Edil Osinaga | Communist Party of Bolivia
Good afternoon, comrades!
It is an honor to be here today, on behalf of the Communist Party of Bolivia, to express our support for the Bolivarian revolution and President Nicolás Maduro.
We are at a crucial moment in history. The global capitalist system is undergoing a profound structural crisis. A crisis that is not only economic, but also social, political, and moral. And it is in this context of decline that we must understand the desperate actions of US imperialism.
Since the fall of the USSR, the US has assumed the role of global policeman, deploying its hegemony with a network of nearly a thousand military bases. Its dominance has expanded so much that today, even on the European continent, one cannot speak of an independent “European imperialism,” but rather of an unacceptable submission to the dictates of Washington.
Faced with the weakening of its hegemony and the inevitable advance toward a multipolar world, US imperialism reacts with the aggressiveness of a wounded beast. This is why US imperialism is today the greatest threat to humanity, as it will not hesitate to drag us all into the abyss in order to maintain its power.
And, as always, its gaze turns to us. To Our America. Because our continent is not poor; it is impoverished. We are immensely rich. We are the planet’s great strategic reserve of natural resources: oil, water, lithium, biodiversity, minerals. Everything they need to try to revive their obsolete model.
In this adverse scenario, the Bolivarian Revolution appears as a beacon of hope and dignity, demonstrating to the world that US imperialism is not invincible. Venezuela is living proof that it is possible to say “No!”, that it is possible to challenge the giant and, despite a criminal blockade and a fierce economic war, to remain standing. It is an example of dignity and courage for all the peoples of the world. And for that very reason, it is being punished with a vengeance!
Imperialism knows that its greatest threat is not missiles or armies, but our unity. It knows that if the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean unite, we will be unstoppable. That is why its strategy is and always has been: to divide us!
It sabotages every attempt at true integration. It encourages fictitious conflicts between sister countries. And it fuels differences within the popular movement in our countries. It pits us against each other based on gender, race, acronyms, tactics, and egos, while it, the common enemy, continues to advance.
Commander Hugo Chávez understood this better than anyone. That is why he gave the utmost importance to the creation of instruments of unity such as ALBA, CELAC, and UNASUR. That is the legacy that Commander Chávez has left us.
Our duty, as anti-imperialist parties and organizations, is to support the Bolivarian Revolution and every struggle in the world that confronts US imperialism, such as the case of heroic Cuba and the just cause of Palestine.
We cannot afford the luxury of division. Let what happened in my country, Bolivia, serve as a lesson! As a result of internal divisions, fruitless fights, and losing sight of the class enemy, we ended up handing over the government to the bourgeoisie. That is the direct, bitter, and concrete consequence of disunity: the defeat of our peoples.
That is why, today, from this podium, I want to leave a message:
We must understand, once and for all, that the only way to defeat US imperialism is through the unity of all popular forces.
Thank you, comrades.
Hasta la Victoria, siempre!
