Interview | Venezuelans portray monumental resistance by enlisting in Bolivarian Militia - video Dailymotion

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We interview Dan Kovalik, Specialist in International Human Rights at Pittsburgh University Law School to provide his insights on the National Bolivarian Militia's Enlistment Day that is taking place today in Venezuela. teleSUR

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00:00Thank you, Bruno, for all the information.

00:02We will keep in contact in upcoming missions for sure.

00:06And also to go deep into the relevance of this event for Venezuelans,

00:10we invite Dan Kovalik,

00:11Specialist in International Human Rights at the University of Pittsburgh's Law School.

00:16Hello, Dan. Welcome to From the South.

00:18Thank you for joining us.

00:20Thank you for having me.

00:22Well, Dan, given the U.S. military presence in the Caribbean

00:25and also the growing threats towards Venezuela and the region,

00:28what do you see as the underlying interest behind these destabilizing actions?

00:34Well, I think there's several.

00:37The biggest, of course, is oil.

00:39Venezuela has the biggest known oil reserves in the world.

00:44The U.S. covets that oil, and so I think that's a big motivation.

00:49But I think a lot of it is also about hegemony.

00:53And, you know, going back to the Monroe Doctrine of 1823,

00:57in which the U.S. announced that it has the sole prerogative

01:01to interfere in the Western Hemisphere to protect its interests.

01:07And I think this is really a flexing of the Monroe Doctrine.

01:10The main highlight of the day is the National Bolivarian Malaysian Lisbon Day

01:18that is underway in Venezuela.

01:20In this context, what message is Venezuela sending to the world

01:24through this show of solidarity and national defense,

01:27especially in light of these external threats?

01:30Yeah, well, the Venezuelan people are showing

01:32they will not tolerate this type of intervention.

01:35They will stand up to any attack by the United States.

01:39They reject the Monroe Doctrine.

01:41They reject gunboat diplomacy.

01:47And I think it's a very positive thing, what Venezuela is doing,

01:51because the U.S. cannot be the bully of the hemisphere

01:55or the bully of the world.

01:57In the face of these external aggressions,

02:01how would you describe the role that the Venezuelan people is playing,

02:05I mean, the grassroots organizations, also the social movements,

02:09in this strong response to these threats,

02:11and how this reflects the resilience of the Venezuelan society as a whole?

02:15Yeah, well, we're seeing the Venezuelan people lead,

02:21really, the hemisphere's resistance against the United States.

02:26What is it, over 4 million?

02:28I think 4.5 million Venezuelan citizens have volunteered

02:33for these militias to defend Venezuela.

02:36This is monumental.

02:39This is a show, again, of resistance not only of Venezuela,

02:43but of all the people in the global south.

02:45So they really are a vanguard, I believe, in the world.

02:49Also, how would you describe the international solidarity

02:52that has been receiving Venezuela in this day,

02:55in the face of these attempts, these destabilizing actions?

03:00Well, I wish there was more, I guess I would say.

03:04I'd like to see some more solidarity.

03:06I think there's been a lot of good statements made

03:08by leaders in the hemisphere against this intervention,

03:14but I think we need more than words.

03:17We need action.

03:18We need the countries of the hemisphere south of, you know,

03:27the Rio Grande to really stand firm against U.S. intervention

03:30and put some real actions behind words.

03:34Thank you, Dan, very much for your insights

03:38on what is taking place today in Venezuela.

03:41Thank you very much.

03:42Proud to be here.

Interview | Venezuelans portray monumental resistance by enlisting in Bolivarian Militia

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