Cubadebate

We, intellectuals from the sectors of academia, the media, culture, and social movements in diverse regions of the world, participants in the international conference In Defense of Humanity, have gathered in Mexico City to reflect on the extremely grave situation facing the world today. We are aware of our responsibility, and have therefore adopted the following:

Declaration

The human race has reached a critical point rife with serious dangers. A new age of barbarism looms before us. It is not merely that a minority has accumulated an enormous proportion of the world's wealth, while the impoverished masses are barely able to survive. Moreover, the hegemonic system functions like an apparatus of social exclusion.

An ever growing number of human beings have been declared dispensable within this currently spreading model, while the prevailing philosophy is that state bodies should ignore the fate of those excluded by globalization.

If the fate of those excluded is of little concern, even less important are their values and cultures, their identities and communities, unless they are reduced to market imperatives. Under this exclusionary model, distinctive human communities or ways of life are destined for extinction. Suffering with them are millions of overexploited workers, subjected to the injustices of the capitalist system and the constant erosion of their rights.

The environment, biodiversity and ecosystems that have coexisted with the human race for millennia are being transformed into commodities of trade and accumulation, at the service of private interests. Water and other resources essential for human life are the prey of these same interests. Consumerism and squandering of resources are the norms promoted by neoliberal capitalism.

The human race is confronting dangers that directly attack its social, cultural and environmental foundations. These threats do not emanate from natural forces, but rather from the economic and political powers that negate the highest values formed throughout human history and exalt greedand selfishness.

Diversity is inherent to human society and has survived all attempts at homogenization. Nevertheless, the goal of imposing sociocultural uniformity serves the goal of domination. Human plurality can become a source of conflicts, confrontations between peoples, fundamentalisms and ethnic hatreds. In line with exclusionary globalization, the so-called laws of the market require an undifferentiated and uniform human race. But despite the effort to convert human society into a homogenous whole, the linguistic and cultural differences and diversity among peoples and nations continue to flourish. In fact, contrary to the hopes of the ideologues of globalization, and despite the neoliberal siege, we are witnessing a rebirth of ethnic and nationalist struggles throughout the world, with new and promising horizons of liberation, alongside the social struggles underway.

The centers of power strive to impose their own sociocultural model on all of humanity, under the premise that it constitutes the only true path to a full life. We oppose this tendency and assert that the world's diversity is of value in itself and part of the shared wealth of humankind.

At the dawn of the 21st century, imperialism - with its different expressions, alliances and internal contradictions - has become a political and military megapower in which national states have relinquished their public responsibilities.

The "sovereign equality" of the members of the United Nations, as established in the first article of the 1945 founding charter, has been placed in question. More than a half century after the end of World War II, this organization is violating its own legal framework: "to suppress acts of aggression or other breakings of the peace" (Art. 1); the "peaceful settlement of conflicts" (Art. 3); the rejection of "the use of force against territorial integrity" (Art. 4); "non-intervention in the internal affairs of States" (Art. 7); and other resolutions that assert the "inalienable right of peoples to the integrity of their territorial rights" (1960).

In this regard, the validation of the military attack and occupation of Iraq by the United States (through UN Security Council resolution 1511) casts doubt on the hopes for peace that the world's nations had placed in the United Nations.

The ideological messianism that characterizes the political team in charge of the White House today represents a grave threat to world peace. The U.S. government freely attacks and harasses any nation that refuses to bow down to its imperial policy, while the world is facing the threat of endless military confrontations as a result of its doctrine of "preemptive" strikes.

For the U.S. government, the only valid "international law" is the law dictated by its own Congress and executive power. Any other interpretation runs the risk of being linked to "terrorism". Nevertheless, the UN itself, in its own documents, differentiates between terrorism and national resistance against foreign occupation and the right to rebel against the same, rights that are also established in many of the world's constitutions.

Thus, those responsible for the most heinous of state terrorism in history label the patriots who fight for the freedom of their peoples as "terrorists". Covert actions, the use of mercenaries, the violation of human rights, the application of extraterritoriality to prisoners of war, and the incitement of assassination of heads of state, as in the case of Israel and Palestinian leaders, make up the current political scenario.

In 1989, the imperialist powers claimed that with the fall of the BerlinWall, the world would enter into an era of understanding and prosperity.Nevertheless, other walls impede this goal: walls on the border betweenMexico and the United States and around the occupied Palestinianterritories; legal and racial walls in the legislations of the countries ofthe European Union, which establish degrading treatment of immigrants frompoor countries; economic walls of protectionism that block access to the"free market" preached by neoliberalism; walls that violate the rights ofwomen and children; walls of intolerance of the sexual orientation, thetastes, habits and ways of life of different human beings;political-economic walls that marginalize the African continent.

In Latin America, the United States continues to harass Cuba, with thethreat of a direct military intervention against a revolution that hassurvived 45 years of countless destabilization campaigns, aggressions and aneconomic blockade, thanks to the support of the people and the determinationto build another kind of society. We must therefore strengthen solidarityand forge closer ties with the besieged island, and oppose all aggressiveactions on the part of the U.S. government.

"America for the Americans" (of the United States) is once again the bannerheld aloft by the hawks ruling in Washington. Through the Free Trade Area ofthe Americas (FTAA), whose first chapters have been the North American FreeTrade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Puebla-Panama Plan, imperialism aspires toimpose its own "laws" of the market. The discourse that preaches "spreadingdemocracy and freedom" has its counterpart in the growing militarization ofLatin America. It has been demonstrated time and time again that democracyhas an instrumental value for imperialism: it supports the formal aspects ofdemocracy when it suits its interests, but conspires against it if popularforces reach power through democratic means. This concept becomes null andvoid when it is used by leaders allied with neoliberalism as carte blancheto hand over resources to transnational capital.

This is illustrated by the fact that within the framework of "Plan Colombia", and under the pretext of fighting "narcoterrorism", the Pentagon hasinstalled a large military base in the port of Manta, Ecuador, facilitatinginterventionist missions in all of the countries of the Andean subregion.Likewise, the governments of the Southern Cone have found themselves obligedto carry out frequent joint military maneuvers with the United States, underthe presupposition that there could be Islamic terrorist groups based on the"triple border" (dividing Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay).

Neoliberalism stigmatizes social conflict and strives to dismantle communityaction. It suppresses political awareness, foments cultural alienation,responds to poverty with philanthropy, and crushes popular discontentthrough police or military repression.

In opposition to these policies, a whole new generation of sociallycommitted intellectuals and activists is rising up around the world,fighting back against the machinations of corrupt professional politicians.

Pushed to the breaking point of indignity and armed with the invincibleweapons of awareness and organizational capacity, the Bolivian people roseup in defense of their natural resources and ousted a government totallysubordinated to the United States.

The popular rebellion in Bolivia coincides with the civil and politicalresistance in Haiti against the authoritarian power of Jean BertrandAristide; with the resistance in Puerto Rico demanding the withdrawal of theU.S. naval base in Vieques; with the resistance in Argentina, where theunemployed are protesting and blocking traffic; with the resistance of theindigenous people of Ecuador, who are rising up against racism anddiscrimination; with the resistance in Brazil, where the demands of thelandless peasants continue to go unmet; with the resistance in Mexico ofthose who are defending their strategic resources from the voracious greedof the transnationals, and the Zapatistas expanding their struggle forautonomy; with the resistance in Venezuela of the activists fighting todefend the Bolivarian revolution; and finally, with the resistance in Chile,where the young are fighting back against a sophisticated model of socialexclusion.

Today, the imperial forces are seeking to combine, through more refinedmethods, the ruthless use of military power with control of the hearts andminds of the people. They purport that the world of neoliberal globalizationis the only one possible, that there are no viable alternatives, and thatthe only possible attitude towards life is that of conformity andresignation. Supposedly, the neoliberal regime is not the creation andpractice of national and international interest groups, but rather thenatural result of the development of things. In accordance with thisphilosophy, any change in this way of organizing the world would simplyworsen the situation. There is a single economic and political line ofthought that all governments must implement, they say.

A trend that is leading inexorably towards the further entrenchment of thisphilosophy is the conversion of public universities into instruments of theneoliberal economic, political and cultural project. This trend results fromthe current logic of the neoliberal process of accumulation, leading to theprivatization and "elitization" of education and the gradual suppression ofthe humanistic branches that foster critical thinking and "subversion".

Imperialism is using religious beliefs to legitimize its neocolonialmilitary expansion, coopting the leaderships of majority religions,stripping them of their role as voices for protest and social commitment.

This military and ideological combination must be exposed in all of itsmanifestations, with all of its destructive and dehumanizing power, andsubjected to rigorous and forceful criticism. Here the role of intellectualsis more vital than ever. To achieve this, we must strengthen or revive,depending upon the specific case, the critical role of all intellectuals indefense of humanity. The battle against the current system must also befought on the intellectual, cultural and moral fronts. The fruit ofintellectual labor is knowledge, but its strength lies in its critical anddemystifying powers. Social thought, and the social sciences in particular,find their true meaning when they reveal the deceptions and real intereststhat underlie certain ideologies, and uphold their commitment to the truthand the interests of society.

We are fully aware that over the recent years, under the influence ofneoliberal thinking, some intellectuals have forgotten their criticalcapacity, and at times have even jumped on the bandwagon of a single way ofthinking. What is more, in our countries we have a supposed left that uponassuming power adopts the same precepts and implements the same neoliberalformulas.

In this current phase, we value intellectual labor that is based on rigorousprocedures and at the same time is sensitive to the injustice of the worldwe are living in; that learns from the sectors in all regions, nations andcontinents that are rising up against the established order. We arereferring to those intellectuals, formed within the walls of academia or inthe heart of social movements, who are fighting on so many fronts againstwar and against an economy in which the benefits are monopolized andexploitation and exclusion grow ever greater; intellectuals who struggle forpeace and comprehensive human rights (individual, collective, civil andpolitical, but also social and cultural), who defend the free determinationof the peoples, the right to autonomy of indigenous peoples throughout theworld, and the equality of all languages; intellectuals committed toeconomic and gender equality, and to the belief that dignity, freedom andrespect for the cultural wealth of all humankind must prevail over capital.

Based on this political declaration we adopt the following:

Strategies in Defense of Humanity

To establish an international coordinating committee made up of theorganizing committee of this conference and any national and internationalguests who wish to join in this effort.

To create support committees in unity with the social movements that work indefense of humanity in the countries, regions and cities linked to thiscoordinating committee, which would have full autonomy to implement theirown initiatives and forms of organization.

To establish a network in defense of humanity that will be linked with otherexisting networks and initiatives. This network would be aimed atcoordinating the efforts of intellectuals working in academia, scientificand humanities research centers, universities and other educationalinstitutions, as well as those who work in the media and culture, and thosewho form part of social movements and civil society organizations.

To establish a committee that covers a wide spectrum of themes and countriesand that could respond immediately to any emergency situation that calls fora position from our network and the necessary mobilizations.

The specific objectives of our network would be: a) to analyze the realityin order to contribute and disseminate knowledge, exposing that which is notimmediately obvious; b) to delegitimize the dominant system, throughcritical analysis of the single way of thinking; c) to propose alternativesbased on the actions of the social movements and processes of our peoplesand the analysis of their experiences in resistance and innovation; d) toidentify the common denominator of resistance struggles in order to linklocal actions with the global struggle; e) to promote resistance to thedominant power though the use of alternative power, the creation ofintercultural networks and the dissemination of the many and diverse voicesof humanity.

To examine and when necessary promote the reformulation of programs ofresearch, teaching, communication and dissemination in order to reveal thecauses and effects of imperialist action among our peoples and to stress thetrue and historically valid meanings of democracy, liberation and socialism,taking into account the diversity of thought. We should concentrate on thefollowing priority areas: a) the new forms of imperialist militarization; b)in addition to the deregulation of work and precarious work, new frontiersof accumulation (peasant agriculture, biodiversity and water, publicservices and culture); c) disseminating, promoting and supporting theexercise of autonomy by indigenous peoples and of the basic rights ofpeasant organizations, in order to establish and enforce, from the bottomup, the autonomous powers of communities, resistance movements andalternatives. The website will publish the texts of members of the networkand other authors on these priority areas.

To undertake an inventory of the network's intellectual resources, in orderto effectively take advantage of the specialties and fields of each of itsmembers and make these available to social movements.

To support existing initiatives, such as the Permanent Tribunal of thePeoples, contributing legal and historical arguments for the prosecution incases of genocide, ethnicide and crimes against humanity. We also supportthe World Social Forum, the regional social forums, and the WorldAlternatives Forum, as well as the anti-war networks, the Jakarta Consensusand other networks against neoliberal globalization.

To undertake an inventory in order to disseminate and take advantage of theexistence of more than 200 alternative publications and the community radionetwork, electronic publications and e-mail lists, based on the belief thatthe battle lost by the mass media is that of credibility.

To propose the creation of an international university whose goal will be tobring together humanists, scientists and artists from around the world, todedicate their knowledge specifically to education, research and culturaldissemination, with the aim of achieving peace and a more free and justworld. This university will bring together all intellectuals who pursuethese objectives from democratic and socialist anti-imperialistperspectives. It will strive to establish communities of dialogue, with theparticipation of intellectuals of so-called high culture and intellectualsorganically linked to the social movements of our time. It will be organizedin the form of a network with autonomous campuses, whose members willcooperate on both a personal and long-distance basis in common projects.

At the current juncture, to condemn United Nations Security Councilresolution 1511 on Iraq, in view of the fact that it violates that foundingcharter of this organization.

To support the worldwide resistance and massive demonstrations against thewar in Iraq on February 15, 2003.

To join in the summit proposed by Evo Morales, understood as a meeting ofleaders and social movements that struggle in defense of humanity.

Mexico City, on the 200th anniversary of the Independence of Haiti.

Original signatories

Adoum Jorge Enrique, Albertani Claudio, Altesor Ivan, Alvarez Federico, Álvarez Miguel, Alzaga Luciano, Arguedas Sol, Bañuelos Juan, Barnet Miguel, Belafonte Harry, Borón Atilio, Bowman Elizabeth, Brenner Philip, Brom Juan, Campione Daniel, Cardenal Ernesto, Castellanos Alicia, Cerutti Horacio, Ceseña Ana Esther, Cockcroft James, Colchero Ana, Concha Miguel, Cueva Héctor de la, D'Elia Luis, Diaz-Polanco Hector, Dieterich Heinz, Dos Santos Theotonio, Drucker René, Dunbar-Ortiz Roxanne, Fazio Carlos, Fernández Paulina, Ferrer Miguel Ángel, Flores Olea Victor, Fuente Gerardo de la, Gabriel Leo, Gallardo Francisco, Gerassi John, Gilly Adolfo, Gómez Alberto, Gómez Haro Claudia, Gonzalez Casanova Pablo, Gonzalez Oscar, Guerra Ángel, Houtard Francoise, Ibarra de Piedra Rosario, Katsantonis Adamos, Labastida Horacio, Leal Eusebio, López Nayar, López Ali, Lopez y Rivas Gilberto, Mariñez Pablo, Martinez Daniel, Martínez Heredia Fernando, Melgar Ricardo, Montedónico Rubén, Morales Evo, Morales Pérez Salvador, Muriente Julio, Olivé León, Ordorika Imanol, Ortega Manuel, Otero Lisandro, Peredo Osvaldo "Chato", Pérez Rocha Manuel, Pierre-Charles Gerard, Rajo Alfredo, Regino Adelfo, Rodriguez Lascano Sergio, Roitman Marcos, Sala Lucia, Salinas Darío, San Giácomo Osvaldo, Sánchez Consuelo, Sanchez Vazquez Adolfo, Santana Adalberto, Sastre Alfonso, Serrano Pascual, Solís Morales Edgar, Sosa Raquel, Steinsleger Jose, Stolowicz Beatriz, Stone Robert, Turner Jorge, Valdés Nelson, Vargas Lozano Gabriel, Velázquez Marco, Villoro Luis, Wald Karen