Editorial | Farewell, Mr Tapia; welcome the new agenda

THIS NEWSPAPER never comported with the brash, hectoring style of Donald Tapia which, perhaps, is what you might expect of a non-career diplomat appointed by Donald Trump as his legate in a country like Jamaica. Imperiously, and in public, he sought to instruct Jamaica on what ought to be the arc of its foreign policy.

It is said, however, that privately Mr Tapia is quite a charming man, genuinely interested in doing good things for Jamaica. He was ready for robust debate. But after less than 14 months on the job, the 82-year-old US ambassador has left Jamaica, having fallen ill and taken away for treatment.

We wish him a speedy and full recovery, appreciating that it is unlikely he will return to his post. For, as of January 20, Joe Biden will be America’s president and Mr Tapia, as is usually the case with politically appointed envoys, will submit his resignation, or be recalled by the new president.

Mr Tapia’s departure means that his post will be filled for the time being by his deputy chief of mission, John McIntyre, who, having previously served in Trinidad and Tobago, has experience of the Caribbean and the wider regional integration mechanism, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). But the next several months will be a period of hiatus for serious US-Jamaica diplomacy, or for Washington’s engagement with CARICOM.

Even at the best of times, Mr Trump is not sensitive to the concerns of developing countries. While he seethes over his election loss to Mr Biden, he is likely to care even less. Mr Biden himself will be busy putting together his administration, and the foreign policy will be tempted to focus on repairing relations with rich countries, badly rent by the four years of the Trump presidency. Jamaica and the Caribbean, however, cannot afford to be passive during this period. There are many issues in the region’s interest on which America’s support, and partnership, will be vital.

With respect to Jamaica’s bilateral partnership with the US, Kingston, without offending diplomatic norms, must find back channels through which to encourage Mr Biden to quickly nominate an ambassador to Jamaica and have that person confirmed by the Senate as soon as possible after his inauguration. It should be recalled that it was all of 19 months after Mr Trump’s assumption of the presidency before Mr Tapia arrived in Jamaica. Little got done.

Except for Barack Obama with Pamela E. Bridgewater (October 2010-November 2013) and Luis Moreno (Nov 2014-June 2017), US presidents have mostly named political appointees to the Kingston embassy. Mr Biden, Mr Obama’s vice-president, has named fellow alumni of the Obama administration to carry his foreign policy. If that, with respect to Jamaica, means a return to the approach of the Obama era, then it is important that we suggest to Antony Blinken, the secretary of state-designate, that quickly after he assumes office he determines who in the Foggy Bottom establishment fits the bill for Kingston. Otherwise, the wait will be for Mr Biden to decide on which of his supporters is to be rewarded with a posting in Jamaica. With political appointees, there is a gamble on what you will get, but with the potential upside that they often have a direct line to the White House.

THE CARIBBEAN IS THE MOST INDEBTED REGION

At a regional level, we previously stressed the need for CARICOM to articulate the priorities on which America’s support is vital and which it is in Washington’s interest to back. Our proposal for something akin to a Marshall Plan for the Caribbean is one of them. With an average debt-to-GDP ratio upwards of 70 per cent – Jamaica’s was 98 per cent – the Caribbean is the most indebted region in the world, a situation being made worse by the current pandemic. Yet, despite the promises, the region benefited little from the debt initiatives that emerged from the 2008 global financial crisis.

CARICOM must, therefore, even before she takes office, target Janet Yellen, the former chairman of the Federal Reserves, who Mr Biden has tapped to be his treasury secretary, to work in a debt initiative. It is not in America’s interest to have debt-wracked, economic stagnant partners on its southern border.

Further, Caribbean countries face existential threats from climate change and rising sea levels. They need help to build resilience and to bring greater relevance to the Paris Agreement, which Mr Biden has pledged to re-enter. Mr Biden has picked John Kerry as his climate tsar. CARICOM must not wait to hear from Mr Kerry. He should hear first from the community, with a reminder of the 15 votes it represents the bloc at the United Nations and other fora, and of the security threat that an impoverished, unstable and disintegrated Caribbean would pose to the US.

At the United Nations, the caucus of CARICOM ambassadors must be at the head of the queue to engage Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who Mr Biden has chosen as his ambassador to the UN. Ms Thomas-Greenfield is an experienced diplomat. While her focus has been largely on Africa, she no doubt understands, too, the Caribbean.