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.
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