Image from the World Conference Against Imperialism

The following statements were produced at the World Conference Against Imperialism held in Caracas, Venezuela from January 22- 24, 2020

The delegations of the Political Parties and Social Movements, gathered in the city of Caracas, capital of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, on the occasion of the “World Meeting against Imperialism”, after the deliberations we have reached the following conclusions:

The future of humanity is in grave danger. Peace on the planet is seriously threatened as a result of the military aggression policy of the US and its allies, as well as the deadly arms race that brings only dividends to large corporations in the military industry. War is the favored mechanism of imperial expansionism, especially that of the United States, and we observe that dramatically in the most recent regional conflicts that have severely affected the peoples of Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, and the entire region.

Likewise, the human race suffers the ravages of an economic model that in its suicidal deployment destroys nature by the insatiable obsession to maximize profits. That is precisely the logic of the capitalist system, which not only compromises its functioning but also puts humanity in danger of extinction.

The neoliberal model that implements the globalization of large corporations under the domination of imperialist States, has made the world economy extremely fragile. Crises are more recurrent, and large financial speculators control the planet. The distribution of wealth generated has imposed a standard of inequality, injustice and exclusion that affects a growing part of the world’s population. The scourges of poverty and misery affect billions of people like never before in the history of mankind. Undoubtedly, the development of capitalism breeds unsustainable phenomena, from the social, political and ethical points of view.

To this is added an ethical crisis derived from the prevailing way of life of market economies, where national cultures and human values are buried, in order to impose the consumer society. The cult of the anti-values of capitalism contributes to enhance the crisis of the human condition generated by the current model of coexistence.

Imperialism is in crisis and this makes it much more aggressive, dangerous and destructive. With the twilight of the unipolar world, American imperialism implements a strategy of global domination. The geopolitical commitment of the White House in the face of the resistance of the peoples and the irruption of emerging powers has been to defend its hegemony, through a neo-colonial policy aimed at taking ownership of natural resources, especially energy resources, controlling markets and politically dominating nations.

To preserve the current unjust world order, imperialism violates public international law, has turned the world into a great theater of military operations, develops unilateral coercive measures, imposes extraterritorial laws, attacks multilateralism, violates the sovereignty of nations and suppresses the self-determination of peoples. In its arrogant conception, its borders reach as far as its expansionist interests extend.

In line with this policy, imperialism resorts to military intervention, political destabilization of governments, wars and economic blockade. Its strategic planning conceives NATO as the global military arm of neoliberalism. In addition, within the framework of its Doctrine of the Unconventional War, terrorist actions, the use of paramilitaries, the prosecution of anti-imperialist leaders and targeted assassination, are some of the most emblematic actions of a genocidal policy, which puts humanity at risk.

Such practices have been “legitimized” through the cultural industry of capitalism, big transnational of communication and the use of social media. Likewise, the use of “Big Data” has become a powerful weapon to modify the behavior of the population and influence their political decisions.

In the attempt to impose a “single thinking”, the powerful people of the world manipulate religious beliefs, try to justify the current power relations at the expense of democracy, the imposition of free markets, Eurocentric racism, segregation of minorities, gender oppression, the eugenic nature of the global educational model, among many other factors, that perfectly fit the requirements of the capital dictatorship.

Neoliberal capitalism strengthens the exploitation of the working class, further oppresses women in terms of maximizing the profits of large transnational corporations, takes the future away from young people and blurs the identity of indigenous peoples. This shows that the solution to the great problems of today’s world requires a new model of human coexistence.

In that context, the multi-centric and multi-polar world emerges with greater force. The political and economic strengthening of powers such as Russia and China, along with that of other nations, makes an increasingly serious counterweight to the power of American imperialism. Evidently, the heroic resistance in the Middle East, the struggles of the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean, have contained and pushed back the plans of imperialism.

Moreover, the experiences of progressive governments around the world are already emerging as an alternative to neoliberalism. An example of this is the Bolivarian Revolution, which is projected as an anti-imperialist referent with enormous popular strength within the framework of the powerful civic-military union and based on the ideology of Liberator Simón Bolívar and Commander Hugo Chávez.

This has provoked the brutal attack by US imperialism against the Venezuelan people, who have squandered dignity and love for the Homeland, ratifying its course towards socialism in numerous electoral processes that support the vigorous participatory democracy existing in this country. Hard days of popular struggle have defeated threats of US military intervention, coup attempts, and terrorist violence.

This example of fighting, alongside that of Nicaragua and Cuba, as well as recent advances in Argentina and Mexico, has allowed the strengthening of anti-imperialist forces and will lead to the strengthening of new regional integration mechanisms (CELAC, ALBA-TPC, PETROCARIBE, etc.). Although in Honduras, Paraguay, Brazil, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Bolivia, neo-colonialism has been repositioned as part of the new edition of the Monroe Doctrine, popular struggles continue.

In the rest of the world people also resist, revolt and popular governments exercise their sovereignty. The anti-imperialist union is an uncompromising strategic goal.

In this context, the “World Meeting against Imperialism” states:

We urge the peoples of the world to fight for life, the preservation of nature and against structural conditions that generate climate change. Likewise, we demand developed nations to work decisively to prevent the destruction of the planet and especially the US to overcome its primitive stance that seeks to ignore the terrible damage that is caused to nature with the current production model based on the accumulation of capital.

We support the demand to build a more just international order that places peoples’ interests at the forefront and allows the development of social inclusion and justice policies to overcome the enormous social and economic inequalities that prevail among the nations of the world.

We call on the citizens of the world to defend peace, sovereignty of the peoples and join the legitimate struggles for the socioeconomic process on the basis of a broad platform of united struggle against the common enemy, US imperialism.

We reject the implementation of illegal unilateral coercive measures by imperialist powers, since those are criminal policies that affect the peoples. We specially condemn the genocidal policy of economic blockade applied against the nations of the world that exercise their sovereignty.

We reject the militarization of Our America and specially the presence of military bases of the United States in Latin America and the Caribbean.

We firmly condemn the military invasion and other aggressions committed by imperialism against the peoples of the Middle East. In particular, we reject the violation of the sovereignty of Syria and Iraq, the aggressions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as the vicious assassination of Commander Qasem Soleimani, a martyr of the peoples of the world fighting for freedom.

We demand respect to the sovereignty of Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua, and support the efforts of Nicolás Maduro Moros, Constitutional President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, to maintain peace.

We denounce the attempt orchestrated by the White House to censor the multi-state companies TeleSur and HispanTV. This represents an outrage against the freedom of speech of the peoples.

We condemn the coup d’état, orchestrated from Washington, against President Evo Morales Ayma. We condemn the violent repression and racism against the people of the Plurinational State of Bolivia.

Likewise, the “Global Meeting against Imperialism” agrees:

To build a Unitary World Platform organized by continents, regions, sub-regions, and countries in order to confront imperialism. This organizational structure will be shaped according to the characteristics of each territory.

To hold the “Continental Meetings against Imperialism” in 2020, aiming to form unitary continental, regional and sub-regional platforms articulated on the basis of a common plan of struggle against imperialism.

To call for the “Second Global Meeting against Imperialism” to be held in Caracas, capital of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in order to define the name of the Unitary World Platform, as well as the articulation of the different continental and regional platforms in a common plan that will unite the struggles of the peoples.

Finally, the “Global Meeting against Imperialism” agrees to take on the Agenda of Struggles introduced in the “First International Meeting of Workers in Solidarity with the Bolivarian Revolution”, endorsed by the “First International Women Congress”, by the “International Congress of Communes, Social Movements and the People’s Power”, by the “First International Meeting of Indigenous People”, by the “International Congress of Afro-descendants” and the “International Communication Congress”, held in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in 2019, an agenda that includes the following:

1. To hold an international day of mobilization in support of the Bolivarian Revolution and against neoliberalism on February 27th, 2020 (Commemoration of the 31st anniversary of the first insurrection in Caracas against neoliberalism).

2. Call for a world mobilization for peace in Venezuela, in Our America and against war plans of the Government of the United States for April 2020.

3. Develop an international day in rejection to the Monroe Doctrine, against the blockade and other Unilateral Coercive Measures for June 28th, 2020.

4. To create, until the next Meeting, a Coordinating Commission for the delegations present in the “First Global Meeting against Imperialism”, aiming to fulfill this plan.

Approved in the City of Caracas, Birthplace of the Liberator Simón Bolívar and Capital of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela on January 24th, 2020.

