An evolving relationship between President Obama and Caribbean leaders

Last month, as Antigua Prime Minister Gaston Browne welcomed his fellow Caribbean leaders to a two-day summit, he looked out into the audience and thanked Venezuela, China and Taiwan for their support.

“The governments extended a hand”, the outgoing chairman of the 15-member Caribbean Community regional grouping known as CARICOM said to a backdrop of thunderous applause. “We will not forget.”

Browne’s admission was as much an acknowledgment of the three nations’ new role in a Region once dominated by the United States, as much as it was a statement about Caribbean leaders’ feelings about being neglected by their most important security and trading partner.