US pressure on Venezuela reveals, once again, the White House's disrespect for the sovereignty of peoples.

By Francisco Balsinha (*), for 247 - The relationship between the United States and Venezuela has been marked for decades by political tensions, economic sanctions, and veiled threats. Since the beginning of the 21st century, with the rise of Bolivarian governments to power, Washington has exerted increasing political, economic, and diplomatic pressure against the South American country, justifying its actions under the argument of promoting democracy and human rights. However, what is seen in practice is a systematic attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of a sovereign nation, sometimes flirting with rhetoric of military intervention.

By justifying these actions with the argument of "supporting democracy," the US ignores elementary principles of international law, including national sovereignty and non-intervention in the internal affairs of other states. This is clearly a form of political pressure that attempts to impose a foreign agenda on a people who have the right to be free and to decide their own destiny.

Sanctions that punish the people

One of the most frequently used instruments by the US against Venezuela – and other states that do not submit to it – is economic sanctions. Although presented as measures against members of the government, in practice they directly affect the population. In the Venezuelan case, restrictions on oil trade, the blocking of state assets, and the closure of international financial channels aim to create an economic stranglehold and, consequently, affect the normal development of the economy.

As if that weren't enough, at least since 2020, the United States government, through authorities such as the Department of Justice, the US Attorney General, and Marco Rubio himself, the current US Secretary of State, has accused Nicolás Maduro of leading the "Cartel de los Soles" and participating in networks such as the Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa cartel. It should be noted that these accusations are made without any evidence being made public.

The threat of force: an unacceptable path.

This is the alleged reason why, in addition to economic, political, and diplomatic pressure, US authorities, especially during the Trump administration, have openly considered the military option against Venezuela. This unfortunate idea is already materialized in the presence of a nuclear aircraft carrier and several warships, and their respective crews, currently stationed in the southern Caribbean Sea, in what must be considered an act of unbridled provocation.

The use or threat of force against a sovereign state is prohibited by the Charter of the United Nations, but that charter means little to American officials.

This stance of the empire has already prompted condemnation from several Latin American countries and organizations, such as Cuba, Mexico, and Colombia, among others, which clearly shows that Latin America, historically marked by external interventions, coups, and dictatorships supported from abroad, firmly rejects this type of imperialist policy.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has even announced that a US military intervention in Venezuela would be considered an intervention against the entire South American continent. There is no doubt that any military action against Venezuela would cause civilian deaths and forced displacement, and could push the continent into a new era of conflict and polarization. Furthermore, it is certain that in such a scenario, the American military would also pay a high price in human lives and military equipment.

On the other hand, the selectivity of US foreign policy is once again before our eyes. While intensely mobilizing against popular governments like that of Venezuela, the US maintains strategic alliances with authoritarian regimes in other parts of the world, as long as they serve its economic, military and/or geopolitical interests.

This contradiction reveals that the falsely proclaimed "defense of democracy" serves only as a pretext for specific objectives such as control over natural resources (namely oil) or the containment of rival influences in the region, such as Russia and China.

In this regard, we recall Venezuela's failure to join the BRICS at the Kazan summit, a victim of a petty betrayal by Brazil, but, at the same time, the statements made a few days ago by Russian President Vladimir Putin, where he declared his support for the Bolivarian country's entry into that economic platform.

This aggressive US strategy is part of the economic, political, social, and moral crisis in which the empire finds itself. It is now up to all lovers of freedom and peace, anti-fascists and anti-imperialists, to raise their voices against this latest aggression.

It is necessary and urgent that we continue to defend peace, sovereignty, and multilateralism as paths to a more just humanity.

The future of Venezuela must be decided by its citizens and not imposed from the outside, according to foreign interests disguised as good intentions. The Venezuelan authorities were legitimately elected by popular vote and must be respected. Latin America must continue to reaffirm its peaceful and sovereign vocation, free from intervention and coercion.

(*) Francisco Balsinha is a journalist and editor of the website. independentnews.info and a member of the Alliance of Journalists for Communication in the Global South