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All views expressed in the Latin America Policy Journal are those of the authors or the interviewees only and do not represent the views of Harvard University, the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, the staff of the Latin America Policy Journal, or any associates of the Journal. All errors are authors’ responsibilities. © 2018 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Except as otherwise specified, no article or portion herein is to be reproduced or adapted to other works without the expressed written consent of the editors of the Latin America Policy Journal. Latin America and the Crisis in Venezuela: An Opportunity to Defend Democracy and Human Rights in the Hemisphere By Luis Almagro, Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) The path toward building better democ- region. Our societies must grapple with racies in Latin America is not paved with these challenges on a daily basis. Citizens quick, acclaimed victories. The post- are urging governments to meet their basic colonial national governments that needs, protect their human and funda- were established were based – in several mental rights, and fulfill basic institutional countries – on unstable centers of power, requests. Despite the countless hours weak governance, and discriminatory spent parsing out variables and evaluating ruling classes. The traditional political potential policies, we have still failed to elites were reluctant to build strong insti- take the necessary actions to uproot the tutions, fearing they could risk their future deep-seated sources of these problems. hold on power and privilege. They with- held fundamental rights from their peo- In Latin America, there is one essential ple, believing that social mobility could lesson. Without exception, the stronger threaten their individual interests. democracies have all had better, more sustained economic development, with The biggest fractures in the region – i.e. greater social protection and services. At inequality, corruption, and impunity – a time when the world is experiencing are structural, endemic, and persistent. democratic backsliding and fears a dem- Governments have proven reluctant to ocratic recession, we must renew our make the meaningful changes the people commitment to inclusion and equality. demand. They have avoided – or rejected This is why it is imperative for the region – building inclusive and redistributive sys- to work together in addressing the tems, to construct stronger institutions, crisis in Venezuela; we cannot allow it to to fight impunity, and to guarantee human become a roadmap for the dismantling rights. Instead of serving and protecting of democracy in the hemisphere. The their nations, leaders have given in to the Organization of American States (OAS) temptation of perpetual authority. This and its Member States must reaffirm their power yields the ability to uphold the commitment to ensuring democracy for all status quo under the pretense of stability the citizens of the Americas. and governance. In practice, this breed of authoritarianism has generated the exact Through the treaties and agreements opposite outcome. that OAS Member States have signed, the countries of the Western hemisphere have After 200 years of independent history, recognized that democracy is a fundamental the region still struggles to build better, condition for political stability, peace, more resilient democracies. Although some economic development, and social jus- progress has been made, Latin American tice. However, we have seen all too many countries suffer from the same pervasive leaders who consider themselves – and their structural problems. Poverty, inequality, causes – to be exceptions to this principle, lack of rights, and lack of infrastructure producing devastaing consequences for continue to undermine development in the their nations. Venezuela has become the 10 COMMENTARIES prime example of this nefarious practice. an uncertain electoral outcome. When Corruption, bad policies, and the abuse the executive branch attempts to consoli- of power have destroyed what should be date power in the hands of the president, one of the most prosperous countries it turns elections into a zero-sum game. in our hemisphere. Now, in a continent It allows them to act with impunity, and that once prided itself on its hard-earned politics are reduced to a strategy to gain democracies, we count among us not only time, skirt accountability, and reduce the a dictatorship, but a failed state. odds of landing in jail. These behaviors, fueled by raw, self-interested ambition, have Corruption is a disease that extends fostered an environment of bad policies far beyond a country’s borders. It has no and illegitimate deals. Today, the conse- political party or ideology. We have wit- quences for Nicolas Maduro – the head of nessed throughout the region that when the Venezuelan government – of losing an we turn a blind eye to these practices, they election are now too high for him to take are replicated elsewhere. Examples such that chance. When losing an election means as Odebrecht, the looting of Venezuelan losing everything, there will always be oil wealth, and the Paradise Papers in a motivation to change the rules of the Panama all point to the unbounded spread game so they always work in your favor. of corruption in Latin America. We have also witnessed repeated attempts to politicize For the international community, the the judiciary, and in turn use it to expand easy way out of addressing these prob- the executive’s political authority. Corrupt lems is to simply ignore them, pretending officials have blatantly ignored referendum that these issues are isolated exceptions results. The civic space has been closed that will resolve themselves. It is in these and opposition political parties have been instances that the OAS has been expected eliminated. The protections guaranteed to remain silent, limiting its mission to in our constitutions have been treated as a mere oversight role of process validation if they were drafted in pencil and can be without any substantial agency. The OAS easily ignored. The regime in Venezuela cannot remain silent. The cost is too high. is guilty of violating almost every single The permanent message we must adopt constitutional article. Elsewhere, term lim- is that we can build inclusion, security, its are being removed for the sole purpose and prosperity by strengthening democ- of extending the hold on power. Perhaps racy and the rule of law with the help of the greatest tragedy of them all, in a region the Inter-American Legal Framework. that has paid such a high cost to ensure the However, honoring this commitment also democratic order and civilian oversight means that we cannot be afraid to act when of security forces, Venezuela has created we see any of our region’s hard-earned a model for reviving the military encroach- democracies begin to backslide. ment in the responsibilities of governance. The OAS has a crucial role to play in Robust and stable democracies require confronting anti-democratic practices, not only strong institutions, but transpar- corruption, inequality, exclusion, and inse- ency, accountability, fair processes, and curity. Our membership requirements vibrant civic space. Democracy must be are clear: each Member State chooses to about so much more than elections. It is sign on to agreements protecting human natural to favor elections when politicians rights and democracy, which create both know they will win. The key challenge is incentives for adherence and mechanisms what happens when those in power face for enforcement and accountability. We 11 COMMENTARIES have also established a clear authority to The OAS General Secretariat has called act in every signatory state when these on Member States to activate the mecha- values are threatened. We have seen the nisms of the Inter-American Democratic value of these tools in the historic peace Charter. We have produced four reports deal in Colombia, the ongoing democracy- over the past two years that provide indis- strengthening process with the Govern- putable evidence of the government’s ment of Nicaragua, and the joint efforts with efforts to dismantle the country’s demo- the Government of Honduras to tackle cor- cratic institutions and the widespread and ruption and improve electoral legitimacy. systematic repression targeting anyone who questions the government’s authority. Today, the OAS is the only multilat- More than 12,000 people have been arbi- eral organization to have spoken clearly trarily detained since 2014.4 In the 2017 and loudly about the crisis in Venezuela. protests, 111 people were murdered by state It is the only multilateral organization to security forces or their paramilitary allies; send a strong political signal for strength- that is more than one death per day.5 Esti- ening the voice of democracy, showing mates for the number of wounded reached solidarity from the majority of our hemi- as high as 15,000.6 Hundreds of civilians spheric community. On 23 February 2018, have been tried by military courts and the Permanent Council adopted its sec- the number of political prisoners reached ond resolution condemning the latest 676 at the height of the protests.7 We have efforts by President Maduro to consoli- denounced the unconstitutional interrup- date another six years of power through tion of the democratic order and how it false elections.1 severely impairs the democratic process in Venezuela.8 We have been relentless and will continue to denounce the dismantling of the consti- Repeated attempts to pursue dialogue tution and the democratic institutions, the with Maduro’s regime have simply proven violations of human rights, and the violent the government’s ability to buy off, coopt, repression against citizens in Venezuela. or coerce political leaders into doing their Maduro’s regime also employs a less overt bidding. Thus, the only means to hold but no less sinister form of repression by the regime accountable now lie outside controlling society through misery.

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