From Venezuela to the planet itself: Why interference imperils us all

By Bharat Dogra  

The world today faces a convergence of crises—wars that could turn catastrophic, environmental collapse, proliferation of hazardous technologies, deepening inequalities and humanitarian disasters of staggering scale. The sheer number and gravity of these dangers are no longer in doubt. What remains woefully inadequate is the collective imagination to chart a path out of this morass. The global discourse has done much to diagnose what is wrong, but too little to propose how to put things right. Humanity cannot afford to remain trapped in old paradigms and reactive criticism; it must now discover genuinely new pathways to survival and renewal.

For over a century, the dominant ideological contest has been between capitalism and communism, both of which have failed to ensure lasting peace, justice and ecological harmony. The time has come to move beyond this binary. Lessons from history are valuable, but they do not offer ready-made blueprints for our unprecedented predicament—an age when, for the first time in the planet’s five-billion-year history, a single species has become capable of destroying the conditions for all life. The accumulation of weapons of mass destruction, the accelerating climate emergency and the reckless spread of disruptive technologies have created a historically new and existential threat.

If history offers any guidance, it lies in the periods when humanity made strides toward peace, justice and care for the natural world. These three principles must once again form the foundation of a new global ethic. Yet, because the threats of our time are unique, new systems of governance and values are needed—systems that can unite rather than divide, protect rather than exploit. The decades ahead, particularly 2025 to 2050, will likely decide whether humanity survives or self-destructs.

At the same time, one of the gravest dangers to global stability remains the persistence of secretive and coercive efforts by powerful nations to change governments elsewhere, often through violent or deceptive means. Over the past eight decades, covert operations to topple foreign governments—most systematically by the United States—have undermined democracy, fueled wars, and inflicted immense suffering on ordinary people. Research by Professor Lindsay A. O’Rourke of Boston University documents at least 64 covert U.S. interventions between 1947 and 1989 alone, often targeting popular and reformist leaders. The results have been the same everywhere: destabilization, bloodshed and the erosion of democratic norms.

From the Cold War assassinations of leaders like Patrice Lumumba and Salvador Allende to the more recent interventions in Ukraine, Pakistan and Bangladesh, the pattern persists. These operations are presented as efforts to promote democracy or fight corruption but in reality serve geopolitical and economic interests. In Latin America, for instance, U.S. interference in Venezuela, Brazil, Chile and elsewhere has repeatedly reversed democratic gains and punished leaders who pursued independent, justice-oriented policies.

In Venezuela, Washington’s attempts to oust Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro have included coup attempts, sanctions, and even a bounty on a sitting president—actions that flagrantly violate international law and have compounded the suffering of Venezuelans. In Brazil, the so-called anti-corruption drive known as Lava Jato (Operation Car Wash) became a tool for political manipulation. Studies by scholars such as Brian Mier and Sean T. Mitchell have shown how U.S. agencies worked closely with Brazilian prosecutors to discredit the Workers’ Party, leading to the ouster of President Dilma Rousseff and the jailing of Lula da Silva. When Lula returned to power, the hostility continued, with punitive tariffs and diplomatic pressure aimed at undermining his government.

These examples show how external interference, whether through military aggression, covert operations or weaponized narratives of corruption and democracy, destabilizes entire regions. They also demonstrate how the very principles invoked—freedom, transparency, rule of law—are routinely violated by those claiming to defend them. As Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs of Columbia University has written, such “covert regime change operations are blatantly illegal under international law” and represent “perhaps the greatest threat to world peace.”

The deeper tragedy is that these acts of interference are often abetted by local elites who align themselves with foreign powers against their own nations. This betrayal of national interests exacerbates divisions and weakens societies precisely when unity is most needed to confront shared threats such as climate change, inequality and militarism.

The path forward must therefore combine two imperatives. First, humanity must cultivate new global systems rooted in peace, justice and environmental stewardship, recognizing that the survival of all species depends on these values. Second, nations must reaffirm their sovereignty and resist all external attempts at coercive regime change, regardless of ideological justification. Efforts to improve democracy and fight corruption must be genuine, transparent and nationally owned, never manipulated as instruments of domination.

The coming decades will test whether humankind can rise to these twin challenges. A future of harmony is still within reach—but only if the peoples of the world reject militarism, secrecy and greed, and work together to build a truly cooperative order that safeguards both freedom and life itself.

---

The writer is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include Planet in Peril, Protecting Earth for Children, Man over Machine, and A Day in 2071