Official Statement of the Caribbean Studies Association on the Venezuela Situation
— Caribbean Studies (@CaribbeanSAssoc) April 1, 2019
The Caribbean Studies Association expresses concern about the… https://t.co/r9Br0GZOI3
The Caribbean Studies Association rejects intervention in Venezuela
The Caribbean Studies Association expresses its concern over the recent events that threaten a possible intervention in Venezuela.
The Caribbean constitutes a scenario built on the illusions and utopias of the defense of the National States and of a regional collaboration, nourished by a common history, in the middle of a great gathering of intellectuals, politicians, academics and peoples who have fought for the transformation of our region into a community that progressively defends a space of common habitability. We have shared the roots of the violence suffered in dictatorships in various countries of the region. We know about the natures of dictatorial regimes, as well as the pathologies of the powers that mark the evolution of their political processes. We have also experienced the ravages of slavery, colonialism and its subsequent forms of intervention and foreign occupation led by external interests.
It has never been so opoportune to defend the respect for sovereignty among nations as it is now, the basic principle of international relations, which underpins peaceful coexistence, the practice of dialogue, negotiation and agreement. The respect of the law and the legitimacy of the States is based on the recognition of the democratic rights of the people who sustain the national integrity that the whole world recognizes and respects.
That is why we defend respect for the territorial integrity of peoples, the recognition of political pluralism in its diversity and the democratic coexistence of the Venezuelan people. Encouraging a confrontation will only impact negatively on the life and well-being of the people. In this context, we express our concern for the sanctions and suffering of the Venezuelan people.
As an intellectual organization, which includes a diverse institutional membership from the Greater Caribbean, we are against military intervention. In this sense we join the pronouncements of various international organizations such as Caricom, United Nations Organization, The Vatican, the Latin American Parliament and the International Conference of Montevideo, convened by Mexico and Uruguay who propose dialogue and negotiation, with transparency and guarantees, in favor of constitutional rights and peace as a way out of the crisis in Venezuela.
At this particular juncture, we support a great movement in favor of peace, democracy, justice from and for the Venezuelan people. No more wars or foreign interventions in the Caribbean.
Catalina Toro Pérez, President
On behalf of the Caribbean Studies Association
http://www.caribbeanstudiesassociation.org/official-statement-of-the-caribbean-studies-association-on-the-venezuela-situation/