SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
"We must learn the lessons of the past and not be in the business of regime change or supporting coups--as we have in Chile, Guatemala, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic," Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said on Thursday. "The United States has a long history of inappropriately intervening in Latin American countries; we must not go down that road again."
While Criticizing Maduro, Sanders Says US Should 'Not Be in the Business of Regime Change' in Venezuela
"The United States has a long history of inappropriately intervening in Latin American countries," said the senator. "We must not go down that road again."
Jan 24, 2019
Amid warnings that the Trump administration is actively seeking to topple the elected government of President Nicolas Maduro, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Thursday spoke out against the U.S. government's "long history of intervening inappropriately in Latin America" even as he criticized Maduro for his violent crackdown on opposition protesters and violations of the country's constitution.
"We must condemn the use of violence against unarmed protesters and the suppression of dissent. However, we must learn the lessons of the past and not be in the business of regime change or supporting coups - as we have in Chile, Guatemala, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic." --Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)"The Maduro government in Venezuela has been waging a violent crackdown on Venezuelan civil society, violated the constitution by dissolving the National Assembly and was re-elected last year in an election that many observers said was fraudulent," Sanders said in a statement. "Further, the economy is a disaster and millions are migrating."
Sanders continued by saying the U.S. while "should support the rule of law, fair elections and self-determination for the Venezuelan people," it must also "condemn the use of violence against unarmed protesters and the suppression of dissent" in the country.
"However," he added, "we must learn the lessons of the past and not be in the business of regime change or supporting coups--as we have in Chile, Guatemala, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic. The United States has a long history of inappropriately intervening in Latin American countries; we must not go down that road again."
Prior to Sanders' statement on Thursday, as Common Dreams reported, more than 70 activists and scholars issued an open letter condemning recent moves by the Trump administration--including its decision earlier this week to officially recognize the President of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Juan Guaido, as the "Interim President" of the country.
While the letter acknowledged the very real and difficult domestic conflict within Venezuela, it stated: "In such situations, the only solution is a negotiated settlement, as has happened in the past in Latin American countries when politically polarized societies were unable to resolve their differences through elections."
Standing against further outside agitation from the U.S., the signers called for "international actors" to instead "support negotiations between the Venezuelan government and its opponents that will allow the country to finally emerge from its political and economic crisis."
While Sanders has yet to announce whether or not he'll run for president in 2020, In These Times this week has been tracking the reactions to the situation in Venezuela by declared or likely Democratic candidates.
"Of the major Democrats or progressives who have declared-or are expected to-only [Democratic Congresswomen from Hawaii] Tulsi Gabbard and Bernie Sanders have made statements," the left-leaning outlet reported Thursday.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Amid warnings that the Trump administration is actively seeking to topple the elected government of President Nicolas Maduro, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Thursday spoke out against the U.S. government's "long history of intervening inappropriately in Latin America" even as he criticized Maduro for his violent crackdown on opposition protesters and violations of the country's constitution.
"We must condemn the use of violence against unarmed protesters and the suppression of dissent. However, we must learn the lessons of the past and not be in the business of regime change or supporting coups - as we have in Chile, Guatemala, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic." --Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)"The Maduro government in Venezuela has been waging a violent crackdown on Venezuelan civil society, violated the constitution by dissolving the National Assembly and was re-elected last year in an election that many observers said was fraudulent," Sanders said in a statement. "Further, the economy is a disaster and millions are migrating."
Sanders continued by saying the U.S. while "should support the rule of law, fair elections and self-determination for the Venezuelan people," it must also "condemn the use of violence against unarmed protesters and the suppression of dissent" in the country.
"However," he added, "we must learn the lessons of the past and not be in the business of regime change or supporting coups--as we have in Chile, Guatemala, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic. The United States has a long history of inappropriately intervening in Latin American countries; we must not go down that road again."
Prior to Sanders' statement on Thursday, as Common Dreams reported, more than 70 activists and scholars issued an open letter condemning recent moves by the Trump administration--including its decision earlier this week to officially recognize the President of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Juan Guaido, as the "Interim President" of the country.
While the letter acknowledged the very real and difficult domestic conflict within Venezuela, it stated: "In such situations, the only solution is a negotiated settlement, as has happened in the past in Latin American countries when politically polarized societies were unable to resolve their differences through elections."
Standing against further outside agitation from the U.S., the signers called for "international actors" to instead "support negotiations between the Venezuelan government and its opponents that will allow the country to finally emerge from its political and economic crisis."
While Sanders has yet to announce whether or not he'll run for president in 2020, In These Times this week has been tracking the reactions to the situation in Venezuela by declared or likely Democratic candidates.
"Of the major Democrats or progressives who have declared-or are expected to-only [Democratic Congresswomen from Hawaii] Tulsi Gabbard and Bernie Sanders have made statements," the left-leaning outlet reported Thursday.
Amid warnings that the Trump administration is actively seeking to topple the elected government of President Nicolas Maduro, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Thursday spoke out against the U.S. government's "long history of intervening inappropriately in Latin America" even as he criticized Maduro for his violent crackdown on opposition protesters and violations of the country's constitution.
"We must condemn the use of violence against unarmed protesters and the suppression of dissent. However, we must learn the lessons of the past and not be in the business of regime change or supporting coups - as we have in Chile, Guatemala, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic." --Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)"The Maduro government in Venezuela has been waging a violent crackdown on Venezuelan civil society, violated the constitution by dissolving the National Assembly and was re-elected last year in an election that many observers said was fraudulent," Sanders said in a statement. "Further, the economy is a disaster and millions are migrating."
Sanders continued by saying the U.S. while "should support the rule of law, fair elections and self-determination for the Venezuelan people," it must also "condemn the use of violence against unarmed protesters and the suppression of dissent" in the country.
"However," he added, "we must learn the lessons of the past and not be in the business of regime change or supporting coups--as we have in Chile, Guatemala, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic. The United States has a long history of inappropriately intervening in Latin American countries; we must not go down that road again."
Prior to Sanders' statement on Thursday, as Common Dreams reported, more than 70 activists and scholars issued an open letter condemning recent moves by the Trump administration--including its decision earlier this week to officially recognize the President of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Juan Guaido, as the "Interim President" of the country.
While the letter acknowledged the very real and difficult domestic conflict within Venezuela, it stated: "In such situations, the only solution is a negotiated settlement, as has happened in the past in Latin American countries when politically polarized societies were unable to resolve their differences through elections."
Standing against further outside agitation from the U.S., the signers called for "international actors" to instead "support negotiations between the Venezuelan government and its opponents that will allow the country to finally emerge from its political and economic crisis."
While Sanders has yet to announce whether or not he'll run for president in 2020, In These Times this week has been tracking the reactions to the situation in Venezuela by declared or likely Democratic candidates.
"Of the major Democrats or progressives who have declared-or are expected to-only [Democratic Congresswomen from Hawaii] Tulsi Gabbard and Bernie Sanders have made statements," the left-leaning outlet reported Thursday.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.