Watershed
FARRUCO SESTO
I want to begin this note by paying a small personal tribute to my president, Nicolás Maduro Moros, who is the president of all Venezuelans, and in whom I recognize, in addition to being a good man, with his cordial, open attitude and his love for humanity, a great revolutionary, intelligent and committed leader, an excellent ruler and a world-class leader for these complex and, in a way, confusing times, due to the great geopolitical changes that are taking place.
We saw Nicolás in some images and videos that surfaced, and in all of them he appears unharmed, surrounded by his kidnappers, with great dignity, even managing to send his people the message that “we will win” by gesturing with his hands. And perhaps, in passing, a message to the world as well.
Please accept a message of affection, supreme loyalty, and recognition for him and his wife, Cilia Flores.
Venezuela was not defeated
I am not going to dwell on the events that took place in the early hours of Saturday, January 3, because they are known to everyone.
I simply want to say that the most violent of nations, which has intervened militarily in over 473 countries since its inception, not counting covert operations and other forms of political intervention, this time bombed a peaceful country that, since its independence over two hundred years ago, has never attacked any other nation in the world. This warmongering nation, the United States, blatantly violating international law, bombed Venezuela, causing numerous military and civilian deaths and kidnapping its legitimate and constitutional president. It is an incredible sign of the times we live in, where truth is nonexistent, international organizations have no authority, and nations subservient to the Empire are careful not to contradict the acting emperor.
A previous miserable emperor, Mr. Obama, had already declared Venezuela as an "unusual and extraordinary threat to the security of the US," thus opening the door to events like those we are seeing.
And all because of oil and other natural resources, as Mr. Trump himself acknowledged, who is anything but crazy. Yes, he is, to a high degree, a criminal, shameless, delinquent, and amoral man.
In any case, it is clear that Venezuela suffered a brutal aggression, but it was not defeated. There is the people, with their ancestral rebelliousness, their will to fight, and their consciousness heightened to the fullest. Now with more experience. There are the institutions functioning, among them the new National Assembly, installed precisely on January 5th, two days after the aggression. And there is the fact that the Supreme Court of Justice appointed Delcy Rodríguez as acting President. There is the revolutionary leadership, united and in its place: "Today more than ever, the high political-military command is more cohesive, in accordance with the instructions left by President Nicolás Maduro," said Diosdado Cabello on the 4th. Likewise, the popular, military-police fusion is functioning perfectly. So, Venezuela has a project. It was attacked and its president kidnapped, and it continues to be threatened, but it is preparing for a long resistance. And although she has the support of a majority of nations and peoples of the world, the real fact is that it is up to her to solve her problems and decide her destiny as she has done until now.
We Venezuelans say: We will win. And we are deeply convinced that this will be so. I dare to swear it: it will be so.
A turning point
The point is that, beyond what I've already said, the events of January 3rd became a watershed moment internationally. How else to put it? A turning point, a decisive event that divides time in two. Before and after this moment. Just as the genocide in Gaza was, and is.
Two major turning points in the 21st century. With them, everything is revealed. Above all, the decline of the Empire and its protectorates, including Europe, also violent and war-worshipping, with its colonialist DNA.
The advantage of these turning points is that they eliminate the gray areas, the yes-but-no, the progressive movements that look the other way and turn all indifference into complicity. They clearly define the landscape.
Let each person take their stand. On a personal level. On a professional or union level. On an academic level. On a media level. And also on a governmental and international institutional level. The story doesn't end here. And, in my opinion, it will point the finger at the guilty parties and their supporters.
