https://x.com/_TereFelipe_/status/2083289283717189770Tere Felipe (Cuba) - erhaps it’s irresponsible to write this. But it’s an idea that’s been swirling around in my mind for a while; I’ve even discussed it with my family on several occasions. If Venezuela had stood up to the United States, maybe the world would be living a very different story from the one we’re living today.
Perhaps, if Venezuela had resisted without hesitation, the conflict between Iran and the United States wouldn’t have erupted afterward. I’m one of those who believes that when a nation stands firm, no matter how small or vulnerable it may seem in the face of power, it forces the empire to measure its steps before lunging at an adversary that could end up costing it far more. Maybe that missile would never have fallen on an Iranian school. Maybe the United States wouldn’t be genocidally strangling my people today, nor would we be witnessing this new McCarthyism, this rehashed witch hunt, this systematic persecution against those who simply inconvenience the Empire.
What happened on that third of January set a precedent that Washington knew how to capitalize on, because it was allowed to, because it felt the impunity of acting without consequences. And it acted. If Venezuela had resisted, it’s likely we would have lost our heroes too, but it wouldn’t have been in vain, as I fear it was.
And now, seeing these images, I can’t contain a deep contempt. I don’t want the world to end up feeling for my country the same thing I feel today when I look at them. I don’t want us to be remembered as the people who surrendered without a fight.
That’s why we must win. We must fight. There’s no other option possible. So we never have to carry the humiliation of having been cowards.