Washington's drive to corral Latin American countries into its anti-Venezuela campaign through the OAS faced a striking setback Wednesday after Caribbean nations took a stand for peace and stability rather than regime change and foreign intervention.
OPINION:
Caribbean, ALBA Nations Defeat Anti-Venezuela Motion at OAS
The U.S., backed by Canada and right-wing Latin American governments, called for blocking Venezuela's Constituent Assembly proposed by President Nicolas Maduro, while the Caribbean Community called for the "establishment of concrete plans for the restoration of peace and stability as soon as possible."
Even more dramatically, the move came as a swift rebuff to bipartisan attempts spearheaded by Senator Marco Rubio to bribe the Caribbean countries into taking an anti-Venezuelan stance through the proposed Venezuela Humanitarian Assistance and Democratic Governance Act, a U.S. bill that hopes to undermine the Bolivarian government's sovereignty under the guise of anti-corruption and “democracy promotion” efforts.
In Section eight of the 11-section proposal, the U.S. offers “Support for Caribbean Countries” through "U.S. initiatives to advance Caribbean energy independence.” What this means in practice is the severing of the Caribbean Community from ALBA, the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America, a multinational bloc devoted to continental integration and solidarity rather than neoliberal obedience to Washington.
Through the PetroCaribe Energy Cooperation Agreement, an initiative tied to ALBA founded by late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in 2005, 19 Caribbean nations have been granted energy deals on preferential terms by the South American country in an agreement that allowed the struggling countries to secure their energy needs without agreeing to predatory loans.
OPINION:
D-Day on Venezuela in Washington on at the OAS - for Whom Will the Bells Toll?
From Antigua and Barbuda to Suriname, nations were allowed to pay for imports from Venezuela over the course of 20 years for extremely low-interest rates. In some cases, fuel and petroleum debts have been repaid with foodstuffs, clothing and other goods. The goal of the initiative is to enable Caribbean countries to focus their budgets on economic development and the alleviation of poverty, instead of high energy budgets.
While the project has come under fire from right-wing opponents of Venezuela's model of regional leadership, PetroCaribe has been hailed by international organizations such as the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization as having generated “a virtuous circle between energy and development, between energy and poverty relief, between energy and eradication of hunger,” and in doing so, the alliance became “one of the food cornerstones in Central America and the Caribbean.”
Washington views the regional solidarity alliance as a threat since it diminishes its influence in the region, as was evident at the OAS today, while also sidelining U.S. multinationals who could be reaping heavy profits from its neighbors.
Likewise, the people and the leadership of Caribbean nations who have felt the improvements in their lives stemming from Caracas' aid, have every right to reject Washington's “carrot and stick” diplomacy while it stands alongside its proven friends in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.