Originally published on the CGS blog on June 4, 2013.
As of 10 a.m. yesterday, I have a new idol: María Corina Machado, member of the Venezuelan parliament. I attended her presentation on the current political situation in Venezuela, held at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. I was struck by the bravery and composure that she showed in the face of an increasingly repressive regime. María Corina is an opponent of Venezuela’s President Maduro, who narrowly won the April 14th elections by a margin of 1.5 percent in the wake of President Chavez’s death.
At the talk, I learned that María Corina was one of the victims of the April 30th assault at the Venezuelan parliament against opposition members. This assault left Corina badly hurt and in need of surgery.
Despite this assault and other threats made by Maduro and his supporters, María Corina is still fighting for democracy in her beloved Venezuela. In fact, Corina is here in D.C. on a diplomatic mission to appeal to the United States Congress. She would like to see Congress stand up for institutions and democracy and not ignore the tense political situation in Venezuela.
María Corina’s experience drew my attention to two issues. First is the persistent need to end violence against women. I cannot imagine how violated I would feel if I were assaulted for standing up for what I believe in-either as a woman or as a human being. For me, any regime that promotes violence against women loses all sense of legitimacy.
Second, the U.S. must take on a more responsible and leading role in the Western Hemisphere. Today, Secretary of State Kerry is traveling to Guatemala to participate in the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS). This is an opportunity for the U.S. to demonstrate that what happens in our own neighborhood is just as important as what is going on in the Middle East and Asia.
Secretary Kerry’s attendance at the OAS today is only one of several indicators that the U.S. is paying more attention to Latin American affairs. Less than a month ago, President Obama returned from Latin America on a visit intended to reinforce U.S. relations with Mexico and Costa Rica. Additionally, the President has denounced Venezuelan President Maduro’s violations of basic principles of freedom and democracy. Taking all this into consideration, I can only hope that María Corina’s visit to D.C. is the beginning of a more responsible and engaged U.S. role in Latin America – and one that promotes not just democracy, but also women’s rights!
