaything.
This would be wrong.
Indeed, we sometimes despair for our country. Today is one such time as we reflect on some of what passes for debate on Bahamas – United States diplomatic relations.
We are particularly concerned with those voices in the ‘debate’ that would wish to have a Bahamas that follows lock-step behind whatever position the United States of America happens to take at any given time.
There is one particularly virulent aspect in this �debate� that we find particularly galling. This is the one that would suggest that The Bahamas should work to concentrate the bulk of its attention on building bilateral relations with the United States of America, even if these involve open conflict with our neighbors.
Thankfully, The Bahamas has rejected such a na�ve position. It has instead opted to pursue a policy that apparently calls on it to develop respectful and mutually beneficial diplomatic relations with all its closest neighbours, inclusive of Cuba, Haiti and Venezuela.
We believe that this is the right approach to the matter at hand concerning how The Bahamas should conduct itself in the international arena. There is no doubting the reality that real friends never see eye to eye on all issues. Truth is that friends that are real are the ones who respect their friends, regardless of this difference or that.
Real friends are agreed that when the chips are down, their ally will be there for them. So it was for the United States of America in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 catastrophe.
The sad fact of the matter is that this unity has been shattered. Some of America�s friends now disagree with how the war against terror has been prosecuted.
This does not mean that those who disagree are no longer friends of the United States of America. It means that they disagree with current policy direction.
Today we make this observation as we reflect on Bahamas-United States relations and what would pass for debate on the matter at hand.
We are happy to note that The Bahamas and the United States of America are on the same page as regards those matters that matter most to the people of the United States of America and their Bahamian counterparts.
His Excellency, Mr. John Rood, United States Ambassador to The Bahamas makes precisely this point as he notes that “for more than twenty years, The Bahamas has been one of the United States closest and most successful allies in the fight against illegal narcotics trafficking.”�
As he explains, “our partnership against drugs began in earnest in the 1980s when an estimated eighty percent of the cocaine bound for the United States passed through the Caribbean corridor.”
The ambassador notes that as a consequence of this cooperation, “today thanks to our common efforts, that number is down to approximately seven percent.� This reduction could never have occurred without the strong support of successive Bahamian governments.”
The ambassador is absolutely correct. We hasten to add that more recently, United States Secretary of State, Dr. Condolezza Rice made an obvious point when she noted �inter alia- “Of course the government of The Bahamas is a sovereign government that will make its own decisions on its international relations.”
She proceeded to explain, “We are here because the United States has positive relations with Caricom. It is not to be our concern for what other relations there are. It is our responsibility, our obligation and indeed our intention to deepen and broaden the relationship of the United States with the countries of Caricom.”
Quite evidently, the Secretary of State was also speaking truth.
And so it is that we give her the last word on that matter concerning the now tired debate about the scope and extent to which The Bahamas should go to show that it is friend to the United States of America.
Editorial from The Bahama Journal
