Usefulness for an American Requerimiento to Latin America

30/03/2020
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The Unipolar world has brought back ideas and legal criteria belonging to the Middle Ages. That fact is conspicuous in the decision by the United States authorities to condemn "in absentia" for drug trafficking the Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, the only one with command and control of Venezuela. Such an action violates the principles recognized by the civilized world concerning the limits of legal jurisdiction and regarding the presumption of innocence and necessary proof of guilt before conviction.

 

The United States claims that decisions made by its courts and its political authorities have universal jurisdiction. Such claims give the impression that we are back in the Middle Ages, an impression underlined by the fuss over a plague epidemic, to deflect guilt over the next world economic collapse.

 

The Middle Ages was when the Christian Pontiff aspired to a Supreme Authority with Universal jurisdiction for his infallible decisions in any applicable issue, while addressed to Urbe et Orbe. In general, there is a similarity between the extension of the authority that the Christian World accorded to the Roman Pontiff and the political tribute the Western world pays to the arbitrary hypocritical, arrogant behavior with which the United States, seeks to impose its Universal authority.

 

In those remote Middle Ages, on the pretext of expanding the Christian Faith, thousands of innocents were massacred, many countries were invaded, looted and subjected to foreign occupation. The invaded infidel countries were peaceful ones minding their own business that had never harmed anyone among their aggressors. Very much like what is happening today.

 

The Middle Age crusades were akin to what is now going now in the Middle East, Afghanistan and Africa.

 

The Crusades were ordered by the Supreme Pontiffs in Rome. Today NATO aggressions are ordered by the US Presidents in Washington.

 

The new religion that justifies the abuse of foreign sovereignty or any economic aggression against the wellbeing of foreign infidel countries’ citizens, is called Democracy.

 

World History tells us of a myriad of government systems. The deification of Democracy is based on the myth that it is the only true one that will bring Social justice.

 

It is a myth, that dates from the French Revolution, when according to the Marseillaise, rivers of blood filled furrows.

 

Democracy is just a mechanism of government of debatable virtues, it was invented in ancient Athens where it was strongly criticized by some Athenians like Plato, who wrote “It is an unfair system that tries to make everything equal, even that which is not equal” (The Republic). More to the essence of its modern shape went the famous Aristotle, who wrote (Politika) that the mechanics of democratic government necessarily degenerate it into an Oligarchy, a government by the rich, an Oligarchic system will in turn led to Tyranny.

 

Aristotle's warning was to be verified 2500 years later in the Oligarchic system that governs the United States of America, where regardless of the cyclical electoral uproar, there is always the same policy, the one followed since Alexander Hamilton was Secretary of the Treasury (1789) remains invariable, and its goal is simple: enrich the rich.

 

The worst thing about such policy and cause for general concern is that the US oligarchic tyranny has the same universalistic intolerant aspirations that were typical of medieval Christianity.

 

It includes the aggressive theological paranoia which is behind the similarities in criminal behavior between NATO aggressions and the devout Christian war coalitions known in history as the Crusades.

 

The discovery of America took place when the Christian universalist beliefs were still prevalent in Europe.

 

Allow me to suggest that North American government should study that historical period because it may find useful precedents there for its aspiration to universal jurisdiction and the right of interference.

 

In particular, I recommend to the office of the Secretary of State, the study and adaptation of the famous Requerimiento (Request ) written by Dr. Juan López de Palacios Rubios, for the Burgos Royal Council (1512).

 

By listening to this document, written in Spanish, the assembled natives were informed by the conqueror (Ambassador?) that the Christian God, creator of the first men, had chosen Saint Peter and his successors in Rome, as monarchs of the whole world, providing him with a superior authority over all the princes on Earth. A later Pope, named Alexander VI, had conferred possession of all the inhabitants of the new continent to the King of Castile.

 

Consequently, the indigenous people were ordered to recognize his authority and to remain as his free, but devout Christian subjects.

 

Any refusal or delay in accepting these demands would entail immediate war (a Just war!).

 

The text of the Spanish precedent could be useful for an updated US version of the Requerimiento which could be provided among the credentials for Washington’s Ambassadors to Latin America.

 

Almeria 26/03/2020

 

https://www.alainet.org/es/node/205568
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