IDENTIDADES 1 ENGLISH IDENTIDADES 5 ENGLISH | Page 152

not a threat, we are hope…Obama repeal
the executive order.”

As an example that has created great expectations is the aforementioned reestablishment of diplomatic relations and the progress of Colombia and the FARC regarding
peace process. A counterexample, one that
represents an extremely tense situation is
the recent U.S. presidential decree that declares Venezuela as a threat to national
security and the resulting sanctions on seven functionaries.

By using this poorly pronounced message
that anyone might have thought was a joke,
the Bolivarian president is continuing to
demonstrate that his government is just
winging it. Given the great seriousness with
which the subject should be treated, that
Obama declared Venezuela a threat to security, Maduro’s answer was seen as a show
that did nothing more than keep embarrassing the Venezuelan people, who are clamoring for a profound change and can’t abide
by their President’s unfortunate gesture,
given the crisis they’ve been enduring for
so long.

In addition to the fact that in these cases
“dialogue” is being used in a political context, any introduction to the topic is an invitation to understand its importance. If there
is one thing we must be clear about as a
Latin American community is that we must
begin to construct the social stability and
peace we want for the region at home. We
should express our ideas with respect and
listen with tolerance. An ability to dialogue
should define us; it brings with it not only
stability, but also prosperity.

The problem is not that Maduro doesn’t
know English, but rather his flippant attitude in the face of a situation that involves
the entire population. It has been suffering
the scourge of ‘officialism’ though censorship, multiple human rights violations, and
the jailing of some opposition leaders silenced because they are seen as “enemies of
the Bolivarian project.”

The Spanish Royal Academy of the Language defines diálogo as “a conversation
between two or more people in which they
take turns sharing their ideas or feelings.”
What should be added to this definition is
that ‘dialogue’ is not only about mediation,
but a reasoning exercise, above all.

Up until now, the Venezuelan president’s
pronouncements and actions have not
seemed coherent, given the fact that the
American continent’s governments are
working to establish good relations currently. One can be absolutely certain that lies
and tricks are not among the primary factors for a real dialogue.

Linguistic competency has to do with the
ability to present ideas, arguments or propositions in a coherent and prudent manner.
In this context, some have observed how
some Latin American leaders have had
difficulties in doing this. Their arguments
and expressions are far from coherent and
prudent. There have been many leaders on
this list, but the most noteworthy one now
is the current President of Venezuela,
Nicolás Maduro.

Meanwhile in the, the Cuba-U.S., as well as
the Colombia-FARC ones, conversations
seem to have included linguistically competent players. The progress has been significant. For the first time in a long time one
can see arguments being presented according to both sides’ needs. The talks are fostering incentive because the effects of the
agreements that may be reached are creating expectations on the part of citizens.
Both sides have also known how to work
the media to accomplish this.

When Maduro attempted to send a TV message to Washington recently, he muttered
the following: “Venezuela is not a trit. We
ar joop… Obama ripil de sukit order.
”What he really said was: “Venezuela is

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