The Caribbean Must Seize The Opportunity Of Trump 2.0

* This is a contributed article. The IBTimes news staff was not involved in the creation of this article and this content does not necessarily represent the views of IBTimes.

Nevis is a relatively small Caribbean island, the birthplace of US founding father Alexander Hamilton and home to some 13,000 citizens, who I am proud to serve as Premier.

While by no means at the heart of President Trump's agenda, Nevisians extend our warm congratulations to him following his second inauguration. Together, we can work towards order and prosperity in the Western Hemisphere.

US-Caribbean relations must not be underestimated in their importance. The region posts consistent trade deficits with the US, depending on our northerly neighbor for more than a third of imports. In particular, Saint Kitts and Nevis, the two islands that form a nation, spends a great deal of its budget on American petroleum, which keeps the economy ticking.

Beyond advantageous terms of trade, President Trump will also need the Caribbean to fight his war on drugs.

The US Southern Command's Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-S), working in coordination with the Eastern Caribbean's Regional Security System, already plays a crucial role patrolling for drug-smugglers.

This partnership prevents billions of dollars of narcotics reaching the East Coast. However, given President Trump's commitment to repatriate spending, Caribbean states must go further and faster to support the JIATF-S on its missions, not least improving intelligence-sharing and our own on-land investigations.

In November's election, the Republicans' immigration policy was crystal clear: the party wants to halt illegal immigration, ensuring that migrants apply for entry to the US through the correct channels.

The stability of the Caribbean and Latin America will be crucial to achieving this goal. To put it simply, economic hardship and political turmoil unleash mass migration. A prosperous Western Hemisphere diminishes the rationale for families to pack up and head to the Southern Border.

Despite our small size, Nevis is an ambitious island, with an agenda that may soon catch the eye of both President Trump and those in his firmament.

The Nevis Island Administration, which I lead, is working hard to deliver unprecedented opportunities to Nevisians in coordination with the international private sector.

Nevis' extraordinary natural beauty and the potential to develop the island has long attracted the interest of high-level foreign investors. But I seek a gamechanger for the Nevisian economy.

My administration is confident that, in the coming months, a development project will be announced that captures the attention of the whole world.

Nevis refuses to settle for small island status; we want to unleash prosperity by embracing the same values that have made America successful: innovation, entrepreneurship, democratic vitality, and tireless ambition.

Without this gamechanger, Nevis will not be able to unlock its true potential, building on the substantial progress of recent years. We need to take decisive action to reach our goals, and I welcome the challenge.

My administration is confident that now is the right time, regardless of the political change in our region.

Indeed, many commentators posit that the world has never faced such uncertainty given President Trump's desire to break the technocratic mold and the ever-mounting tensions between the US and China.

That may be, but my duty as a political leader and Caribbean citizen is to chart a course through all waters, be they choppy or calm. The truth is that geopolitics has never been smooth; it takes agile leadership and intelligent cooperation to achieve mutual gains.

Nevis, and Saint Kitts and Nevis for that matter, has no greater ally than the United States. Our nation and our island are optimistic for the next four years.

We look forward to convincing the new President that the US' partnership with the Caribbean is an essential one as he pursues his second mandate.