UNASUR in the Yankee Crosshairs

The Bolivarian independence and regional integration projects that have been taking place in Latin America and the Caribbean continue to grow despite opposition from local conservatives and forces in Washington. Our enemies use a number of material, military and cultural resources that they have amassed over centuries of exploitation and oppression to pursue their goals on this front. Our people, on the other hand, are supported by their rich patriotic traditions, forged by revolutionary campaigns against colonialism and slavery. These revolutions, initially fought for first-stage independence, were followed by subsequent battles against neocolonialism that were needed to achieve that second level of definitive independence.

The knowledge acquired in these battles against neoliberalism has been of great use. Take for example the Caracazo riots of 1989 in the Venezuelan capital, the indigenous uprising in Chiapas in 1994 and especially the 14 years of Hugo Chávez’s stellar national and regional leadership. Yet, we are still unable to fully appreciate just how much this Venezuelan juggernaut achieved in his tireless struggle. Inspired — as he himself proudly declared — by the example and friendship of Fidel Castro and the Cuban revolution, Chávez managed to strike up excellent relationships with Néstor and Cristina Kirchner, Lula da Silva, Evo Morales and Rafael Correa, among other Latin American and Caribbean leaders. His defeat of the Free Trade Area of the Americas in 2005 was one of his greatest victories; it laid the foundations for the encouraging and unprecedented growth of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas, Petrocaribe, the Union of South American Nations, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States and an expanded Mercosur. These organizations have put a stop to arrogant American attempts at intervention and control; they have also encouraged a sense of regional independence and solidarity. Now, the people and governments of Latin America have found their own voice.

The Yankee imperialists cannot stand having to treat us as equals. Secretary of State Kerry continues to perceive us as merely existing in the United States’ backyard. They have to declare loudly and clearly, just as Obama had to in the Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, that there can be no more summits without Cuba and that the criminal embargo placed on the nation must be brought to an end. They must concede that the Falklands are Argentinean, a difficult idea to swallow not just for the British elite with its imperial nostalgia, but also — and especially — for its American brothers in arms, covetous of the oil on its ocean floor and hoping to use the islands as a military base for strikes against our America.

We can clearly see the growing role of the imperial media army in the Yankee-oligarchy projects that continually destabilize the worthy and sovereign governments of Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador and Argentina. Henrique Capriles, for example, is politically significant only because of how the media covered and invented him. If we underestimate the despicable actions of this media army in brainwashing or sowing the seeds of doubt and division in important parts of society, including the working classes, then there will be a sorry price to pay.

The Pacific Alliance, which brings together Chile, Peru, Colombia and Mexico, and whose summit gets underway today in Cali, is a serious threat against the aforementioned institutions of Latino-Caribbean unity and integration — the Union of South American Nations in particular. It is also an attempt to reestablish the Free Trade Area of the Americas. All of the countries involved have free trade agreements with Europe and the United States, which as has been widely documented have brought huge economic, social and cultural tragedy to the countries in the south that have applied them. In addition, keeping in mind that nothing in Washington is free, there could be a swift annexation and subordination of Pacific Alliance member states to the brutal and turbulent north. The Pacific Alliance includes more than 200 million inhabitants, a landmass of over 5 million square kilometers and 40 percent of the region’s gross domestic product. The Pacific Alliance is effectively a dagger stabbing into the heart of the Union of South American Nations.

The Pacific Alliance’s impact is worsened by the additional factor of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. Washington conceived the latter in order to enlist its member states in the boycott of and growing hostility toward China and Brazil. The United States is alarmed by China’s rise as a South American and world power, as an Argentinean ally and as a member of BRICS, an economic organization that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Those trying to instigate change will not back down. They will carry on their fight with one formidable weapon: the support of the people. We will see yet another example of this at today’s rally in La Paz in support of Evo Morales.