Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and radio host Karen Hunter sits with Kevin Powell, GRAMMY-nominated poet, civil rights activist and journalist, to discuss the recent events between the U.S. and Venezuela, delving into the framework of democracy itself.
Hunter kicks off the segment with remarks from journalist and author, Paola Ramos, who says, “Venezuela is not a democracy. But is the United States violating the American Constitution? Now, is the United States violating international law?” Ramos weighs in on U.S. intervention in Latin America, the language of liberation and the recurring pattern of strongmen justifying their actions.
Ramos continues, “A strong man always sees himself as a liberator. A strong man always finds a way to stretch the limits of the law, to fabricate stories, and to justify the actions.”
Hunter and Powell then examine the paradox of condemning dictatorship abroad while watching democratic norms erode at home, recognizing that history is once again repeating itself with “a strong man ousting another strong man,” while communities across the Americas watch on in horror, fearful of the Trump regime’s next move.
“This is why people have been using the term authoritarianism for the last year. This is not what this is supposed to be,” Powell states.
“The fundamental thing we have to do as people in this country is to say, I don’t care what you’re saying about democracy. This is what democracy is. And on a basic level, it’s to ask questions, to push back and say, well, what is this? What is this?” asks Powell.
