Caribbean Journey
Why The U.S. Is Suddenly Obsessed With Trinidad's Oil (And What Jamaica Should Learn)
Trinidad's oil and gas fields are running dry and yet the United States just spent half a billion dollars building a new embassy in Port of Spain, sent warships to dock in Trinidadian waters, and reversed a revoked energy license within months. Why? And what does any of it have to do with Jamaica, a country that has no oil at all?
In this documentary, we trace exactly how a shrinking Caribbean gas field called Dragon pulled Washington deep into a three-year diplomatic saga involving sanctions, a revoked license, a change in Trinidad's leadership, U.S. military strikes in the southern Caribbean, and the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Then we turn to Jamaica, where the Pentagon has just made a $450 million strategic investment tied directly to Jamaican bauxite and ask why Jamaica's response, so far, has been almost silent.
This is a story about energy, power, and the price small nations pay for the attention of a superpower. Whether you're watching from Kingston, Port of Spain, London, Toronto, or New York, this is the Caribbean story shaping 2026 that almost no one is covering in full.
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Introduction: A gas field that isn't even Trinidad's
02:15 Trinidad's economy: 36% of GDP from oil and gas alone
05:40 The industrial giant: LNG, ammonia, and methanol exports
07:50 The hidden crisis: a secular decline nobody talks about
10:20 Atlantic LNG and the plant running below capacity
13:05 Dragon: the 4.2 trillion cubic foot lifeline
15:10 Washington enters: Trinidad's sanctions workaround
17:45 The 2023 agreement and the growing momentum
19:30 Trump wins, and everything changes overnight
21:15 The Chevron warning sign
23:00 April 2025: the license is revoked
24:40 A new Prime Minister, a new alliance with Washington
26:20 "Kill them all violently": Trinidad's military alignment
27:50 Channel milestone: help us reach 20,000 subscribers
28:20 The human cost: the Las Cuevas lawsuit
30:10 January 2026: the capture of Nicolás Maduro
32:40 Trinidad distances itself from the operation
34:00 The $500 million embassy rising in Port of Spain
35:30 The domestic backlash: "vassal state" accusations
37:00 What does this have to do with Jamaica?
38:00 Jamaica's energy vulnerability exposed in 2026
39:10 The Pentagon's $450 million bauxite deal
40:15 Gallium, rare earths, and Jamaica's hidden leverage
40:40 Trinidad vs. Jamaica: the choice Kingston now faces
📚 SOURCES & FURTHER READING
This documentary is compiled from public reporting, government statements, and official data, including: the International Monetary Fund's Trinidad and Tobago economic reporting; U.S. Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control license records; U.S. Department of Defense announcements regarding ATALCO and Element USA; statements from Trinidad and Tobago's Ministry of Energy and Office of the Prime Minister; Jamaica's Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining; reporting from Reuters, Bloomberg, the Associated Press, and regional Caribbean outlets including the Trinidad Guardian and the Jamaica Observer; and public statements from the U.S. Department of State and Pentagon officials. Every figure and date referenced in this video reflects the most recent publicly available reporting at the time of publication.
⚠️ DISCLAIMER
This video is produced for educational and informational purposes. It presents publicly reported facts, government statements, and documented events from multiple sources, including matters that remain legally and politically disputed, such as the ongoing federal lawsuit related to the Las Cuevas strikes and questions raised by international legal scholars about the January 2026 operation in Caracas. Where accounts conflict, this video notes the discrepancy rather than presenting one side as definitive fact. This content does not represent an official position of any government, political party, or organization, and is not intended as legal, financial, or geopolitical advice. Viewers are encouraged to consult original sources linked and cited above for further verification.
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Published Aug 21, 2026