The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) welcomed Francisco Santos Calderón, former Vice President of Colombia and candidate for the 2014 presidential elections, to discuss his views on international security. In his remarks Santos discussed the current and future relations between its neighbor Venezuela and the United States.
“I would like talk about ‘moral compass’, for that is the blanket of this speech,” Santos began “and I would like to focus on three things.”
Venezuela is a running freight train that is going to crash
“A democratic solution to Venezuela looks less and less possible,” Santos stated. “The opposition is fractioned; a large portion of them refuse to go to elections any more. Politicians know how to steal elections—they are learning to do it better, and they are going to keep on doing it.”
Vice President Sandtos’ remarks come in wake of the recent presidential elections in Venezuela following the death of Hugo Chavez. Venezuelans watched the elections with anticipation, hoping for the arrival of a new age for Venezuela, but so far it seems that nothing will change. Although there is no condemning proof, many believe that President Nicolás Maduro unfairly won the election and are calling for a revote.
Venezuela’s economy also received special mention from Santos: “The government is in shambles and the economy is imploding. It’s a situation that is getting worse day by day,” Santos continued, making mention of the government’s inability to provide for itself and the growing risk of hyper-inflation.
“How the world plays their cards in the next year is going to be crucial to Venezuela in the long-term, and I think that everybody is just waiting for the freight train to stop. But it is not going to stop,” Santos stated, in the hope of persuading world leaders to pay more attention to what is happening in Venezuela and how it will affect Columbia.
The perils of a blank check in a peace process
Regarding peace talks with Venezuela, Santos warned about what message will be sent to the world. Venezuela is rocked with crime, and Santos made special mention of drug trafficking and terrorists, stating it would be perilous to write them a blank check as part of the peace processes.
“What do you do concerning drug trafficking? Do these known drug traffickers get a free ride? What message does that send to other groups? What message does that send to drug traffickers all over the world—to police officers, to governments fighting drug problems, and policy makers? These are all perils of signing a blank check as part of the peace process.”
Santos warned the United States to be wary of any peace policies made with Venezuela, as he believes that its government cannot be trusted. However he encouraged the need for something to be done saying, “I have no doubt that the implosion of Venezuela’s economy will greatly affect Colombia.”
How to steal an election and not pay for it
“I have no doubt that he stole the election,” Santos stated speaking on President Maduro’s rise to power earlier this year. “The question is, what the U.S. is going to do about it?”
“It sends a very damaging message to democracies in the region; it shows that you can steal an election without having to pay for it,” Santos explained. Latin America has a rocky history when it comes to its governments, and although the continent has improved in leaps and bounds as a whole, there is still a tendency to slip back into old habits.
Concluding his speech, Santos urged the globe to pay more attention to what is happening in Latin America. The continent has been largely ignored for too long. “If those of us who believe in separation of powers do not take a stand regarding what happened in Venezuela,” Santos urged, “If we do not start taking sides especially with the Venezuela opposition, then we will see the same things happening in other countries that has happened in Venezuela.”
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Former Colombian Vice President Francisco Santos Discusses Venezuela
July 16, 2013
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) welcomed Francisco Santos Calderón, former Vice President of Colombia and candidate for the 2014 presidential elections, to discuss his views on international security. In his remarks Santos discussed the current and future relations between its neighbor Venezuela and the United States.
“I would like talk about ‘moral compass’, for that is the blanket of this speech,” Santos began “and I would like to focus on three things.”
Venezuela is a running freight train that is going to crash
“A democratic solution to Venezuela looks less and less possible,” Santos stated. “The opposition is fractioned; a large portion of them refuse to go to elections any more. Politicians know how to steal elections—they are learning to do it better, and they are going to keep on doing it.”
Vice President Sandtos’ remarks come in wake of the recent presidential elections in Venezuela following the death of Hugo Chavez. Venezuelans watched the elections with anticipation, hoping for the arrival of a new age for Venezuela, but so far it seems that nothing will change. Although there is no condemning proof, many believe that President Nicolás Maduro unfairly won the election and are calling for a revote.
Venezuela’s economy also received special mention from Santos: “The government is in shambles and the economy is imploding. It’s a situation that is getting worse day by day,” Santos continued, making mention of the government’s inability to provide for itself and the growing risk of hyper-inflation.
“How the world plays their cards in the next year is going to be crucial to Venezuela in the long-term, and I think that everybody is just waiting for the freight train to stop. But it is not going to stop,” Santos stated, in the hope of persuading world leaders to pay more attention to what is happening in Venezuela and how it will affect Columbia.
The perils of a blank check in a peace process
Regarding peace talks with Venezuela, Santos warned about what message will be sent to the world. Venezuela is rocked with crime, and Santos made special mention of drug trafficking and terrorists, stating it would be perilous to write them a blank check as part of the peace processes.
“What do you do concerning drug trafficking? Do these known drug traffickers get a free ride? What message does that send to other groups? What message does that send to drug traffickers all over the world—to police officers, to governments fighting drug problems, and policy makers? These are all perils of signing a blank check as part of the peace process.”
Santos warned the United States to be wary of any peace policies made with Venezuela, as he believes that its government cannot be trusted. However he encouraged the need for something to be done saying, “I have no doubt that the implosion of Venezuela’s economy will greatly affect Colombia.”
How to steal an election and not pay for it
“I have no doubt that he stole the election,” Santos stated speaking on President Maduro’s rise to power earlier this year. “The question is, what the U.S. is going to do about it?”
“It sends a very damaging message to democracies in the region; it shows that you can steal an election without having to pay for it,” Santos explained. Latin America has a rocky history when it comes to its governments, and although the continent has improved in leaps and bounds as a whole, there is still a tendency to slip back into old habits.
Concluding his speech, Santos urged the globe to pay more attention to what is happening in Latin America. The continent has been largely ignored for too long. “If those of us who believe in separation of powers do not take a stand regarding what happened in Venezuela,” Santos urged, “If we do not start taking sides especially with the Venezuela opposition, then we will see the same things happening in other countries that has happened in Venezuela.”
