In an article published this Sunday (18) in the newspaper The New York TimesPresident Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated that the US bombings on Venezuelan territory and the “capture” of the country’s presidentwhich took place in early January, represent “another regrettable chapter in the continued erosion of international law and the multilateral order established after the Second World War”.
In the text, Lula criticizes what he classifies as recurring attacks by great powers on the authority of the United Nations (UN) and its Security Council. According to the president, “when the use of force to resolve disputes stops being the exception and becomes the rule, global peace, security and stability are threatened.”
Lula also states that the selective application of international standards compromises the global system.
“If norms are followed only selectively, anomie sets in, which weakens not only individual states, but the international system as a whole,” he wrote.
For the president, “without collectively agreed rules, it is impossible to build free, inclusive and democratic societies”.
Democracy
In the article, Lula recognizes that heads of state or government, “from any country”, can be held responsible for actions that violate democracy and fundamental rights.
However, he emphasizes that “it is not legitimate for another State to claim the right to do justice”. According to him, “unilateral actions threaten stability around the world, disrupt trade and investment, increase the flow of refugees and weaken the ability of States to confront organized crime and other transnational challenges.”
The president states that it is “particularly worrying” that these practices are being applied to Latin America and the Caribbean.
According to Lula, they bring “violence and instability to a part of the world that seeks peace through the sovereign equality of nations, the rejection of the use of force and the defense of the self-determination of peoples”.
He highlights that, “in more than 200 years of independent history, this is the first time that South America has suffered a direct military attack from the United States”.
When dealing with the region, Lula states that Latin America and the Caribbean, with more than 660 million inhabitants, “have their own interests and dreams to defend”. In a multipolar world, “no country should have its external relations questioned for seeking universality”.
“We will not be subservient to hegemonic enterprises” and argues that “building a prosperous, peaceful and plural region is the only doctrine that serves us”.
Regional agenda
Lula also defends, in the article, the construction of a positive regional agenda, capable of overcoming ideological differences.
“We want to attract investments in physical and digital infrastructure, promote quality jobs, generate income and expand trade within the region and with countries outside it”, he states. According to the president, “cooperation is essential to mobilize the resources we so desperately need to combat hunger, poverty, drug trafficking and climate change.”
Regarding Venezuela, Lula states that “the future of the country, like that of any other, must remain in the hands of its people”.
“Only an inclusive political process, led by Venezuelans, will lead to a democratic and sustainable future.”
Cooperation
In the text, Lula also says that Brazil will continue to work with the Venezuelan government and people to “protect the more than 1,300 kilometers of shared border” and deepen bilateral cooperation.
When dealing with the relationship with the United States, the president states that Brazil and the USA are “the two most populous democracies on the American continent”. According to Lula, “joining efforts around concrete plans for investment, trade and combating organized crime is the way forward”.
“Only together can we overcome the challenges that plague a hemisphere that belongs to all of us.”
