Bahamas Foreign Minister urges students to use their voice “even if it shakes”
The Foreign Minister of The Bahamas, The Hon. Frederick A. Mitchell, has warned that the international system is entering a period of growing instability, with small states increasingly exposed to geopolitical tensions, climate change and weakening multilateral cooperation.
In his public address at SOAS, organised by the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy, the minister described the current moment as a time of “genuine transition” rather than the collapse of the rules‑based international order.
“We are not witnessing the collapse of order,” he told the audience. “We are living through an interregnum - a period in which norms are more fragile and institutions are under strain.” Power, he said, is becoming more contested, consensus harder to achieve, and international institutions are being asked to do more while commanding less trust.
Use your voice
Addressing students directly, Mr Mitchell encouraged those interested in diplomacy and public service not to be discouraged by the challenges of the current global climate. Reflecting on his own journey from studying in London in the 1970s to becoming foreign minister, he urged students to value relationships and experience.
We are not witnessing the collapse of order. “We are living through an interregnum - a period in which norms are more fragile and institutions are under strain.
He recalled telling Antony Blinken, then US Secretary of State: “I leaned over to him and I said, ‘Did you ever dream in your wildest imagination that you’d be Secretary of State in the United States?’ He replied ‘No.’ And I said, ‘Well, the same thing for me - I have to pinch myself to find out I'm actually Foreign Minister of The Bahamas, remembering my walking to primary school when I was a ten‑year‑old in Nassau.”
“When your voice is all you have,” he said, “use your voice - even if it shakes.”
The global crisis
Drawing on The Bahamas’ experience as a Small Island Developing State, the minister explained how global crises often unfold without the involvement of smaller countries, even as they bear the consequences. “When conflicts erupt, we are not consulted,” he said. “The impacts are upon us, and we have to adjust.”
He highlighted the difficult balance small states must strike between upholding international principles and ensuring national survival. The Bahamas, he noted, depends heavily on the US for trade, food and mobility, making diplomacy with larger powers a matter of practical necessity as much as principle.
Recalling the temporary closure of US ports in 2001, he said the country began running out of food within two weeks - a reminder of the vulnerabilities that shape foreign policy decisions for small states.
Climate change
Climate change featured prominently in the address, with the minister describing it as the most urgent foreign policy challenge facing The Bahamas and many Caribbean nations. He warned that rising sea levels pose an existential threat, with the majority of Bahamian land lying just one metre above sea level.
“Our Prime Minister has said clearly that climate change is our number one foreign policy issue,” he said, calling for international climate finance systems to be reformed to reflect vulnerability rather than income alone.
While legal avenues such as international courts have a role to play, the minister stressed that meaningful progress would ultimately depend on political will and sustained diplomatic pressure.
