Regional and national independence, sovereignty and the right of self-determination, these are ideas and notions which have run through Latin America and the Caribbean for centuries. Over 200 years ago Simon Bolivar and his band sought to unite Southern America to act as a check on burgeoning US imperialism, and on and off through the 19th century culminating in the West Indian Federation, the British West Indies had toyed with the idea of federal governance for a myriad of reasons. Those dreams were never realised, Bolivars dreams of a Gran Colombia ended in a nightmare as it broke up and the idea of a federalised West Indies remains just that as the federation imploded shortly after its creation.
Grand Colombia and the West Indian Federation may have died, but the dream and the reasons which make them not only appealing but needed remain ever-present. In spite of over two centuries of outside domination through the military (and their local proxies) and almost a century of political domination through the OAS (an arena in which the poor Southern Americans and Caribbean residents must pay homage to the imperial overlord) green shoots of the above mentioned regional and national independence, sovereignty and the right of self-determination have been showing themselves.
These are represented in the ALBA group, CARICOM and UNASUR, intergovernmental groups which have the sole and expressed aim of regional independence, guaranteeing national independence and sovereignty and allowing each country the right to determine its own path. And while these groups haven’t been perfect and are in some areas accused of being mere talking shops, what they represent and some of the things done have gone a long way towards having a strong sense of regionalism. Things which at first you wouldn’t even think of, such as the increase in tourist traffic from Latin America, can be traced back to these groups and policies and MOUs laid out and signed by them.
The tide, however, is turning again, the strength of regionalism and our ability as individual nations to chart our own destinies is again under threat. The usual suspects and culprits have all lined up and are already seeking to divide the region in order to weaken the individual nations and take advantage of them, and in some cases, they have succeeded in taking over the reins of government.
Starting in Honduras, moving to Brazil and now firmly cemented in Venezuela and Nicaragua the power from the north along with its lackeys have been steadily eroding, destabilising and ultimately ousting any government which even hints at going it its own way and charting an independent regional course. This is not the ravings of some despondent socialist, it is simply the clear observation of an individual who is living in the region and watching the most recent iteration of self-determination explode due to malicious, deliberate outside influences.
It is, for example, easy to lambast Venezuela and say that Maduro must go as he has ruined the economy and we have all witnessed the trauma thanks to satellite news. But to do so would be hiding the fact that this crisis is not of their own making and has in fact been forced upon them. With the nation unable to utilise the US dollar due to sanctions, they are facing a blockade in everything but name as the whole world (bar a few outliers) uses the US dollar as the medium of foreign trade. That means if they decide to buy from say, Nigeria, they would be unable to as the medium for that transaction (the US dollar) is off the table. The world understands that this type of action is unconscionable and that is why when the US pulled the same stunt with Iran the EU aimed to set up an SPV (Special Purposes Vehicle) aimed to use exclusively Euros and thus bypass the dollar.
This is being followed up by an insidious form of protest, as groups which can only be called splinter cells of the USAID, NED (National Endowment for Democracy) then take to the streets, joining, or in most cases whipping up large crowds of persons who are already dissatisfied with how things are going due to the sanctions and blockade. The same play is in town when it comes to Nicaragua, a nation also under economic sanction (see blockade) and which has also recently fended off ‘protests’ of the sort seen in Venezuela.
The Honduran government was ousted in a parliamentary/military coup in 2009, and ever since that nation has been ruled by one corrupt and murderous president after another, things have reached to such a head in that nation that persons are fleeing in droves as they seek to escape both the drug cartels (who constantly seek recruits and extortion) and state-backed death squads (who have a panache for killing human rights activists, environmental activists and indigenous activists). The same formula which was utilised in that poor central American nation, seeking to recover from decades of foreign oppression, was turned on the giant in the Latin American region, Brazil.
Like a bolt from the blue, Dilma Rousseff was unjustly impeached, not for graft, corruption, embezzlement, drug trafficking or selling titles, no she was impeached for a budgetary manoeuvre which all governments the world over employ to make it look like their countries aren’t as deep in the red as they actually are. As if to show that it was never really about corruption but simply about enforcing rules from the imperial master, it was almost immediately revealed that the acting president Temer was involved up to ears in the still ongoing massive corruption investigation stretching many countries.
Again, in order to show that this had nothing to do with corruption and all to do with politics, the single most popular politician in Brazil was (in the opinion of many learned lawyers) unfairly tried and wrongly convicted on false charges of corruption, again simply because he was (and remains) staunchly against outside interference in both domestic and regional matters. It should, therefore, come as no surprise that the man who followed Temer after the recent elections has already looked into having foreign bases located in his country and speaking with such venom against other regional nations that you would think that it is, he who occupies the oval office.
The counter-insurgency launched and funded by the US and her allies must be condemned and stopped. It is not geared towards the benefits of the citizens in the region, instead, it is hell-bent on ensuring that we revert to our previous status as areas of raw mineral/produce extraction and a readily available market for their expensive shoddy goods. This is not simply geared against the evil red under the bed, it wasn’t in the 50s and it still is not the case today. The sole aim is to destroy any nation which can or wishes to chart its own course, it is all about curbing independence and self-determination.
In 09 they went after the very non-socialist Honduras, for charting its own course, it went after the non-socialist but aiming for European social democracy brazil as it sought to re-kindle the multipolar world (see BRICS). It goes after the very mixed economy of Nicaragua because they still want (and are in talks with the Chinese) to build a canal which would bypass Panama (and thus cripple US domination) and they go after Venezuela because it sits on the largest proven oil reserves and has a strong track record of not only acting independent but also using its funds (and resources) to promote greater regional dialogue and integration (and by extension greater internal self-determination and independence).
All of this has one aim, the aim of wrecking the budding regional integration and most importantly stamping out the growing sense of independence which is more than evident in the region. First, they will go after Venezuela and Nicaragua as they are easy targets, then they go after Bolivia (see the red menace). The embargo on Cuba will stay in place and may even be strengthened, many nations in the region will cheer or keep silent. Finally, they will come after any and everyone who even thinks of dealing with China in an intimate way and in so they will have cemented their stated desire which is to have this region act as both its back yard and personal lake. To think that this is some conspiracy theory is to be blinded from reality. How else is one to take recent pronouncements from the US warning nations from dealing with China coupled with their hysterical reaction to Chinas burgeoning 5g network and global tech/trade push?
This must not be allowed to stand, regardless of one’s ideology, one must make their voices heard in opposition to what is currently taking place, as in the long run, whatever one’s ideology it, won’t matter unless it meshes with that of the US and her cronies. If one is for self-determination, if one holds to the principle of non-interventionism and if one holds true to international law then one must oppose the aggression and machinations being forced upon these nations. Today it is them, and sure as the day is long tomorrow will be us. Maybe not in terms of force (such as this) but definitely when the US starts making concrete fiscally and economically harmful demands of us (the remaining victims) as it relates to China and even, in the end, the EU. Stand up for those in need or be crushed when you are in need, let the peoples voice be heard and listened to or agree to foreign dictate these are our options, let us choose wisely as the consequences for the wrong decision will be awful.
jamaicachange 