Reference News Network, March 12 report: On March 9, the Spanish website "La Voz de la Revolución" published an article titled "A 'Doormat of the Americas'?" by Javier Torcalchiel. The following is an excerpt:

Twelve leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean gathered in Doral, Florida, at the invitation of US President Trump to attend the so-called "Shield of the Americas" summit. The document signed at the summit, the "Doral Charter," not only demonstrates the position of right-wing forces and their submission to Washington's orders, but also clearly exposes America's imperialist intentions.

A doormat is a mat placed at the entrance to allow visitors to wipe off dirt from their shoes. In colloquial language, the term "doormat" is often used pejoratively to refer to people who try to flatter or please those in power. Some dictionaries define it as "a sycophant, a fawning person. When someone is treated as a doormat, it means they are deprived of the respect they deserve."

Another characteristic of a doormat is that it can be printed with the word "Welcome." But what exactly is being welcomed this time? What dirt needs to be wiped away to be welcomed? Is it the mud left on the boots of US soldiers after multiple invasions of this land? Or the traces of refugees struggling for survival in the mud after cities were mercilessly bombed? It seems not.

The core intention of this document, beyond the desired publicity effect, is to align with Washington's strategic interests. So what are these interests? First and foremost, economic interests. As in the colonial era, and more recently through the attempt to absorb Latin America and the Caribbean via the Free Trade Area of the Americas, the United States aims to install a "barrier" around Latin America and the Caribbean to protect the monopolistic interests of American companies, thereby preventing the unstoppable competition from China.

In this struggle for geopolitical economic dominance, cutting-edge technology becomes key. Strong countries must prevent other countries from establishing independent standards and technological systems, lest they become dependent on others in the future. Therefore, the United States is trying to firmly control the digital space dominance in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The issue of raw material supply cannot be ignored. Although China is gradually reducing its reliance on foreign sources in the agricultural and food sector, mineral and energy imports remain crucial for maintaining production systems. However, the countries attending the "Shield of the Americas" summit do not hold an irreplaceable position in these areas. According to Silveto García, chief economist of the Observatory of Economic Complexity, the countries not invited—Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, and Peru—account for 90% of Latin America's trade with China. This fact precisely illustrates the true purpose of the US government's geopolitical offensive in the coming period.

Beyond the economic level, another goal of this asymmetric "agreement" between the US and the 12 invited countries is to continue advancing the militarization of the region, intervening in conflicts, exacerbating destruction, and most importantly, attempting to implement armed control and suppression of the population by spreading fear and insecurity. Just like during World War II, this will bring huge profits to the US military-industrial complex, including industries such as surveillance and espionage systems. This is one aspect of platform capitalism, which is accompanied by corporate control over social discourse and surveillance of subjectivity.

Using violence to counter violence does not bring greater security, but rather resembles trying to put out a fire with gasoline.

Under the banner of establishing a "military alliance," it aims to drag a region that was clearly declared a "zone of peace" in 2014 into war. At that time, regional integration was flourishing under the flag of sovereignty. Twelve years later, all of this seems to have been undone under the pressure of a declining empire, whose last stronghold is resorting to force.

The current geopolitical confrontation has already shown the characteristics of open and widespread armed conflict. In today's increasingly globalized civilization, the impact of this conflict will spread to every corner of the world. Therefore, we must resolutely resist this destructive tendency. Upholding a humanitarian stance, we must not be swept up by war rhetoric, because such rhetoric only brings greater suffering and hardship to people.

We must condemn, resist, and ultimately defeat the conspiracy of a few elites who want to drag us into the abyss of war. Such attempts serve only base private interests, no matter how they are packaged under any name, they will never benefit the people. The rich wage wars, while the poor suffer.

If the presidents willing to submit do not prioritize the lives of their own people and try to drag other nations into the quagmire of violence, we must oppose them and resist barbarism with a stance of non-cooperation. (Translated by Wang Meng)

Original: toutiao.com/article/7616257951858983434/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author alone.