Regional experts, diplomats, and academics have cautioned that Cuba's deepening crisis reflects a broader erosion of global norms and is placing Caribbean solidarity under serious strain. According to Antigua News Room, the warning emerged during a Vice-Chancellor's Forum hosted by The University of the West Indies (The UWI) on June 25.
The livestreamed forum, titled "Perspectives on the Current Cuban Crisis: Issues, Impact, and Imperatives," was chaired by Ambassador Gillian Bristol, Director of the Latin American-Caribbean Centre (LACC), and co-moderated by Professor Canute S. Thompson, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Undergraduate Studies, and Professor Don D. Marshall, University Director of the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies (SALISES).
Her Excellency Tania López Larroque, Cuba's Ambassador to Jamaica, opened by stating that the crisis must be understood against the backdrop of more than six decades of economic, commercial, and financial blockades imposed by the United States, which she said were intensified earlier this year. She rejected the framing of U.S. sanctions as support for the Cuban people, arguing instead that they restrict access to food, fuel, medicine, and investment. She called for stronger multilateral cooperation and respect for national sovereignty.
Professor Thompson, speaking on behalf of Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, underscored The UWI's commitment to engaging directly with pressing regional and global issues. He framed the forum as part of the University's mandate to drive social transformation and economic development. "We are not passive observers; we are activists," he said.
Professor Andy Knight, an International Relations expert born in Barbados and currently based at the University of Alberta, described the current global moment as an "interregnum" in which established norms are being actively contested. He issued a stark warning about the implications for small states everywhere. "If the principles of sovereignty and non-intervention are compromised… no small state can presume it will remain protected," he said.
Dr. Miriam Nicado, Rector of the University of Havana, offered a ground-level account of the crisis's human toll. She described it as "a strangling" of the country and highlighted widespread disruptions to higher education, including electricity shortages undermining online learning. She pointed to the UWI-Havana Centre for Sustainable Development as an existing model for productive regional cooperation.
Professor Emerita Jessica Byron-Reid, former Head of the Institute of International Relations at The UWI, traced more than five decades of cooperation between CARICOM and Cuba. Citing Cuba's significant contributions to regional education and health, she described the present moment as an opportunity for the Caribbean to return the goodwill it has long received.
Dr. Indira Rampersad, Head of the Department of Political Science at The UWI St. Augustine, placed Cuba's domestic response in analytical context, reviewing a package of 176 reforms aimed at introducing elements of a capitalist economic model alongside the country's existing socialist political structure — a trajectory she compared to paths taken by China and Vietnam.
Professor Bert Hoffmann, Lead Researcher at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA), called the measures the most comprehensive reform package Cuba has ever attempted, but cautioned that implementation is being pursued under extraordinarily difficult circumstances. He warned that reform alone will not resolve the crisis: without access to banking infrastructure and relief from the threat of sanctions, foreign investors have little incentive to commit capital regardless of how far domestic reforms advance.
The forum converged on a clear call to action for the region. Professor Byron-Reid recommended that CARICOM focus on preserving the Caribbean as a zone of peace, protecting nationals in Cuba, delivering humanitarian assistance, and supporting Cuba's economic recovery. Professor Knight urged CARICOM to speak clearly and boldly, resist historical patterns of colonisation, and recognise that how the region responds to Cuba will shape its own future. Panellists agreed the Caribbean cannot afford indifference.
The UWI is moving beyond words with its "One-UWI Humanitarian Effort," led by the School of Graduate Studies and Research. The initiative is mobilising staff, students, alumni, and partners across all five campuses to make monetary contributions toward essential supplies for the Cuban people until September 30. The public may contribute via https://bit.ly/ONEUWI4CUBA.
The UWI, which has served Caribbean development for over 75 years, was established in 1948 in Jamaica with just 33 medical students. It has since grown into an internationally recognised institution with nearly 50,000 students across five campuses: Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill in Barbados, Five Islands in Antigua and Barbuda, and a Global Campus. The University offers more than 1,000 academic programmes and has been included in the Times Higher Education annual rankings since 2018, standing as the only English-speaking Caribbean institution featured across four of its prestigious ranking lists.
