At a major international gathering in Colombia on Saturday, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva delivered a scathing critique of what he characterized as resurgent colonial practices targeting developing nations. Speaking before delegates from Africa and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), the left-wing leader pointed to specific actions against Venezuela and Cuba as evidence of contemporary imperialism.
Lula challenged the democratic legitimacy of interventions in sovereign states, stating: ‘It’s not possible for someone to think that they own other countries. What are they doing with Cuba now? What did they do with Venezuela? Is that democratic?’ His remarks, though not explicitly naming the United States, clearly referenced Washington’s historical influence in the region.
The Brazilian president expanded his criticism to include recent military actions, drawing parallels between the U.S. and Israel’s February 28 offensive against Iran and the previously discredited justification for the Iraq War. ‘Iran has been invaded under the pretext that Iran was building a nuclear bomb,’ Lula noted. ‘Where are Saddam Hussein’s chemical weapons? Where are they? Who found them?’
Lula asserted that developing nations continue to face resource exploitation, declaring that after historical plundering of gold, silver, diamonds and minerals, powerful nations now seek control over critical minerals and rare earth deposits. ‘They want to colonize us again,’ he warned.
The summit also featured strong condemnation of the United Nations’ failure to prevent global conflicts. Lula described the UN as experiencing ‘total and absolute failure,’ particularly referencing situations in Gaza, Ukraine and Iran. He joined Colombian President Gustavo Petro in calling for urgent reform of the Security Council, whose veto-wielding permanent members (the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France) have consistently hampered effective action.
Petro, designated a ‘priority target’ by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, echoed Lula’s assessment, stating the UN ‘is acting in impotence, and that is not what it was created for.’ He emphasized the simultaneous need for effective international institutions to address climate change while warning that diminishing tools for collective action ‘leads only to barbarism.’
The relatively limited attendance of Latin American and Caribbean leaders at the Colombia summit highlighted the continent’s deep political divisions amid these ongoing geopolitical tensions.