Foreign policy and defense
Barbados is a nation in North America. Its capital city is Bridgetown. Barbados has always worked actively for increased regional cooperation and was one of the founders of the regional cooperation organization Caricom. The country also protects good relations with the United States.
Caricom was founded in 1973 and brings together mainly English-speaking countries in the region. In 2006, most of the Caricom countries, including Barbados, formed a common internal market, CSME. The goal of CSME is increased mobility of capital and labor to strengthen the region’s economies, but not much has happened in reality.
Relations with the United States have always been important. Barbados participates in the security and defense cooperation RSS (Regional Security System), which is mainly funded by the United States. Six other small former British colonies in the Eastern Caribbean are also included in RSS, which has its headquarters in Barbados. RSS includes both police and military units. Much of the work is focused on limiting the extensive drug smuggling from South America that goes through the region to North America and Europe.
- Countryaah: Overview of business holidays and various national observances in Barbados for years of 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Barbados has disputed with Trinidad and Tobago about fishing rights and the right to sea areas around the islands. The International Maritime Law Court in Hamburg set the boundaries in 2006. Barbados was then entitled to a large area in the southwest that Trinidad and Tobago had claimed but not to an area north of Tobago. The Court also called on the countries to negotiate fishing rights. The area is not only interesting for fishing, but is also believed to contain oil and gas deposits.
The border with the French-controlled islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe was established in an agreement with France in 2009. The border with Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was established in 2015 and the one against Saint Lucia in 2016.
A dispute arose with Venezuela in connection with the launch of a bidding round for oil exploration in September 2008 by the Barbados in the area to which the country has been entitled by the Maritime Law Court. Venezuela claimed that part of the area offered by Barbados was in Venezuelan waters. Barbados rejected this and was supported by other Caribbean states.
In addition to Caricom, Barbados is also a member of the larger regional organizations OAS, Celac and ACS.
FACTS – DEFENSE
Army: 500 men (2017)
The fleet: 110 men (2017)