“ U.S. imperialism…is making desperate efforts to consolidate its hegemonic system of domination. We cannot allow this to happen.”
On September 20, 2006, Hugo Chávez Frías, then President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, delivered one of the greatest speeches at the United Nations General Body meeting. After greeting his audience and offering reading advice, he made the sign of the cross and stated:
Yesterday, the Devil was here in this very place. This rostrum still smells like sulfur. Yesterday, ladies and gentlemen, from this podium, the President of the United States , the President of the United States, whom I refer to as the Devil, came here talking as if he owned the world.
Chávez was referring to U.S. president George W. Bush whose regime had been waging a multinational genocidal war across West Asia since October 2001, with the biggest assault coming with the illegal invasion of Iraq in March 2003. This was part of a broad scale “global war on terror” that wreaked havoc abroad and domestically: it resulted in hundreds of thousands of casualties across West Asia and around the world while eradicating domestic civil liberties and rights. In his speech, Chávez castigated US imperialism not only for its violence, but also for its arrogance and hypocrisy. The US wanted full domination, he said, with a “democracy” that was “imposed with explosions, bombings, invasions and bullets.” Chávez called on the world to rise up against this barbaric empire.
It is important to note that Chávez had also been a direct victim of US imperial thuggery as the Bush regime supported a coup attempt to remove him from power in 2002. The Venezuelans were able to reverse the coup within 48 hours, but other countries, such as Haiti, were not so lucky.
In his speech, Chávez also demonstrated the ineffectiveness of the United Nations: its undemocratic structure (with a permanent Security Council with veto power); its inability to stop the invasion of Iraq or US attacks on the entire world, or the zionist bombing of Lebanon; and its role in securing US and western hegemony.
Chávez was prescient in his critiques of US arrogance and hypocrisy as well as the ineptitude of the UN. It is now September 2025, the UN general assembly is convening again in New York. At the same time, the zionist genocide of Palestinian people continues apace and with unimaginable horror while the monstrous zionist regime continues its daily bombings and massacres all over West Asia. The US gangster regime is fueling the war in Ukraine while conducting extrajudicial murders in Venezuelan waters and building up its military in the Caribbean for what looks like a possible attack and invasion of Venezuela. And, if we needed more proof of the need to dismantle the UN, we can only look to the presence of the self-proclaimed “president” of Syria, a leader of Al-Qaeda and ISIS, who is set to address the UN while Nicholas Maduro, the legitimate popularly elected president of Venezuela, is prevented from attending because of the bounty placed on his head by the thuggish US regime.
It is a shame that none of the current leaders of the world has the tenacity to be as bold as Hugo Chávez Frías was in 2006, calling out US leaders and lambasting US imperialism. We are at a moment of reckoning. We either come together and destroy the monster that is terrorizing the entire world, or we all go down together. Let Chávez’s words serve as our motivation to forcefully push forward with the fight against US imperialism – and the fight for life. The first step is to recognize the devil that needs to be defeated: “The Devil, it smells like sulfur, but God is with us.”
We reprint President Hugo Chávez Frías’s UN speech below.
STATEMENT BY H.E. HUGO CHÁVEZ FRÍAS, PRESIDENT OF THE BOLIVARIAN REPUBLIC OF VENEZUELA, AT THE 61st UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY
New York, September 20th, 2006
Madam President, Excellencies, Heads of State and Government, and high ranking representatives of governments from across the world. A very good day to you all.
First of all, with much respect, I would like to invite all of those who have not had a chance to read this book to do it. Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance, is one of the most recent works of Noam Chomsky, one of the most famous intellectuals of America and the world: An excellent piece to help us understand not only what has happened in the world during the 20th century, but what is happening today, and the greatest threat looming over our planet: the hegemonic pretension of the U.S. imperialism that puts at risk the very survival of humankind itself. We continue to warn the world of this danger, and call on the people of the United States and worldwide to halt this threat, which is like the sword of Damocles.
I was thinking of reading a chapter of this book, but in order to respect the time limit, I rather leave it merely as a recommendation. This is an easy-to-read book, a good reading, and surely you are familiar with it, Madam President. I am certain it has been published in English, German, Russian, and Arabic (applause). | I believe that the first to read this book should be our brothers and sisters of the United States, because the main threat is on their homeland. The devil is here. The devil; the devil himself is in their homes.
The devil came here yesterday (laughter and applause). Yesterday, the Devil was here in this very place. This rostrum still smells like sulfur. Yesterday, ladies and gentlemen, from this podium, the President of the United States, whom I refer to as the Devil, came here talking as if he owned the world. It would take a psychiatrist to analyze the speech he delivered yesterday.
As the spokesperson for imperialism, he came to give us his recipes for maintaining the current scheme of domination, exploitation and pillage over the peoples of the world. His speech perfectly fit an Alfred Hitchcock movie, and I could even dare to suggest a title: "The Devil's Recipe". That is to say, the U.S. imperialism, as stated by Chomsky in a very clear, evident and profound manner, is making desperate efforts to consolidate its hegemonic system of domination. We cannot allow this to happen. We cannot allow a world dictatorship to be installed or consolidated.
The statement by the tyrannical president of the world was full of cynicism and hypocrisy. Basically, it is with imperial hypocrisy that he attempts to control everything. They want to impose upon us the democratic model they devised, the false democracy of elites. And, moreover, a very original democratic model, imposed with explosions, bombings, invasions and bullets. What a democracy! In light of this, Aristotle's and those theories made by the first Greek thinkers who spoke about democracy shall be reviewed, so as to analyze what kind of democracy that is, one which imposes itself through marines, invasions, aggressions and bombs.
Yesterday, the United States' President said in this same hall the following, I quote: "Wherever you look at, you hear extremists telling you that violence, terror and torture can help you escape from misery and recover your dignity." Wherever he looks he sees extremists. I am sure he sees you, my brother, with your skin color, and he thinks you are an extremist. With his color, the Honorable president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, who came here yesterday, is also an extremist. Imperialists see extremists everywhere. No, we are not extremists, what happens is that the world is waking up, and people are rising up everywhere. I have the feeling, Mister Imperialist Dictator, that you are going to live as if in a nightmare the rest of your days, because no matter where you look at, we will be rising up against the U.S. imperialism. They call us extremists, since we demand total freedom in the world, equality among the peoples, and respect for sovereignty of nations. We are rising up against the Empire, against its model of domination.
Then, the President continued to say, "Today I want to talk directly to the populations in the Middle East. My country desires peace." It is true that people of the United States want peace; if you walk the streets of the Bronx, or through the streets of New York, Washington, San Diego, California, San Antonio, San Francisco, any city, and you ask people on the streets; definitely, all of them want peace. The difference lies on the fact that their government, the United States' Government, does not want peace; it seeks to impose its model of exploitation, plundering and its hegemony upon us under threat of war. That is the difference. People want peace, and then we wonder what is happening in Iraq? And what happened in Lebanon and Palestine? What has happened after 100 years in Latin America and the world; and most recently the threats against Venezuela, and new threats against Iran?
He addressed the people of Lebanon. "Many of you – he said -- have seen your homes and communities trapped in the middle of crossfire". What cynicism! What capacity to blatantly lie before the world! Do you consider the bombs in Beirut, launched with such millimetric precision, as crossfire? I believe that the President is referring to those western movies in which cowboys dueled and someone ends up caught in the middle.
Imperialist fire! Fascist fire! Murderous Fire! Genocidal fire against the innocent people of Palestine and Lebanon by the Empire and Israel. That is the truth. Now, they say that "they are suffering" because they see their houses destroyed.
The President of the United States addressed the peoples of Afghanistan, the people of Lebanon and to the people of Iran. Well, one has to wonder, when listening to the U.S. President speak to those people: if those people could talk to him, what would they say?
I am going to answer on behalf of the peoples because I know their soul well, the soul of the peoples of the South, the downtrodden peoples would say: Yankee imperialist, go home! That would be the shout springing up everywhere, if the peoples of the world could speak in unison to the United States' Empire.
Therefore, Madam President, colleagues, and friends, last year we came to this same Hall, as every year over the last eight, and we said something that has been completely confirmed today. I believe that almost no one in this room would dare to stand up and defend the United Nations system, let us admit this with honesty: the United Nations system that emerged after World War II has collapsed, shattered, it does not work anymore.
Of course, the UN is good for coming here once a year to deliver speeches; that is what it is good for. And also to draft very long documents, make good reflections and listen to good speeches like Evo's yesterday, and Lula's. Definitely, to that end it does work; and for many other speeches, as the one we just listened from the President of Sri Lanka and from Madam President of Chile. But, this Assembly has been turned into a deliberative body, with no power to exert the slightest impact on the terrible reality the world is experiencing. That is why we propose once again, today the 20th of September to join our efforts to rebuild the United Nations. Madam President, last year we presented four modest proposals that we consider cannot be postponed; they must be taken into consideration and discussed by the Heads of State and Government, our Ambassadors and representatives.
First, the expansion of the Security Council - as it was also said by President Lula yesterday, in this same place – both in its permanent and non permanent membership categories, envisaging the entry of new developed and developing countries, which is the Third World, as new permanent members.
Secondly, achieve the implementation of effective methods of addressing and resolving world conflicts, transparent methods of debate and decision making.
Thirdly, we consider fundamental the immediate suppression of anti-democratic veto mechanism, the veto power on decisions of the Security Council. This is a common clamor. A recent example is the immoral veto of the U.S. Government, which openly allowed Israel forces to destroy Lebanon just before our eyes, by blocking a solution in the UN Security Council.
And finally, as we have previously said, the role and functions of the United Nations Secretary General needs to be strengthened. The UN Secretary General addressed yesterday practically a farewell speech, and he recognized that throughout these ten years the world has become complicated and that the serious problems of the world such as hunger, misery, violence, Human Rights violation have worsened, as a consequence of the terrible collapse in the UN system and the U.S. imperialist pretension.
On the other hand, Madam President, Venezuela has decided several years ago, to wage this battle within the United Nations with our voice and our modest statements. We are an independent voice, representing dignity and the pursuit of peace as well as the reform of the international system to denounce persecution and hegemonic aggressions against the peoples of the planet. That is why Venezuela, Bolivar's native country, has nominated itself for one of the seats as non Permanent Member on the Security Council. God knows why the US government has started an open [and] immoral aggression in the whole world to hinder Venezuela from being freely elected to obtain a seat on the Security Council.
They fear the truth. The Empire is afraid of the truth and of independent voices, accusing us of being extremists. They are the extremists!
I wish to thank all countries that have announced their support to Venezuela, even though the vote is secret and it is not necessary for anyone to reveal their vote. But, I think that the open aggression of the U.S. Empire has reinforced the support of many countries, which morally strengthened Venezuela, our people and our Government.
For instance, MERCOSUR, our brothers of MERCOSUR, as a block, has announced its support to Venezuela. Venezuela is now a full member of MERCOSUR along with Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay. Other Latin America countries such as Bolivia and all the CARICOM nations have pledged their support to Venezuela. Likewise, the entire League of Arab States has announced its support to the candidature of Venezuela. I would very much like to thank the Arab world, our brothers of Arabia and of the Caribbean. Nearly, the African Union countries have announced its support to Venezuela, as well as other countries as Russia, China and many others across the globe. On behalf of Venezuela, of our people and of the truth, I thank you all deeply, because Venezuela upon occupying a seat on the Security Council will not only bring to it the voice of Venezuela, but also the voice of the Third World, the voice of the peoples of the Planet. There we will be defending dignity and truth.
Despite all this, Madam President, I believe that there are many reasons to be optimistic. Hopelessly optimistic, as a poet may say, because beyond the threats, bombs, wars, aggressions, preventive war, destruction of entire peoples, one can see that a new era is dawning, as Silvio Rodriguez says in his song: "this era is giving birth to a heart". Streams, alternative thoughts and movements, youths with different ideas are arising. In barely a decade, it has been demonstrated that the theory of the End of History was totally false, as totally false were also the theory of the founding of the American Empire, the American peace, the establishment of the capitalist and neo-liberal model that generates misery and poverty. This theory is totally false, and it has fallen down. Now it is time to define the future of the world. There is a new dawning on this planet that can be seen everywhere: in Latin America, Asia, Africa, Europe, and Oceania. I would like to highlight this vision of optimism to strengthen our conscience and our willingness to fight in favor of the world's salvation and for the construction of a new, a better world.
Venezuela has joined this struggle and for this reason, we are threatened. The U.S. has already planned, financed and led a Coup in Venezuela. And the U.S. continues to support coup plotter movements in our country. The U.S continues to support terrorism. President Michel Bachellet mentioned days ago, pardon me, minutes ago, the horrible murder of Orlando Letelier, former Chilean Foreign Minister. I would only add the following: the offenders are not in prison. And those responsible for that deed, in which a U.S. citizen was also killed, are American, CIA agents; CIA terrorists.
In addition, in a few days it will be the 30th anniversary of that murder and of the terrorist attack when a Cubana de Aviación airplane was blasted and 73 innocent people died. And where is the worst terrorist of this continent, the one who admitted being the intellectual author of the Cuban airplane blasting? He was convicted in Venezuela for years and he escaped with the complicity of CIA officials and the Venezuelan government of that time. Now, he is living here in the US, protected by the US government. He confessed and was imprisoned. Evidently, the U.S. government has double standards and protects terrorism.
I am making these statements to demonstrate that Venezuela is committed to the fight against terrorism, against violence and joins with all the peoples who are engaged in the fight for peace and for an equal world.
I have mentioned the Cuban airplane. Luis Posada Carriles is the name of the terrorist, who is protected here as other corrupts, who fled from Venezuela: a group of terrorists, who planted bombs in several embassies of various countries, murdered innocent people during the coup. They kidnapped this humble servant, and they were going to execute me, but God reached out His hand, along with a group of soldiers, and the people who went on the streets. It is a miracle that I am here. The leaders of that coup and those terrorist events are here, protected by the U.S. government. I accuse the U.S. government for protecting terrorism and its President for giving a completely cynical speech.
By the way, I mentioned Cuba, we went happily to Havana. We spent several days there and we could see the birth of a new era: The G-15 Summit, the NAM Summit, with a historical resolution, included in the final document. Don’t worry. I am not going to read the whole document. However, this document lists several resolutions drafted in open discussions with transparency by more than 50 Heads of State. Havana was the capital of the South for a week. We have relaunched the Non Aligned Movement, and if there is anything I may ask to you all, my friends, brothers and sisters, is to please lend your support to strengthen the Non Aligned Movement, which has a paramount importance in the birth of a new era, to prevent hegemony and imperialism. Moreover, you all know that we have designated Fidel Castro, as President of NAM, for a three-year term and we are convinced that our friend, Fidel Castro, will lead it with much efficiency. For those who wanted Fidel Castro to die, they remained frustrated, because he is once again wearing his olive green uniform, and is not only President of Cuba but also the President of the Non Aligned Movement.
Madam President, distinguished colleagues, Presidents, a very strong movement of the South emerged there in Havana. We are men and women of the South. We are bearers of these documents, ideas, opinions, and reflections. I have already closed the folder, and the book I brought with me, don’t forget that I really and sincerely recommend you to read it. We attempt to bring new ideas for the salvation of the Planet, for saving it from the threat of imperialism, and god willing soon. Early in this century, we ourselves can see and experience with our children and grandchildren a peaceful world, under the fundamental principles of the United Nations Organization, which will be re-launched and relocated.
I believe the United Nations must be located in another country, in some city of the South. We have proposed this from Venezuela. You all know that my medical personnel had to remain inside the airplane as well as my Chief of Security. They were both denied to enter the United Nations. This is another abuse and an outrage, Madam President that we request to be registered as a personal abuse by the Devil, it smells like sulfur, but God is with us.
A warm embrace and God bless us all.
Thank you.
Statement by H.E. Hugo Chavez Frias, President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, at the 61st United Nations General Assembly, September 20, 2006 (Mission of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, nonofficial translation).
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