Articles and opinion columns by Latin American analysts who take an unwavering stand for freedom, including members and directors of the IID.
Thirty years ago in China, there was a burgeoning pro-democracy movement made up mostly of young people that was brutally crushed by the Chinese military. This is now known as the Tiananmen Square massacre. Since then, not only has China continued its practice of authoritarian rule and human rights violations but it has become a superpower whose model of repression has been adopted by a good number of authoritarian regimes worldwide. China has become not only a huge repressor of social dissent and protest but also increased the capability of the state to spy on citizens and punish them harshly. The U.S. needs to take these powerful activities by an unfriendly competitor into account and proceed accordingly to develop and install anti-censorship mechanisms.
In April 1986 the dwellers of Chernobyl, Ukraine saw a plume of fire and smoke rise in the clean sky as reactor 4 began melting down after a steam explosion led to a fire. The people of Chernobyl and nearby villages were severely injured by the incident. A chain of denials thus covers the truth every time anything goes wrong. In Colombia another Chernobyl has just happened without being noticed. A silent and invisible radioactive explosion was triggered by the Supreme Court. It let Jesus Santrich free after being caught closing a sale of cocaine to the Gulf Cartel in Mexico. Mr Santrich was thus caught in violation of the Peace Agreements, but The Supreme Court found that Mr. Santrich has to be let free to take his seat in parliament. This was despite a US request for extradition substantiated with evidence. And just like Chernobyl the Santrich decision will affect millions of Colombians who will experience the lethal consequences of impunity. Notably among them, the swift and silent penetration of Colombian political institutions by organized crime.
Almagro again uses a “double standard” in excluding to deal with Bolivia’s crisis at the OAS’ 49th General Assembly. While Secretary Almagro’s assessment of Venezuela’s and Nicaragua’s situation is right on target, he uses a double standard with Bolivia’s situation with his statements made this past 17th of May backing Morales’ fourth, criminal, consecutive candidacy. In Bolivia, none of the essential elements of democracy are met; human rights and individual basic freedoms are violated, the country is a “narco-state”. Americas’ democratic governments CANNOT ignore Bolivia’s crisis at the 49th General Assembly, they should all demand Secretary Almagro to report on Bolivia’s situation within the framework of his obligations.
Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, points out that the Venezuelan president responds to Cuban dictates. If the U.S. were successful in pressuring Cuba to withdraw troops from Venezuela, the Maduro regime would collapse. If Cuba refuses, Senator Graham suggests mobilizing troops to the region. It is now important to start cutting the weapons supply from Russia, flights from Iran, and any aid coming from China. A naval and aerial blockade, would be a good start. The U.S. is doing the right thing by insisting on regime change in Venezuela; however, it must be done with thoughtful planning and careful analysis of Venezuela’s internal situation.
Mr. Luis Almagro has contravened the OAS’ General Secretariat to benefit Evo Morales. Bolivia; with the referendum election of 21 February of 2016 (21F) rejecting the reelection, with a constitution that was supplanted and had already been defiled so that Morales could reelect himself in 2014, with the guarantees of Article 32.2 of the American Convention on Human Rights that was in effect, with the absence of all of the essential components of democracy listed in Article 3 of the IDC, with political prisoners, and over 1,200 political exiles, a nation turned into a “narco-state” and with the findings of the Venetian Commission . . . has not given Secretary Almagro any institutional instrument to oppose Evo Morales’ dictatorship!!??
Waging war is a very serious matter. Commendably, U. S. Presidents and Congress are very reluctant to authorize the use of the Armed Forces of the United States. And yet, the U.S. has enemies, and often the national interest requires the use of military force short of a formal declaration of war. When diplomacy is exhausted, and military action is called for, Congress and the President need more than the two binary options of, either a formal declaration of war, or inaction. Currently, covert actions, or executive orders of questionable constitutionality, are the Presidential alternatives. But neither may be adequate in some cases. So, why not bring back letters of marque? The Founding Fathers wrote them into the Constitution for good reason.
Theresa May met her foretold destiny with elegance and softness. For too long a time she knew she could not bring Humpty Dumpty together again but needed to attempt to restitute political strength to her party. When she finally realized that the latter goal was unreachable, she submitted her resignation. Theresa May was thus trapped by the popular revolt and the refusal to address it by political leadership. She will most probably be remembered by posterity as the patron saint of headaches just like her predecessor and namesake St Theresa of Avila.
The Organization of American States (OAS) General Secretary gave his backing to a disqualified Evo Morales endorsing his fourth consecutive candidacy to Bolivia’s presidency as a “human right”, the condemnation to Luis Almagro’s actions and arguments for committing and holding up such a felony is massive. People, journalists, organizations, academicians, parliamentarians, and diplomats, point out perplexed the General Secretary’s opposite position dealing with the same facts elsewhere and ask the OAS for concrete actions. The OAS, however, has not addressed the issue and up to now covers up “Almagro’s double standard”. The OAS is a political entity of 35 States represented by their governments where each government’s interests and ideology define their position and therefore the Organizations’ course. The General Secretary is the OAS’ legal representative, elected by the General Assembly for a 5-year term, and can only be reelected once. If the OAS at its 49th General Assembly does not deal with Almagro’s deplorable conduct to benefit Bolivia’s dictatorship and applies the IDC to Bolivia, just as it did to Venezuela, besides covering it up, the OAS will be enabling the fourth Castroist Chavist dictatorship to have a firm foothold in Bolivia and will add a new violation of its principles and objectives, taking this institution back to the days of Insulza’s Organization.
Today while Russia could not effectively compete in the military and political dimension with either the US or China, it can certainly look them in the eye in cyber space. The real strategy of Russia is to destabilize the U.S. through its democratic process, and this aim is to be achieved through cyber means. Should the U.S. continue to deny the inroads made by Russia in cyber space, a serious precedent could be created. This includes the Bolivarian regime and its allies that also are Russia’s chums.
Secretary Almagro, in the company of Evo Morales, at the government’s offices in La Paz, has stated: “to say that Evo Morales today cannot participate, that would be absolutely discriminatory with the other presidents who have participated in electoral processes, based on a judicial ruling acknowledging the guarantees of their human rights”. It is a “murky endorsement” because it contradicts that which was sustained and expressed by Almagro in this very same case, it has neither clarity, nor transparency, it falls in the area of that which is dishonest and of a questionable legality. With Almagro’s endorsement, Morales will fulfill his plan. This is why it is urgent to clarify if Almagro can fight against Venezuela’s, Nicaragua’s, and Cuba’s dictatorships while at the same time, he is consolidating a dictatorship of the same criminal group in Bolivia.
