🌵 Mondays with Morales: 🔍 Behind the Headlines: The Real Story of Venezuela's Democracy
7/29/24: 🗺️ Historical Context: From Monroe Doctrine to Modern Intervention 💰 Oil and Power: The Economics Behind U.S. Hostility
If the U.S. government were truly concerned about democracy and human rights, it would not be supporting repressive regimes like those in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. It would not be turning a blind eye to the grave abuses committed by its own allies in Honduras and Colombia.
Saludos once again, mi gente,
As we find ourselves once again bearing witness to the United States' relentless questioning of Venezuelan democracy, I feel compelled to dig deeper into the historical roots and broader context of this fraught relationship.
Let us begin by recognizing that the U.S. government's hostility towards Venezuela is not an isolated case but rather part of a longstanding pattern of intervention in Latin American affairs. From the Monroe Doctrine of 1823 to the present day, the United States has consistently sought to assert its dominance over the region, often under the guise of promoting democracy and free markets.
But what does this really mean for the people of Latin America? Time and again, we have seen the U.S. undermine democratically-elected governments that dare to prioritize the needs of their own citizens over the interests of foreign corporations. We have seen them orchestrate coups, prop up dictators, and impose crippling economic sanctions that disproportionately harm the most vulnerable.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the case of Venezuela. For years, the Bolivarian Revolution led by Hugo Chávez sought to use the country's vast oil wealth to reduce poverty, expand access to healthcare and education, and build a more equitable society. And for years, the United States has been determined to crush this experiment in socialist democracy.
¿Por qué? Because Venezuela, like Cuba before it, represents a threat to the neoliberal order that the U.S. has worked so hard to impose on the region. Because its success would demonstrate that another world is possible - a world in which the resources of the Global South are used to benefit the masses, not line the pockets of multinational corporations and local elites.
This is the context in which we must understand the U.S. government's relentless attacks on the legitimacy of Venezuelan democracy. Despite the fact that international observers like Jimmy Carter have consistently praised the integrity of Venezuela's electoral process, the U.S. persists in painting a picture of a "regime" that lacks popular support.
But the numbers tell a different story. In election after election, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) has emerged victorious, with Chávez and his successor Nicolás Maduro winning clear majorities. Even in the face of intense economic sabotage and a violent opposition backed by the United States, the Bolivarian Revolution has maintained the support of millions of Venezuelans who have seen their lives transformed by its social policies.
Of course, none of this means that the Venezuelan government is above criticism. Like any political project, the Bolivarian Revolution has its flaws and contradictions. There are valid concerns about authoritarianism, corruption, and the erosion of democratic institutions that must be addressed.
But let us be clear: these issues are not the primary motivation behind the United States' hostility towards Venezuela. If the U.S. government were truly concerned about democracy and human rights, it would not be supporting repressive regimes like those in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. It would not be turning a blind eye to the grave abuses committed by its own allies in Honduras and Colombia.
No, the real issue is that Venezuela, along with Cuba and Bolivia, represents a challenge to the United States' hegemony in the region. These countries, led by towering figures like Fidel Castro, Hugo Chávez, and Evo Morales, have forged a path towards socialism that rejects the dictates of the Washington Consensus. They have built networks of solidarity and mutual aid that bypass the traditional channels of U.S. influence.
Este legado—the legacy of resistance to U.S. imperialism and the struggle for self-determination—is one that we, as Latin Americans, must cherish and defend. It is a legacy written in the blood of those who have fought and died for the right to control their own resources and to chart their own destiny as people.
When we look at Venezuela today, we must do so with eyes unclouded by the propaganda of those who seek to destroy this legacy. We must recognize the bravery of a people who, in the face of unrelenting economic and political warfare, continue to defend their revolution and their right to decide their own future.
Esto no quiere decir that we should not engage in constructive criticism or hold our leaders accountable. On the contrary, it is precisely because we believe in the transformative potential of the Bolivarian Revolution that we must be its most rigorous critics, always pushing it to live up to its highest ideals.
But in doing so, we must never lose sight of the bigger picture - of the centuries-long struggle against colonialism and neocolonialism that forms the backdrop to the current crisis. We must never allow ourselves to be used as pawns in a geopolitical chess game that ultimately has little to do with genuine concern for democracy or human well-being.
In the spirit of international solidarity, of respect for the sovereignty and self-determination of all peoples, we must stand with Venezuela. We must demand an end to the sanctions that are strangling its economy and an end to the interventionist policies that seek to dictate its political future.
Above all, we must reaffirm our commitment to the vision of a Latin America united and free, a Latin America that is the master of its own destiny. It is a vision that Fidel, Chávez, and Evo fought for all their lives. It is a vision that we must carry forward, in their memory and in the memory of all those who have struggled for our collective liberation.
En solidaridad, Morales
Thanks for speaking out about this. Maduro won it fair and square. There were lots of international observers who will attest to this.
Thanks also for pointing out the imperialist legacy of the USA and other western allies who want to discredit him.
Si es cierto- Even in the face of intense economic sabotage and a violent opposition backed by the United States, the Bolivarian Revolution has maintained the support of millions of Venezuelans who have seen their lives transformed by its social policies.