INTERNATIONAL DECLARATION
Stop the escalation of the political conflict in Venezuela
Against imperial intervention
For a democratic solution, from and for the Venezuelan people
Venezuela is experiencing an unprecedented crisis, which has been gradually worsening in recent years, to the point of dramatically affecting all aspects of the life of a nation. The collapse of public services, the collapse of the oil industry and the extraordinary fall of GDP, hyperinflation, the vertiginous increase of poverty, the migration of millions of people define this crisis, among other factors. Political unrest has escalated to very dangerous levels, undermining the constitutional state, the framework of social coexistence and the health of institutions. The country’s population is in a state of absolute vulnerability.
The Government of Nicolás Maduro has advanced towards authoritarianism, suppressing de facto numerous forms of popular participation that had been established since the beginning of the Bolivarian process. Repression has increased in the face of numerous protests and demonstrations of social discontent; the government has hijacked the electoral route as a collective decision-making mechanism and has proved intransigent in the goal of holding on to power at any cost; Maduro has ruled outside the Constitution, applying a permanent state of exception. Meanwhile, extractivism is deepening and economic adjustment policies which favor transnational corporations are implemented, with a negative impact on society and nature.
In parallel, the extremist sectors of the opposition bloc that managed to lead different mobilizations, have prompted several calls for a forced and radical ousting of the Maduro government (in 2014 and 2017), which generated very serious violent confrontations and attacks on infrastructure. This has further contributed to the strangulation of the everyday lives of millions of people, and had a severe impact on the framework of peaceful coexistence.
Additionally, in the context of the growth and alignment of the political right in Latin America, foreign intervention has intensified. In the first place, the Government of the United States has assumed a much more aggressive position toward Venezuela since 2015, through Executive Orders, threatening statements, creation of regional and international lobbies against the Maduro Government and economic sanctions which have impacted the national economy. Other international actors such as China and Russia also have significantly influenced the course of events according to their own expansionist interest, and their economic and energy appetites, configuring an extremely tense geopolitical situation.
On January 23rd, 2019, the self-proclamation of the president of the National Assembly, Juan Guaidó, as ’interim president’ of Venezuela in order to head a transitional government, has unleashed a new escalation of the crisis. This attempt to create a parallel State in the country found a quick recognition by the government of the United States, as well as other allied countries such as Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Paraguay, among others.
The creation of a parallel State centered on the National Assembly and the Supreme Court of Justice in exile, supported by the US and the so-called Lima Group, opens the stage for the deepening of the crisis and the unleashing of an internal armed conflict, a civil war with international participation. A devastating scenario for the population and for the Venezuelan Republic, which could be dismembered and be preyed upon by different international interests, as has happened in other world regions as a result of recent imperialist interventions.
The aggressive pressure of the Government of the United States, as well as the diplomatic confrontations between the latter and the Venezuelan Government, create very dangerous constellations.
The current situation no longer represents only a threat to the possibility of democracy, but to the very lives of millions of Venezuelans and to stability in the region. In an armed confrontation, the people are the first affected, and even more in today’s Venezuela, where the population already lives a huge precariousness and violence in the context of territorial disputes.
In this sense, we who sign,
• Reject the authoritarianism of the Maduro Government, as well as the government’s repression in the face of growing protests throughout the country, for food, transportation, health, political participation, public services, living wages, among others. The Venezuelan people, who suffer the enormous precariousness and the current repression, have the right to protest without being criminalized for it.
• We reject the self-proclamation of Juan Guaidó and the creation of a parallel State in the country, which will only lead to greater conflict and does not solve the main problems the country is facing.
• We repudiate any anti-democratic political shortcut that does not pay tribute to a peaceful solution decided by the people.
• We reject US interventionism, as well as any other form of foreign interference. Venezuela must not become an international battlefield. It is the Venezuelan people who must decide their destiny. We invite the peoples of the world to support and accompany them in this sense.
• We urgently call for the convergence of political actors and social organizations to join forces in order to stop the escalation of the political conflict in Venezuela.
• We urge to promote dialogue scenarios and seek solutions in which the Venezuelan people can decide, democratically and from below, their next destination; to reconnect with the processes of democratization that the Bolivarian revolution had built in its beginnings.
• We ask that the solution be based on the principles of the Constitution of the Republic. It is essential to reconstruct the social, political and institutional frameworks of understanding.
• We support the proposals, made from Venezuela, of negotiated outputs either through the mediation offered by the governments of Uruguay and Mexico, and/or by holding a binding consultative referendum so that the Venezuelan population will decide on the call to general elections. The fact that the Organization of American States (OAS) did not obtain the votes necessary to support the proclamation of Guaidó, gives indications that there is still room for an international dialogue.
• We invite national political actors to promote channels for an exit from the economic crisis that is suffocating the Venezuelan people. These channels should help to alleviate the basic needs of the population and boost the resurgence of an economy that enables the development of life and social welfare.
The way out of the deep crisis that the Venezuelan society is undergoing must be peaceful, constitutional and restore its sovereignty to the Venezuelan people.
Send your endorsement signatures with name, institution/organization, and country to: declarvenezuela gmail.com
First endorsements
1. Edgardo Lander, Universidad Central de Venezuela (Venezuela)
2. Emiliano Terán Mantovani, Observatorio de Ecología Política (Venezuela)
3. Miriam Lang, Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar (Ecuador/Alemania)
4. Alberto Acosta (Ecuador)
5. Tatiana Roa Avendaño, Censat Agua Viva (Colombia) - Cedla UvA (Amsterdam)
6. Maristella Svampa, Universidad Nacional de La Plata (Argentina)
7. Arturo Escobar, University of North Carolina (Colombia)
8. Rita Laura Segato, Profesora emérita, Universidad de Brasilia (Brasil)
9. Vladimir Aguilar Castro, Universidad de Los Andes (Venezuela)
10. Joan Martínez Alier, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona (España)
11. Raquel Gutiérrez Aguilar, Posgrado en Sociología ICSYH-BUAP (Mexico)
12. Carlos Walter Porto-Gonçalves, Universidade Federal Fluminense (Brasil)
13. Ashish Kothari, Kalpavriksh (India).
14. Oly Millán Campos, economista (Venezuela)
15. Enrique Leff, Instituto de Investigaciones Sociales, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (México)
16. Mina Lorena Navarro, profesora-investigadora BUAP (México)
17. Klaus Meschkat, Leibniz Universität Hannover (Alemania)
18. Catalina Toro Pérez. Universidad Nacional de Colombia (Colombia)
19. Marco Arana Zegarra, Congresista de la República, Frente Amplio (Perú)
20. Massimo Modonesi, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (México)
21. Eduardo Gudynas, CLAES (Uruguay)
22. Leonardo Bracamonte. Universidad Central de Venezuela (Venezuela)
23. Pablo Stefanoni, periodista (Argentina)
24. Felipe Milanez, Universidade Federal da Bahia – UFBA (Brasil)
25. Andrea Pacheco, Directora del Centro de Estudios de la Realidad Latinoamericana (Venezuela)
26. Vilma Rocío Almendra Quiguanás, Indígena Nasa-Misak, Pueblos en Camino (Colombia)
27. Emmanuel Rozental-Klinger, Pueblos en Camino (Colombia)
28. Ailynn Torres Santana, investigadora feminista (Cuba)
29. Mario Alejandro Pérez Rincón, Universidad del Valle (Colombia)
30. Patricia Chávez León - Territorio Feminista/ Docente e Investigadora UPEA (Bolivia)
31. Marxa Chávez León - Territorio Feminista (Bolivia)
32. Dunia Mokrani Chávez - Territorio Feminista (Bolivia)
33. Luis Tapia Mealla – Docente e investigador CIDES – UMSA (Bolivia)
34. Gabriela Merlinsky, CONICET (Argentina)
35. John Cajas-Guijarro, Universidad Central del Ecuador, FLACSO (Ecuador)
36. Domingo Hernandez Ixcoy, Maya K’iche (Guatemala)
37. Pabel Camilo López, CIDES-UMSA (Bolivia)
38. Grettel Navas, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona (Costa Rica)
39. Nadia Urbinati, Columbia University (Italia)
40. Alejandro Bruzual, Presidente de la Sociedad Venezolana de Musicología (Venezuela)
41. Nina Pacari, ex Canciller del Ecuador (Ecuador)
42. Pierre Beaudet, Plataforme Altermondialista, Montréal, (Canadá)
43. Ana Patricia Noguera, Universidad Nacional de Colombia (Colombia)
44. Pablo Quintero, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (Brasil)
45. Ronald Cameron, Plateforme altermondialiste, Québec (Canadá)
46. Aideé Tassinari Azcuaga, Universidad Autónoma de la Ciudad de México (UACM), México
47. José María Tortosa, Universidad de Alicante (España)
48. Enrique Viale, asociación de Abogados Ambientalistas de Argentina (Argentina)
49. Carlos Eduardo Morreo, Australian National University & Institute of Postcolonial Studies (Australia)
50. Franck Gaudichaud, Universidad Grenoble-Alpes (Francia)
51. David Barkin, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana- Unidad Xochimilco (México)
52. Carlos Forment, New School for Social Research (USA)
53. Gustavo A. García López, Escuela Graduada de Planificación / Universidad de Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico)
54. John Foran, University of California (USA)
55. Gabriela Massuh, escritora (Argentina)
56. Dayaleth Alfonzo, investigadora agroécologa (Venezuela/Francia)
57. Horacio Tarcus, CeDInCI (Argentina)
58. Facundo Martín, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo/CONICET (Argentina)
59. Jeffery R. Webber, Goldsmiths, University of London (Inglaterra)
60. Maxime Combes, economista (Francia)
61. Julio César Guanche, investigador (Cuba)
62. Nicholas Hildyard, The Corner House (Reino Unido)
63. Sarah Sexton, The Corner House (Reino Unido)
64. Larry Lohmann, The Corner House (Reino Unido)
65. Hiram Hernández Castro, académico (Cuba)
66. Patricia Pintos, docente e investigadora IdIHCS/UNLP (Argentina)
67. Thomas Posado, Universidad Paris-8 (Francia)
68. Andrés Kogan Valderrama, Observatorio Plurinacional de Aguas (Chile)
69. Ovidiu Tichindeleanu, IDEA / ABC Society (Romania)
70. Dianne Rocheleau, Clark University (USA)
71. María Paula Granda, The New School for Social Research (Ecuador)
72. Fabián Espinosa, SIT Ecuador / Desarrollo, Política y Lenguas (Ecuador)
73. Javier Reyes, Centro de Estudios Sociales y Ecológicos A. C. Michoacán (México)
74. Henry Veltmeyer, Universidad de Saint Mary´s (Canadá) y Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas (México)
75. Gonzalo Díaz Letelier, Universidad de Santiago de Chile (Chile)
76. Arturo D. Villanueva Imaña, Sociólogo (Bolivia)
77. Mercedes Centena, Socióloga (Argentina)
78. Norberto Manzanos, CONICET (Argentina)
79. Pablo Alabarces, Universidad de Buenos Aires (Argentina)
80. Hélène Roux, Universidad Paris 1 (Francia)
81. Markus S. Schulz, Centro Max Weber de estudios avanzados cultural y social (Alemania)
82. Valentina Estrada Guevara, consultora social (México)
83. Federico P. Koelle D., (Ecuador)
84. Janet Conway, Brock University (Canadá)
85. Börries Nehe, Goethe Universität Frankfurt (Alemania)
86. Nicolas Kosoy, McGill University (Canadá)
87. Udeepta Chakravarty, New School for Social Research (USA)
88. Adrián Beling, FLACSO Argentina / Universidad Humboldt de Berlin
89. Federico Lorenz, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
90. Instituto de Estudios Ecologistas del Tercer Mundo, Ecuador
91. Cecilia Chérrez, Ecuador
92. Pablo Almeida, La Casa Tomada (Ecuador)
93. Alejandra Almeida
94. Roberto Espinoza, Red Descolonialidad y Autogobierno (Perú)
95. Cornelis J. van Stralen, UFMG - Federal University of Minas Gerais (Brasil)
96. Octavio Zaya, Atlántica Journal, Canary Islands (España)
97. Ravi Kumar, South Asian University (India)
98. Vinod Koshti, IPTA, New Delhi (India)
99. Silvia Bagni, Universidad de Bolonia (Italia)
100. Anna Harris, Psychotherapist (Reino Unido)
101. Anwesha Sengupta, Institute of Development Studies Kolkata (India)
102. Ruchi Chaturvedi, University of Cape Town (Sudáfrica)
103. Federico Demaria, Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona, Catalunya (Italia)
104. Christian Kerschner, University Vienna (Austria)
105. Lucile DAUMAS, jubilada, (Francia)
106. Otávio Velho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (Brasil)
107. Geneviéve Azam, Economista, Attac France (Francia)
108. Diego Andreucci, Universidad Pompeu Fabra de Barcelona y Colectivo Entitle-Red Europea de Ecología Política (Italia)
109. Didier Prost, arquitecto urbanista (Francia)
110. Cândido Grzybowski, Presidente do Instituto Brasileiro de Análises Sociais e Econômicas (IBASE) (Brasil)
111. Jorge Rojas Hernández, Universidad de Concepción (Chile)
112. Boris Marañón Pimentel, UNAM (México)
113. Boris Alexander Caballero Escorcia, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (México)
114. K. Sudhir, Peoples Architecture Commonweal (INDIA)
115. César Augusto Baldi, professor universitario (Brasil)
116. Hermann Herf, Welthaus Bielefeld (Alemania)
117. Matthieu Le Quang, Universidad Paris 7 (Francia)
118. Alberto Chirif, Antropólogo (Perú)
119. Carolina Viola Reyes, Uninomada Sur (Ecuador)
120. Virginia Vargas Valente, Articulacion Feminista Marcosur (Perú)