PART 2 of 3: Israel-Trinidad and Tobago Mirrors and Parallels.

America and Israel; America and Trinidad and Tobago; America-Israel-Trinidad and Tobago.

Trump… is a more reliable security partner than multilateral institutions such as the UN… which… largely failed to address the specific concerns of Israel and Trinidad and Tobago.  This sentiment of prioritizing a powerful bilateral ally over a dysfunctional multilateral body is one that Israeli policymakers would recognize immediately. It is the same calculation Jerusalem has made regarding the UN for decades. In that sense, both countries are not so much dependent on Trump’s America as they are choosing it with eyes open, costs understood, benefits deemed worth the price.

Trump… is a more reliable security partner than multilateral institutions such as the UN… which… largely failed to address the specific concerns of Israel and Trinidad and Tobago.  This sentiment of prioritizing a powerful bilateral ally over a dysfunctional multilateral body is one that Israeli policymakers would recognize immediately. It is the same calculation Jerusalem has made regarding the UN for decades. In that sense, both countries are not so much dependent on Trump’s America as they are choosing it with eyes open, costs understood, benefits deemed worth the price.

Grounded in shared democratic values, intelligence cooperation and aligned security interests, Israel’s relationship with the United States represents one of the most durable strategic partnerships in modern history. Under the Trump administration, that partnership has deepened significantly. Since taking office, the Trump administration has approved nearly $12 billion in major arms sales to Israel, reversing a Biden-era hold on weapons deliveries and using emergency authority to expedite approximately $4 billion in military assistance. The alliance is now being recalibrated for the future on terms that benefit both sides. Israel is seeking a new 20-year security agreement with the US with “America First” provisions, doubling the usual term and emphasizing joint research and development in defense technology and AI, rather than purely one-directional defensive aid.  The format is designed to appeal to the Trump administration’s “America First” instincts because it would directly benefit the US military rather than just being sent to Israel. “This is out-of-the-box thinking. We want to change the way we handled past agreements and put more emphasis on US-Israel cooperation. The Americans like this idea,” one Israeli official told Axios. The strategic logic runs both ways. Israeli military prowess empowers American diplomacy. When US presidents warn of consequences for aggression, Iran and its proxies must worry that Israeli forces, not just the US military, are prepared to back up Washington’s words with decisive action. Israel’s military capabilities therefore make pronouncements from Washington even more powerful.

Trinidad and Tobago’s relationship with President Trump’s America represents a significant and deliberate pivot. It is a small nation choosing to align with the hemisphere’s dominant power on issues of genuine shared concern: narco-trafficking, gang violence, arms smuggling, and the destabilizing influence of Venezuela’s Maduro regime. When the US struck an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean in September 2025, the Trinidadian Prime Minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, came out strongly on Washington’s side, stating “the pain and suffering the cartels have inflicted on our nation is immense.”  This was not purely opportunistic. Trinidad and Tobago had recorded its deadliest year of homicides in 2024, with organized crime networks directly tied to the same trafficking routes the US was targeting. The Trump administration formally reaffirmed the strength of its partnership with Trinidad and Tobago, with the Deputy Secretary of State specifically commending Persad-Bissessar’s public support for US military operations in the South Caribbean Sea and both governments’ commitment to curbing illegal narcotics and arms trafficking.

The US-Israel relationship, like all major alliances, involves negotiation and tension alongside solidarity. President Trump has leverage over Prime Minister Netanyahu, and unlike some predecessors, he is not reluctant to use it, thus making clear that it is the US President, not the Israeli Prime Minister, who is determining significant aspects of the bilateral relationship.  But this is precisely what powerful alliances involve: a larger partner setting parameters, and a smaller partner maximizing its position within them. Israel’s strategic challenge, therefore, is calibrating how much it relies on US military financing versus building genuine defense independence. Rather than seeking more aid, Israel is seeking to change the relationship’s dynamic toward genuine partnership, where both sides benefit from shared defense technology rather than Israel depending on American funding.  Prime Minister Netanyahu himself has signaled this direction, stating publicly........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)