A requerimento for Venezuela

THE EDITOR, Madam:

The attempt by the United States to “own”, “subdue” and “improve” Venezuela is rooted in a time long before the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine. It is rooted in the imperial doctrine of Don Fernando and Dona Juana, King and Queen of Spain, “subduers of the barbarous nations”. These imperialist methods of the Spanish Crown and its Council of Castile were laid out in their 1510 document ‘El Requerimento’.

The Requerimiento was read to the indigenous nations of the Americas by conquistadores and churchmen. Sometimes it was read in Latin. It professed to possess secondary written material to justify its claim, if the chiefs and “natives” wanted to see them as proof. It was sometimes read from the ships to empty beaches, tantamount to planting flags to authorise its claim to “these isles and terra-Firme”.

The document stated that the lands on which the “barbarous” kingdoms lay belonged not to them, but to God. And God in his wisdom gave these lands to St Peter, the founder of the Church of Rome and the precursor of all popes. God ordained St Peter “the head of the whole human race, wherever men should live, and under whatever law, sect, or belief they should be”.

Conquest and theft are justified in terms of an abstract, fabricated body of rights. Just as the attempt to subdue and control Venezuela is justified by “democracy, freedom, human rights”.

AUTOMATICALLY ABSOLVED

It seems that all America needs to do is to wave the flag of “democracy”, “freedom”, or “human rights” and it is automatically conferred right, and authority, to commit the most heinous crimes. This flag-waver becomes automatically absolved of their crimes against humanity: genocide (the ‘barbarous’ natives of US terra-Firme), slavery (imported African slaves), and conquest, coup, infiltration, decapitation, subordination in the Pacific (China, the Philippines, Hawaii, Japan), the Far East (Viet Nam, Cambodia, Laos), and throughout the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.

They offer a fake alternative, a choice between vassalhood and subjugation.

The Requerimiento continues: “ But, if you do not do this, and maliciously make delay in it, … we shall powerfully enter into your country, and shall make war against you in all ways and manners that we can, and shall subject you to the yoke and obedience …; and we shall take away your goods, and shall do you all the mischief and damage that we can, as to vassals who do not obey; and we protest that the deaths and losses which shall accrue from this are your fault.”

In other words, if you don’t accept US hegemony, we shall force you into “servitude”. And this will be your fault, not ours. And we shall make every manner of war and “mischief” upon you, into “perpetuity”. CIA mischief. Whitehouse press conference mischief. ... The mischief of sanction, oil and oil tanker stealing, blockade, freezing of your gold, US dollar assets, state assets mischief, seizing of your US oil refinery mischief, and in the mischief of legal and court weaponisation.

Conquered caciques and their kin were captured by the early Spanish conquistadores and taken back to Spain as trophies, proof of supremacy. And for trial, for resisting Empire. Not very different from the kidnapping, assault, transportation, and imprisonment of President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Celia Flores.

WAYNE KUBLALSINGH