There exists today in Venezuela a number
of conflicting forces that are making this
South-American country one of the bases for the most important battle
they are calling World War IV. This war, also known as Neo-liberal
Globalisation, is the fight against capitalism and hegemony to humanity.
Nevertheless, the sole difference with the past wars is that they
were fought with armaments of a high calibre and over extensive
territories, this war on the other hand is being waged behind television
screens and wielding the most fiercest bomb history has ever witnessed,
the Economic bomb. This fourth World war, successor to the wrongly
named Cold war (WW3), goes hand in hand with the recent industrial
boom of Information-Technology. In Venezuela, all of these Globalising
forces seem to be in action to annihilate all vestiges of hope and
democracy that are represented by the popularly denominated Bolivariana
Revolution. The documentary video, Bolivariana Venezuela: The people,
the fight and World War IV explores the current socio-political
situation of the country and the alternatives that the Bolivariana
Revolution have thrown down in the wide path of neo-liberal globalisation.
The idea is to offer an alternative point of view on the Bolivariana
Revolution and to try and clear up a lot of doubts that surround
the Venezuelan economic process and its president, Chavez.
The documentary starts with a brief recounting
of 500 years of capitalist evolution in the world, from the Conquest
of the Americas to neo-liberal globalisation, this serves to form
an understanding of all that occurs in Venezuela today. It then
follows Immediately to the Venezuelan theme of analysing the social
explosion of 27th February 1989 (known as Caracazo) in initiating
WW4. From there we rove into the processes of Hugo Rafael Cháves
Frías, the current leader of the Bolivariana revolution,
from his rising from the military on the 4th February 1992 to his
recent electoral victories and his return to power in the historic
coup of 13th April 2002. Then, by means of a series of interviews,
they analyse the pros and cons of the revolutionary process in its
fight for social justice and the dignity of the historically exploited
Venezuelan people. This work serves as a mediator of democracy,
the protection of human rights, the preservation of the environment,
the re-vindication of indigenous villages, women’s rights,
country folk, the resistance to treaties of free trade and the American
military hegemony. Then they go on to study the forces that oppose
this revolutionary process and the role the media has played as
the main opposing weapon. This is why this labour of emancipation
has fallen on the alternatives to act as beacons for the rights
of the unprotected Venezuelan people. And finally, different towns
folk and personalities offer the world a message of what really
happens in Venezuela thus clarifying the tinted portrayal that the
media, Venezuelan and International alike, have of this Bolivariana
Revolution.
August 15th Referendum in
Venezuela
Between Empire and Revolution
DECLARATION OF THE SITUATION
IN VENEZUELA BY MARCELO ANDRADE
Next Sunday, August 15th,
a national referendum is scheduled to take place in Venezuela to
decide whether democratically-elected revolutionary president Hugo
Chávez should remain in office. However, what is happening
in Venezuela, far from being an electoral process determining the
destiny of a leader, is a confrontation between the popular movements
of Venezuela against the Capitalist Empire. This confrontation,
however, won´t be decided on the ballots, but on the streets...
There is no doubt that Chávez has
the support of the overwhelming majority of the Venezuelan population.
This support, more importantly, doesn’t manifests itself just
in terms of votes, but in a massive revolutionary offensive plan
that, coming from the grassroots, seeks not only to neutralize an
Opposition fraud, but to deploy an active process of insurgency
to take this revolution to the next step: popular control of the
means of production and communication through the exercise of direct
democracy in assemblies.
The situation at the moment is complex,
but we are mainly dealing with three different scenarios that must
be understood outside of Venezuela. This is the only way we’ll
have real possibilities of carrying out the international joint
actions that can support the anti-systemic rebellion that is being
carried forth by the Venezuelan people:
*First, it must be clear that, in terms
of real votes, Chávez wins without a doubt the referendum.
The problem comes, of course, with the high probabilities of fraud.
The imperialist Opposition has all the means
to carry out a massive fraud that can create three different scenarios:
1) To impose the victory of the “yes”
(the question posed in the referendum is about overriding Chávez´s
government—The Bolivarians vote for the “No” while
the Opposition for the “Yes”).
2) To bring the difference between “Yes”
and “No” to a technical tie where the negotiating tentacles
of the bureaucracy are activated to seek governability pacts that
will try to halt the process of radicalization.
3) In the case that the fraud is too hard
to carry out, the Opposition can unilaterally announce its victory
(massively amplified through the media) before the official results
are given. Then, once the Electoral Council recognizes Chávez´
victory, an aggressive media campaign will point to the “chavista
fraud” to try to take the middle class to the streets. Of
course, they would immediately deploy a plan of unprecedented violence
(there are colombian paramilitary elements all over venezuela, in
addition to the recent theft of explosives and weapons) trying to
create chaos and massacres that could justify a coup d`Ètat
or multinational “peacekeeping” forces in Venezuela.
These are the three main scenarios, although
there are other possibilities (some more calmed others more chaotic).
There might be an attempt of the Opposition, for example, to cancel
the referendum by prompting terrorist actions before the 15th; again,
looking for massacres and chaos.
At any rate, there is a general consensus
amongst the popular movement that no fraud will be accepted (even
if legitimized by the “revolutionary” bureaucracies)
and that, if it happens, we will immediately activate, autonomously,
our revolutionary offensive of radicalization, inviting president
Chávez to command this process of insurgeny. This is, of
course, a very difficult and complex situation that immediately
transcends the boundaries of Venezuela. In that sense, this confrontation
between Empire and Revolution will be decided on the streets...
but not just on the streets of Venezuela as a Nation-State—since
that would imply our defeat—but on the streets of the Pachamerica
and the rest of this rebel Pachamama, our Mother Earth. Sisters
and brothers, we make a call to all of you involved in libertarian
struggles around this world, to join us in this crucial hour! This
is not just about Venezuela, and even less about Hugo Chávez!
This is a matter of autonomy or colony! liberty or slavery! life
or death!... and we need you fighting along, from the local to the
global to the local!
We make an open call to decentralized, direct
actions in support of the autonomous struggle of the Bolivarian
Revolution of Venezuela and the Pachamerican rebellions! Actions
are already being planned across all Our America and sister Europe...
and we need you all there. If there is nothing happening in your
city, town, community... plan it compañer@s!
From the rebel streets of Caracas
With Pachamerican love...
Proyecto Nuestra América –
Movimiento 13 de Abril – ANMCLA (Asociación Nacional
de Medios Comunitarios Libres y Alternativos) – OIR (OPCIÓN
DE Izquierda Rolucionaria – “Calle y Media” collective.
***
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=1223
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