The U.S. is using the upcoming Summit of the Americas to bully the rest of the region. The current puppet leader of Haiti must follow U.S. dictates yet is invited, while legitimate leaders of other countries are excluded.
This article was originally published in Haiti Liberte.
Will the Americas end up obediently bowing to the dictate of the Monroe Doctrine: "America to the Americans"? This is what Washington wants: an aberrant claim by Washington to impose its domination on the American continent and turn it into its "backyard". This is a maneuver by Washington's foreign diplomacy to achieve its goal of aggression and recolonization, pure and simple.
If the foreign policy of any country is based on its own interests, this theory "America to the Americans" has no ambiguity, it is not a fiction. In practice, it simply means that the American continent belongs to the United States.
And it is this position that has finally prevailed as evidenced in recent weeks: it is announced that joe Biden's United States will host the IX Summit of the Americas from June 6 to 10, 2022 in Los Angeles under the theme of "Building a Sustainable, Resilient and Equitable Future" for our continent.
According to the White House, "The vital national interests of the United States are inextricably linked to the success of our closest neighbors in the Americas. Thus, the ability of our democracies to bridge the gap between what we promise and what we accomplish depends in large part on what we do, together, to strengthen it."
This solemn declaration has no practical significance since all 35 States of the Americas, in this case: North America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean will not be represented. Is it not a Summit of the Peoples and States of the American Continent that should be prepared by all leaders in unison and with respect for each other's sovereignty? How is it that it was the United States, as host country, that nominated itself and only its distinguished guests?
By what right, by what authority, has the President of the United States been able to exclude certain governments and especially those that are not puppets of the United States such as Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua? To hear the former American diplomat, Eric Farnsworth, "This particular forum is expressly reserved for democratically elected leaders and this is what the Biden administration is grappling with." In this sense, it is not really a Summit of the States of the Americas but that of the States of the United States of America which is different from what we would like to sell to the peoples of the Americas. As Xiomara Castro, the President of Honduras, so aptly pointed out, "If we are not all nations, this is not the Summit of the Americas. The most worthy study of an American is America. Washington intends to be the Gendarme and the thief at the same time, it is intolerable!
Some countries retaliated and even threatened not to participate. This is the position of Bolivia, Honduras, Mexico; and even Caricom is offended by the arrogance of the United States to exclude certain states from the continental meeting. The Puebla Group and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean Nations (CELAC) condemned the US decision to exclude sister States from the Ninth Summit of the Americas.
Yet Haiti, a country dominated, exploited, humiliated, reduced to a pariah state by the West is invited. To play what role? Invited to do and say what is more than one wondering? The irony is quite biting. Indeed, "This particular forum is expressly reserved for democratically elected leaders," Farnsworth said. Yet the puppet President-PM of Haiti was invited. But then, understand: Ariel Henry was "elected" by the Core group, ergo, he is a "democratically elected leader". Who dares to contest? Obviously, the de facto Haitian Prime Minister, as a native of service felt superbly honored by the invitation of his "boss".
Failing to have visionaries, revolutionaries and valid leaders legitimized by their people, the United States has preferably chosen for its Summit puppet leaders like the Haitian Prime Minister who, without a doubt, will not overshadow them.
It is no secret that Ariel Henry cannot denounce the United States, which has triggered a political crisis in the country whose outcome is uncertain and which has already caused considerable damage to the population.
As part of the preparations for the Summit, a virtual meeting was hosted by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. Following the meeting, Ariel Henry reported in a tweet, "I stressed the need to strengthen the partnership between CARICOM, the United States of America and the countries of the Hemisphere, with a view to responding coherently to security challenges." He has nothing else to say and propose because, precisely, he is not mandated by the Haitian people. He will not represent the Haitian people at the United States Summit but rather the spokesman for the interests of an imperialist power in disarray, enemy of the oppressed peoples fighting for their total freedom.
The Haitian people will continue to strengthen the camp of the peoples and countries engaged in an anti-imperialist struggle to wrest their right to self-determination so that the American continent is no longer the preserve of a single State, in this case the United States of America, even the most powerful. Thus, we give our full support to the trade unionists, political activists, popular and progressive organizations of the Americas who have called for a People's Summit on June 8, 9 and 10 to counter the 9th Summit of the Americas to be held in Los Angeles, California. The peoples of the continent will win!
Berthony Dupont is Director of Haiti Liberte.
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