Relationship dossier
Trinidad and Tobago
United States
Relationship assessment
A substantially cooperative partnership centered on regional security, law enforcement, and energy
Trinidad and Tobago toward United States
+40Trinidad and Tobago has cooperated with the United States on maritime security and law enforcement, including through shiprider arrangements that support joint action against illicit activity in the Caribbean. Its participation in regional security initiatives provides an additional channel for practical cooperation.
United States toward Trinidad and Tobago
+45The United States has supported regional security cooperation with Trinidad and Tobago through the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative and related law-enforcement engagement. It has also issued authorization for work on Trinidad and Tobago’s proposed development of Venezuelan gas resources, enabling a significant energy project involving the country.
Overall relationship
+40The relationship has a durable cooperative structure built around Caribbean security and law enforcement, alongside substantial energy ties and U.S. involvement in enabling Trinidad and Tobago’s gas-development plans. These practical links outweigh occasional policy differences and support a broadly cooperative overall assessment.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Trinidad and Tobago and the United States maintain a substantially cooperative relationship, particularly on regional security, law enforcement, and energy. Trinidad and Tobago participates in maritime security cooperation with the United States, while the two governments also engage through the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative. U.S. authorization for Trinidad and Tobago’s role in developing Venezuelan gas resources has provided a further area of practical cooperation. The partnership is not without policy differences, but no major sustained bilateral confrontation defines it.
Key developments
Trinidad and Tobago and the United States developed shiprider arrangements for maritime security and law-enforcement cooperation.
The United States and Trinidad and Tobago engaged in regional security cooperation through the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative.
The United States authorized work on Trinidad and Tobago’s proposed development of Venezuelan gas resources.
Major uncertainties
- The current scope and implementation of bilateral maritime and law-enforcement cooperation are unclear.
- The long-term prospects for gas development involving Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela depend on U.S. licensing decisions.