Translated “Avante!” article by Luís Carapinha, Member of the PCP International Department

The Latin American progressive and emancipating processes’ framework crosses a specially complex and adverse moment. Contradictions and debilidades of diverse nature conjugar with the focus concentrated on the world-wide capitalist crisis deepening on its economies and above all, the virulenta organized reaction of the oligarchy power and the aligned forces with the imperialist interference and subversion. Hungry and uncertain of the tomorrow, the neo-liberal revanchist batedores palmilham the terrain, arremetendo against all that perceives soci al and democratic rights, public control and property, national independence and sovereign regional cooperation. In Argentina, Macri’s entreguismo, and the desabrida attempt of desenterrar the bolorento Washington Consensus. In Brazil, the coup d’état in progress achieved a critical fase, two years upon president Dilma’s re-election by 54 million Brazilian. As for Venezuela, it is a central piece of the Pentagon South Command threats and Washington’s fury. Obama, before travelling to Cuba and Argentina, renewed the macabre executive order, which considers the country an “uncommon and extraordinary” threat for the USA national security and foreign policy. From Caracas to Quito, alerts sound the danger of a new Condor Plan within Latin America. Lula points out fascism threats.

Throughout history, in the most hard and aziagos moments, resistance and mass performance were important in order to rasgar new horizons and achieve the justice senda and social progress. One ought to recall the Bolivarian Revolution, in the week of another celebration of the 2002 coup defeat. And going back 14 years. The Bolivarian process had irrompido about three years before, upon an outstanding electoral triumph, in a Latin America in conturção, during which, but the Cuban resistance defied Washington’s hegemony and the IMF dictate. Just upon the USSR end, amid the revolutionary counter-cycle. When Chavez was imprisoned and afastado from Miraflores for 47 hours, none of the current progressive processes in Latin America – in Brazil, Uruguay, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Ecuador, among others – was reality. The ALBA, UNASUR or CELAC, were inexistent, nor even the news Telesur chain.

It remained to break the back of ALCA and only then much later would take place the meetings BRICS - UNASUR and China - CELAC. The coup leaders had no qualms about trampling the Bolivarian Constitution and dissolve its institutions, vested by the church leadership and under the mentor applause of Wall Street, Bush and Aznar, and of the international democratic media. The uprising of the people flogged by the 1989 Caracazo, fresh in the memory and in the flesh, was instrumental for the April 13 turnabout. In the barracks, officers with command of troops rebelled. The people-armed forces union showed its vigour. Running against time, the coup leaders had sworn in Pedro Carmona, who headed the Venezuelan big business. Reportedly an assistant whispered uneasily into the puppet's ear: President did we take the power or are we surrounded in the Palace?

After that it was said that there is no 11 without 13. But the scenario of a coup returned, dangerously, in the wake of the ongoing economic war and collapse of oil prices. The operation against Venezuela is ablaze. It intensified after the early demise of Chávez in 2013, setting up an unconventional total war scenario, which seeks by all means to make the country ungovernable. The media campaign ridicules this reality, vulgarises the popular achievements of the last 17 years and cuts the historical nexus - and of class – of the economic and social problems that batter the country. It is imperious to unmask this campaign. The time is of solidarity with the Venezuelan workers and people and the struggle of the anti-imperialist forces in defence of the Bolivarian revolution.