Friendship Does Not Cancel Sovereignty

In every relationship, there must be boundaries—romantic relationships, friendships and relationships between nations. Without them, lines become blurred and one party may eventually find itself surrendering more than it intended which complicates the relationship.

This week, Attorney General Wayne Munroe defended The Bahamas’ concerns over allegations that undercover U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents operated within our borders without the involvement of Bahamian law enforcement. His argument was simple: would the United States accept Bahamian officers conducting operations on American soil without its knowledge?

However, the question posed by AG Munroe goes beyond law enforcement. It goes to sovereignty.

Last week at the United Nations, Prime Minister Philip Davis argued that small states depend upon a world where rules bind the powerful as firmly as the weak. Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley similarly challenged an international system in which power remains concentrated among a few nations.

This sovereignty talk is not a new Caribbean conversation. During the turbulent drug-trafficking controversies of the 1980s, Sir Lynden Pindling confronted serious allegations levied against his government while tensions arose over American law-enforcement activities in The Bahamas. The lesson remains relevant: friendship between nations cannot erase jurisdiction.

Sovereignty is more than raising the aquamarine, gold and black, singing the anthem, or celebrating every July. In simple terms, sovereignty means controlling what happens within our borders. It means making our own laws—and expecting everyone, including foreign governments operating here, to respect them.

The United States is our closest neighbour and an indispensable partner and friend, but we are not its territory. We need cooperation against transnational crime, just as America benefits from Bahamian cooperation. But cooperation is not submission.

These are uncertain times, particularly for small states, and we must guard our sovereignty. Our friendships matter. Our partnerships matter. But so do our boundaries.

We can be America’s friend, partner, and neighbour without becoming America’s jurisdiction.

-Abigail Cartwright