Cuban Freider Santana: The sovereignty of Caribbean countries is not negotiable and the response must be collective

Published at: 13/11/2025 01:42 PM

At the Meeting of Jurists in Defense of International Law held in Caracas, the vice-president of the Scientific Society of International Law, Freider Santana, strongly condemned the growing and frequent military deployment of the United States in the Caribbean Sea, which threatens peace in the region.

“The sovereignty of Caribbean countries is not negotiable, so the response must be collective, firm and based on Latin America and the Caribbean's own institutions,” said Santana.

Santana described the military deployment by the United States in the Caribbean as a “flagrant imperial aggression” that violates the international legal order and threatens peace and self-determination in the region.

Santana, in his speech, broke down the illegal nature of U.S. military operations, which are often presented under the euphemism of “security” or “fight against drug trafficking”.

“The deployment lacks the legal basis required in contemporary international law, being essentially illegal and framed in a political doctrine of hegemony and strategic control,” he said.

He emphasized that if the military presence is carried out without the invitation or valid consent of Caribbean States, it is considered an act of illegal interference and coercion that seeks to influence sovereign political decisions.

“In the face of unilateral threats, regional multilateralism emerges as the essential tool for collective defense and political consultation,” he added.

He insisted that it is necessary to promote declarations that condemn militarization, following the recent example of Colombia, as well as to use solidarity and cooperation platforms such as ALBA-TCP for the systematic reporting of violations and the defense of sovereignty.

Santana concluded his speech by urging jurists, academics and political leaders to mobilize, because in his opinion this is not a political battle but an “ethical and legal battle” for the “defense of civilization against the barbarism of the law of the strongest”.

“The military deployment of the United States in the Caribbean is an anachronism in the 21st century, a remnant of an era that we thought was superseded by the international law of our time... The path is multilateralism, regional unity and the intelligent and courageous use of the tools that international law itself offers us,” he reiterated.

Mazo News Team