The United States and Venezuela are facing off in a global political battle. As the Venezuelan government, led by Hugo Chávez, consolidates ties with nations resisting imperialism, Washington is making a push to isolate and weaken Venezuela.
Chávez recently completed a multi-week world tour, during which he strengthened Venezuela’s international alliances.
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The United States is threatening to impose economic sanctions against Iran for exercising its right to develop nuclear energy—an attack on Iran’s sovereignty.
Chávez was also one of the key attendees of the summit of leaders of the Non-Aligned Movement leaders last week in Havana, Cuba. In his message to the summit, Chávez articulated the sentiment of anti-imperialist resistance shared by some of the movement’s 118 member countries.
The summit also marked the beginning of Cuba’s three-year presidency of the NAM. The Venezuelan and Cuban governments have been working together to push forward the revolutionary processes and social gains in their countries. The two countries are also hard at work in building solidarity and resistance to Washington’s neoliberal model in Latin America and elsewhere. The ascension of Cuba to the NAM’s presidency creates the potential for broadening the anti-imperialist front throughout the world.
Resistance worries Washington
The U.S. government is increasingly concerned about the growing ties uniting the nations it is threatening. Recognizing that Chávez is playing a leading role in building international unity, U.S. officials have embarked on a campaign to isolate his government.
A key component of this effort is blocking Venezuela’s bid for a non-permanent UN Security Council seat. The General Assembly will vote on this issue by secret ballot in October.
Venezuela’s bid for the Security Council seat has key supporters, including China, Russia, and the majority of countries in the African Union, the Arab League, Mercosur and Caricom. The United States, for its part, has been pressuring world leaders to back the U.S. client regime in Guatemala instead.
The U.S. has used the UN Security Council on numerous occasions to legitimize its empire-building efforts. This has been especially true since the overthrow of the Soviet Union and Socialist Bloc countries. A Security Council seat for Guatemala would be a guaranteed vote for the U.S. on any critical issue. A seat for Venezuela would amount to a check, however modest, on U.S. imperialism.
This week’s annual session of the UN General Assembly in New York poses a challenge to the Bush administration. The U.S. government’s Middle East agenda—the colonial occupation of Iraq, in particular—is expected to be the target of severe criticism from world leaders, including Chávez.
Despite attempts by the U.S. government to block his attendance, Chávez has pledged to speak at the United Nations as scheduled. Chávez pointed out that the United States has withheld visas for the health and security personnel of the Venezuelan delegation. (Khaleej Times, Sept. 16). But Chávez remains undeterred. “I’ll go even if it’s alone,” he said.
