Dear Editor,

The global resonance of the hashtag #MakeAmericaGoAway may appear, at first glance, as distant satire aimed at US politics. Yet beneath the slogans, protest hats, and tourism shifts lies a deeper warning — one that Jamaica and the wider Caribbean would do well to heed.

Across Europe and Canada, visible resistance to US President Donald Trump’s foreign policy posture has coincided with declining tourism to the United States, diplomatic strain among traditional allies, and heightened caution within major financial institutions. European banks and regulators, wary of geopolitical instability, are tightening risk assessments and distancing themselves from political volatility. These responses may be rational for large economies, but for small, open states like Jamaica, the ripple effects are real and immediate.

Tourism, our economic lifeblood, is particularly exposed. While some travellers avoiding the US may divert to the Caribbean, global uncertainty often suppresses discretionary travel altogether.

Any economic slowdown in the US or Canada — our primary source markets — would directly affect jobs, foreign exchange earnings, and national stability. Equally concerning is the tightening of global finance. When major institutions become risk-averse, small developing states often face higher borrowing costs, reduced access to development capital, and stricter conditions for infrastructure and climate-resilience financing. Jamaica, already burdened by climate vulnerability and limited fiscal space, cannot afford to be collateral damage in great-power tensions.

There is also a diplomatic lesson. As global alliances fray, the rules-based international order — on which small states depend — comes under strain. Jamaica and Caricom thrive not in a world of power politics, but one governed by multilateralism, cooperation, and respect for sovereignty.

The message for Jamaica is clear: Diversify tourism markets, strengthen Caricom-EU relations, protect remittance channels, and advocate relentlessly for fair access to climate and development finance. The winds of global discontent are shifting.

Wisdom lies not in ignoring them, but in preparing our sails.

Dudley McLean II

dm15094@gmail.com