DAREECE POLO
Senior Reporter
dareece.polo@guardian.co.tt
An international relations expert says the Government is waiting for clearer direction from the United States before determining its next steps on Venezuela, avoiding statements that could be read as diverging from Washington’s policy.
In a telephone interview with Guardian Media, University of the West Indies International Relations lecturer Dr Michał Pawiński rejected suggestions that the Government has been silent since the United States removed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on January 3.
He said the Government’s consistent alignment with Washington at multilateral forums, such as the United Nations and Organisation of American States, amounts to a clear statement of national interest.
According to Pawiński, Trinidad and Tobago is unlikely to adjust its stance or offer further public commentary while US objectives remain ambiguous.
“Until you have a directive from the United States, the Government will not break ranks and express a position that might run counter to the national interest of the United States. Basically, what is happening is T&T’s Government has decided to bandwagon on the United States.”
Pawiński said Venezuela’s trajectory is now largely dependent on decisions yet to be clearly articulated by President Donald Trump’s administration.
He pointed to mixed signals from Washington, including reported reluctance by major oil companies such as ExxonMobil to re-enter Venezuela and a broader shift in US attention toward other geopolitical targets, including Iran and Greenland. He said this has left Venezuela in strategic limbo in the aftermath of Maduro’s removal.
Former head of UWI’s Institute of International Relations, Dr Anthony Gonzales, also described developments in Venezuela as opaque, saying information emerging from Caracas remains fragmented.
Gonzales said it is difficult to determine the direction of talks reportedly underway between Venezuelan authorities and the Trump administration.
He suggested Washington’s immediate priority may be stability rather than sweeping political change.
“What the Americans seem to want is that the place remains stable,” he said, citing the presence of armed factions, collectives and organised criminal groups capable of disrupting daily life and investment.
Gonzales said the US may be prepared to recognise Venezuela’s current leadership in exchange for energy access and assurances of order.
He cautioned that resistance from pro-Chávez factions and anti-American groups could complicate any deal.
On Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s public silence over whether her Government recognises Delcy Rodríguez as Venezuela’s interim leader, Gonzales said the restraint reflects uncertainty rather than disengagement.
“We criticised the regime, and we didn’t expect that the same regime would stay there if the Americans took over,” he said. “I think we were a bit surprised.”
Despite the uncertainty, Gonzales said the Dragon Gas project could survive if Caracas aligns itself with Washington.
Former energy minister Conrad Enill, however, said T&T’s prospects hinge less on Washington and more on how any Venezuelan administration defines its own national interest.
He stressed that the gas remains Venezuelan-owned, with T&T positioned primarily as a processing hub.
Enill said the dispute must be understood within a broader argument over ownership of Venezuela’s energy assets, pointing to the country’s history of nationalisation.
Against that backdrop, he said the Government’s approach is likely to remain diplomatic.
Meanwhile, Venezuela’s Ministry of Penitentiary Service has claimed that 116 prisoners were released this week under pressure from Washington, a figure disputed by human rights group Foro Penal, which put the number at 49.
US State Department officials reportedly visited Caracas since Maduro’s arrest, and a Venezuelan delegation is expected to travel to Washington to explore the restoration of diplomatic ties, though few details have been made public.
On the ground, Interim President Delcy Rodríguez accused the US of “criminal aggression” and called for unity to defend Venezuela’s sovereignty.
ExxonMobil’s chief executive has meanwhile described Venezuela as “uninvestable,” underscoring the uncertainty that continues to surround the country’s political and economic future.
