Barbados shows how a small country can become a global phenomenon
The News
How can a one-party state be completely democratic? Ask the prime minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley. The leader swept into power in 2018 with the biggest victory in Barbadian history, winning all 30 seats in parliament for her Barbados Labour Party. Mottley was not only the country's most successful campaigner ever — she also took office as the first woman prime minister.
Soon enough, however, Mottley would lead Barbados into the international spotlight. In 2021, the Caribbean nation removed Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state , officially becoming a republic. Barbados became the first country to exit the monarchy in decades, creating a wave of global media attention and generating momentum for republicanism in other Commonwealth realms, like Jamaica and Belize.
Mottley connected the shift with the nation's desire to "fully leave its colonial past behind." Tiny Barbados, with a population smaller than Orlando, Florida, was suddenly a model for countries around the world grappling with their own legacies of colonialism and empire.
The prime minister hasn't stopped there. Climate has also been a focus of her foreign policy agenda. Mottley has repeatedly gone viral on social media for fiery speeches, railing against inaction and championing the plight of smaller island nations who are often ignored, but will suffer the most immediate impacts of the crisis.
And last year, while visiting London, she again made headlines after calling for trillions of dollars in reparations for colonialism and slavery from former imperial powers. Mottley has developed such a profile on the world stage, that she's been called a " likely front-runner " to be the UN's next Secretary General.
Mottley ran for re-election in 2022 and pulled off the same feat, with another 30-seat shutout. What the prime minister demonstrates is not only passionate, progressive leadership, but the potential for smaller countries to punch above their weight on the world stage through representation.
El Salvador's experience offers a stark inversion, from the opposite end of the political spectrum. President Nayib Bukele, enormously popular, has expended political capital to reshape the country of 6.3 million people in his image, wielding an authoritarian fist against crime and promoting Bitcoin as a national economic policy. A stream of international political admirers have taken Bukele's cue and adopted similar stances, often explicitly citing the president as inspiration.
Brad's View
While Bukele and Mottley are very different politicians, both have leveraged fame on social media to build platforms with worldwide reach and influence. Barbados and El Salvador, two previously oft-overlooked countries on the international stage, now represent political projects that extend far beyond their borders. The leaders of these two nations have provoked global conversations with impacts — for better, and for worse — on countries around the world.
The phenomenon should prompt us to think about what our own countries represent, or what they're capable of representing. Any nation on the planet can ascend to global prominence through charismatic, focused leaders and a clear message that meets its moment. That Barbados could be a star in our political sky does suggest a time of wonders. Creativity, and an understanding of how we are all woven into a wider tapestry, can give even the smallest countries a voice in the world.
