CELAC: Imperialist States Not Wanted
By Victor Martinez
The Comunidad de Estados Latinoamericanos y Caribeños (CELAC) met last January in Costa Rica. The CELAC political entity has been hailed by many progressive forces as an alternative inter-American organizational structure not dominated by the United States or Canada. It is an organization comparable to the OAS in its fundamental structure, but different in the fact that neither the US or Canada are allowed to be a part of it. The exclusion of dominating American states allows the political agendas and course of action to be dictated by countries that have been historically marginalized by continental politics.
The convening of countries under CELAC produced a list themes that will be addressed in a cooperative manner between Latin American and Caribbean states. The discussion surrounding US/Cuban relations centered around the lifting of the blockade and respect for the sovereignty of the island nation. Members of CELAC have been publicly vocal towards this goal. Cuba itself has reiterated its goals of a normalized relationship and the repatriation of Guantanamo Bay. President of Bolivia, Evo Morales, stated in a CELAC press conference, that if it was not for the blockade, Cuba would be an exemplary model for all Latin American nations to follow. The weight of this statement was compounded by the fact that Evo morales cemented yet another victory for the presidency and has been credited with the significant boost in economic production Bolivia has experienced under his administration. Colombian President, Juan Manuel Santos, confirmed his commitment to peace talks with the FARC and affirmed that both the government and the guerilla forces are making productive strides towards peace. This is a far cry from the previous administration who was adamant to conserve its iron fist policy against opposition to the Colombian government. The previous administration, headed by Alvaro Uribe, even came closet o declaring war with neighboring Venezuela.
Today,Venezuelan/Colombian relations have stabilized despite the fact that Colombia remains a US proxy in the region. Colombia remains one of the top recipients of US aid and continues to abide by economic stipulation, laid forth by international financial bodies, that allow multinationals to opérate with near impunity within its’ borders. CELAC officially repudiated what it describes as “economic warfare” against Venezuela. The campaign of economic aggression was detailed to consist of a joint campaign by national capitalist actors in conjunction with US sanctions placed on it by the US. Amidst domestic problems and continued resistance by right wing forces, Venezuela has been saddled with sanctions by one of its largest oil consumers.
International oil prices have only worsened Venezuela’s economic situation and the Maduro administration has called foul pay from its political rivals as well as the US. Solidarity with Haiti, amongst political and social instability, was expressed by CELAC with the goal of having free and fair elections in the country. A goal that acting president, Michel Martelly, expressed as critical. International drug policy and the fight against illicit arms trade was agreed upon, by member states, to be paramount to the fight against social instability and violence. CELAC agreed to create an agenda specifically geared towards dealing with these issues. Celac also committed to presenting a united front against Transnationals.
The reinforcement of inter-American human rights efforts, with a focus on defending countries subjugated by transnational and corporate interest, was seen as a vital step to independent and alternative development. As promising as the CELAC meeting was, it was not without incident. President Ortega, of Nicaragua, designated the leader of the Puerto Rican Independence Party to represent him during an open fórum between member states. This caused some of the member states, including Costa Rica and Ecuador, to express concern for setting a precedent they felt was contrary to CELAC protocol. This caused the meeting to be cut an hour and a half short as representatives could not reach an agreement. Following the incident, President Ortega flew back to Nicaragua. Another noteworthy event was the Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro, assertions that there was a plot to kill him in Costa Rica. After the incident with Ortega and the closing of the days session, There were reports that Maduro did not spend the night in Costa Rica, instead he flew out to Nicaragua and returned the next day to continue the session. The fact that there may be a rift between two CELAC member states, in Nicaragua and Ecuador, is especially worrisome because they are also member states of ALBA and prominent forces in Latin Americas alternative development movement.
Victor Martinez is a Los Angeles based activist and contributor to Your World News. He can be reached at: kaibaman510@gmail.com
