It's Time to Defend Democracy in the Americas!

Parnell Duverger Chief Economist and Senior Consultant Joel Deeb Chairman & CEO Omega Consultants & World News February 24, 2010 "The peoples of the Americas have a right to Democracy and their governments have an obligation to promote and defend it. Democracy is essential for the social, political, and economic development of the peoples of the Americas." Inter-American Democratic Charter  Article 1 The Cancun, Mexico summit of Latin-American and Caribbean countries has ended today with the surprise announcement that a new "Community of Latin American and Caribbean Countries" has been created, that brings together the member countries of the Organization of American States, minus the United States and Canada. By leaving out these two countries with the longest tradition of protecting individual liberties at home and defending freedom wherever it is challenged, this new alliance has just signaled its members' intention to turn their back on the democratic values that have cemented the OAS as an hemispheric organization, and to renounce their individual and collective obligation to defend their peoples' right to democracy as the cornerstone for social, political and economic development as called for in article 1 of the Inter-American Democratic Charter.   Stop Chavez' bullying Clearly, this ill conceived new threat to the United States and Canada's similar way of life of freedom, democracy and the rule of law cannot go unchallenged, lest the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean soon find it increasingly more difficult to defend themselves against the relentless bullying of the new dictator of our hemisphere, Mr. Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, whose obsession is to turn the entire American continent into a vast prison modeled on Castro's Cuba. The pattern of immigration from Latin America and the Caribbean into the United States and Canada clearly demonstrates that the peoples of our region prefer a society that maximizes their individual liberties while also expanding their individual opportunities to climb higher on the economic ladder and enjoy social progress never experienced before. Indeed, such are the aspirations of the peoples of the Americas. Emboldened by his alliance with Iran's Ahmadinejad and his massive purchase of Russian weaponry, Mr. Chavez whose diplomacy has engineered this coup d'etat against the OAS, must have resolved, as his next step, to use Venezuela's Armed Forces and Cuba's support to obtain total dominance of our region. This is insane and, before it's too late, the United States must invoke the OAS charter to protect and defend the rights of the peoples of the America to democracy and their chosen way of life of freedom and economic prosperity. The United States of America, as well as democracies in Latin America and the Caribbean, cannot allow Chavez' Venezuela and their very few despotic allies in our region to achieve what the Soviet Union, as a nuclear power, could not do in our Americas.   Deliver a stern warning to Brazil's Lula It is disappointing that Brazil has not shown any interest in putting its wealth and influence to serve the cause of democracy and human rights in our region. Purposefully ambiguous since Mr. Lula took office in this emerging economic powerhouse, Brazil's foreign policy now openly brings support to Mr. Chavez's ambitions to deny the United States the ability to defend freedom, individual liberties and the market economy, on our continent. A stern warning should be delivered to Mr. Lula, who must now make a clear choice between the free and open societies of the United States and Canada, and the social misery offered by the small gang of dictatorships in our hemisphere led by Cuba and Venezuela. Let us help the people of Brazil discover the Lula that they surely never really knew.   Strengthen NAFTA'S ties to Latin American and Caribbean emerging democracies In the 1980's, the winds of freedom swept away the military dictatorships of Latin America. In the Caribbean, countries like Haiti got a chance to enjoy democratic governments as well, albeit with very limited success. Emerging democracies of Latin America and the Caribbean should be invited to develop stronger economic ties with Mexico, Canada and the United States, members of the NAFTA treaty for expansion of trade in our hemisphere, and to strengthen their own regional free-trade areas in the sub-continent.   Help protect Social and Economic Progress in Dominican Republic and Haiti The January 12 earthquake that leveled 3 major cities in Haiti has further weakened an already feeble state, the political instability of which was already apparent before the seism, in the daily political kidnappings that held for ransom members of the country's economic elite and its middle class. Haiti's current President Mr. Rene Preval has steadily steered his country towards an alliance with the anti-democratic forces that threaten peace and security in our hemisphere. This, of course, reduces significantly Haiti's chance to rebuild a poor economy into a system of production, wealth creation and accumulation capable of ending the abject poverty that Haiti is known for, as the world seemed ready to assist since the earthquake devastated the country. A continued deterioration of Haiti's economic and social ills is a serious threat to the stability as well as the economic and social progress achieved by the Dominican Republic in the last three decades. This scenario must not be allowed to play itself out on the island of Hispaniola. A responsible government of Haiti should lend its support to and cooperate with the administration of DR's President Dr. Leonel Fernandez in defending a democratic system of representative government and a strong market economy on both sides of the island of Hispaniola.   Defend Democracy and Liberty in the Americas In a recent editorial on Omega's website, Professor Parnell Duverger argued that: "For all nations in our Americas, genuinely committed to corruption-free governance within a framework of representative democratic government, and to the expansion of individual freedoms and economic opportunities, to human rights, the rule of law and a future of prosperity for our peoples through production and trade, it is imperative that a shared understanding and vision of our common security interests lead us also to a shared commitment to repel any attack on our chosen way of life; we must preserve liberty, courageously and decisively, with our common resources, strength and resolve." Parnell Duverger Preserving Liberty, Representative Democracy, Economic Opportunities, and Hopes for Prosperity in the Americas December 22, 2009 Now is the time to defeat despotism and defend democracy in our hemisphere. Omega Consultants & World News February 24, 2010