Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez has issued a stark warning regarding the deteriorating peace and security landscape across Latin America and the Caribbean. The minister’s statements, delivered via social media, pointedly criticized the current United States administration for embracing what he labeled a ‘warmongering doctrine’ that aims to impose ‘peace through force.’
Rodríguez evoked the historical significance of the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace. This landmark agreement was signed a decade ago, on January 29, 2014, in Havana during the Second Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). The proclamation was endorsed by all 33 attending heads of state and government, committing nations to peaceful dispute resolution and the renunciation of force within the region.
The Foreign Minister expressed grave concern over a ‘marked interest in reviving the discredited Monroe Doctrine’ by the U.S. government. He argued that this revival, coupled with the ‘violence of imperialist ambitions,’ poses a direct threat to the stability of ‘Our America.’ In the current geopolitical climate, Rodríguez emphasized the urgent need to reclaim the collective will and commitments originally enshrined in the 2014 proclamation.
The foundational agreement, announced by then-President Raul Castro, established core principles for inter-state relations. These included a strict obligation against direct or indirect intervention in the internal affairs of any other state. It also mandated respect for the fundamental principles of national sovereignty, sovereign equality, and the self-determination of peoples. Furthermore, the proclamation reaffirmed the inalienable right of every state to freely choose its political, economic, social, and cultural system as a prerequisite for ensuring peaceful coexistence among nations. This critical defense of regional peace and sovereignty has been highlighted in recent media reports under the banner ‘Defending Our Zone of Peace.’