Here is the speech of H.E. Donald Ramotar, former President of Guyana, to the {EIR Emergency Roundtable “It’s Worse Than You Think: The Strategic Implications of the Attack on Venezuela and How To Bring the World Back from the Brink."}
DONALD RAMOTAR: The kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro marks a giant step backwards for humanity. It is a return to gunboat diplomacy when a colonial power lauded its troops and changed governments at its will. The [inaud; 1:01:01] know that we have one colonial power. The United States by its actions has transformed itself into a super colonial power. It is not now only directed at the Global South and former colonies, but even developed countries in Europe have been now facing colonialization. This is how the government headed by Donald Trump is making, or hopes to make, a different interpretation of “Making America Great Again.” This also has a ring of gangsterism in it. It is a Mafia-style operation, reminiscent of Mario Puzo’s “The Godfather.”
Even the language in diplomacy has changed. No longer do we speak about agreements and accords. Now, we talk about making deals. This gives an idea of the thinking of those who head the most powerful country of the world at this time. It is clear that this administration does not have any regard for the sovereignty of states nor for international laws. We have seen, as we have said here before during these last three years, what took place in the Middle East and today the terrible suffering of the people of Palestine. International institutions are being totally disregarded, and it’s clear to me that there is an attempt to even destroy them. If the laws and institutions cannot be used by the powerful United States to achieve its ends, then they are trying to get them discarded.
The Trump regime has taken for itself the power to change governments and to take whatever it wants by force. This is now not confined to developing countries, as I have said. We’ve seen the demand to take over Greenland from Denmark. And that is not the end. Countries like Cuba are being threatened, and we know what that can be. The Cuban government has just denied that they have any type of opposition going on with the United Nations apart from the regular conversations they’ve had about migration.
Russia is being threatened as the United States military boards a tanker flying its flag. I think that is testing. I just heard the Russian comrade present here [Dmitri Trenin]. I agree with him fully because I think this is testing the resolve to counter what is going on. And it is very disappointing to me to see the Foreign Ministry spokesperson thanking the United States for sending back the two Russian nationals who were on that vessel. I don’t think that this calls now for good manners.
The immediate target is China and the BRICS countries. The United States by its action is admitting that it is incapable of competing with China peacefully. It has openly resorted to using fear to push China out of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Many governments in this region, particularly in the Caribbean, are very much afraid. The Jamaican Prime Minister just made a statement, when he was asked to comment on what took place in Venezuela, he said he wouldn’t comment because it would anger the United States, and his number-one job is to protect the people of Jamaica. He said it loudly; the other Caribbean leaders have not said it that loudly, but that is the prevailing mood among a lot of Caribbean leaders.
