Category Archives: esteri

esteri

What’s Reza Pahlavi (Iran Shah’s son) doing in Italy?

What is Reza Pahlavi doing in Italy? The son  of the Shah ousted by the Islamic revolution in 1979 is in the Mediterranean country in the middle of a tour which has already seen him in Stockholm.

The man, now living in the US though apparently without American citizenship, is set to have several meetings with Italian politicians and – apparently –  business people. Among the first, member of the Senate Stefania Craxi (Forza Italia, center right), which received him in the morning of April 15th. Others are following.

Pahlavi is wandering Europe to gain consensus for a candidature to legitimately succeed to the ayatollahs in case of a regime change in Iran.

Among his close entourage, the entrepreneur Mariofilippo Brambilla, president of the “Associazione Italia-Iran”. Brambilla is helping Pahlavi with improving his media presence in Italy: he gave interviews over the course of the years on the topic and, regardless of the working relation, even personally wrote an interview to Pahlavi on the national newsmagazine Il Giornale, without declaring it and so contravening basic editorial standards. On Thursday, Pahlavi will join a closed door round table moderated by Daniele Capezzone, editor in chief of Il Tempo daily.

Pahlavi is trying to build a mediatic presence in Europe, spreading fake news that people in Iran wants him back. Reality is more complicated than this. Who wants him in the country is a small minority, well photographed during street protests to build consensus in a typical pr operation. An inquiry by the Israeli news outlet Haaretz in collaboration with the Citizen Lab of the University of Toronto (specialized in cybersecurity) reported that  Israeli-linked digital influence campaign was promoting Reza Pahlavi among Persian-speaking audiences. Citizen Lab found that an online network pushed out deepfake videos during Israel’s airstrikes on Tehran’s Evin Prison.

That of the Shah was a police-state, and the revolution that lead to the Islamic regime was originally the attempt to gain more freedom. More, not necessarily the kind of freedom a western citizen would imagine. It’s not even clear whether the majority of the Iranian is against the Islamic regime: meaning there’s a difference between the developed urban social classes living in the capital (and abroad) and the people living in the rural areas. Not to mention the part of population co-opted by the regime in more than 45 years in power.

Note: an earlier version of this post said Reza Pahlavi holds American citizenship. I amended it

Standard
esteri, sport

The problem is not disqualifyng Heraskevych: is the use of double standards

I was there at Vladyslav Heraskevych’s press conference held at the Ukrainian Consulate in Milan, on Thurdsay night (yesterday). I know during war times communication counts to guide public opinion, and therefore their governors. But, for once, the Olympic committee took the right decision by disqualifying the young athlete for wearing an helmet with the faces of several athletes dead over the course of the conflict.

So states article 50 of the Olympic Charter: “No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted
in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas”. Basically, you’re not allowed to show symbols, even powerful ones. And – if you do so, which might make sense as a form of protest – you must accept the consequences. Exceptions have been made during press conferences.

The problem lies elsewhere.

During these Games, the International Olympic Committee obliged the Russian athletes to compete without a flag, understandable as a means of pressure on Moscow (not a premiere: apartheid’s South Africa was banned from the Games ) but hard to bear for them as single men and women.

Not only.

They allowed former member of the Idf (Israeli defence forces) who allegedly fought in Gaza and showed support to the genocide on their social media accounts to compete: not very Olympic-like.

Both were wrong decisions.

For once, by disqualifying Heraskevych, they did the right thing. It was emotional, it might have been hard, but nevertheless, it was necessary: if not done, it would have created a precedent. Who decides what’s worth being shown during a race? You enter into the political arena.

The problem lies in the use of double standards, as shown before. Israel committed a genocide, the Us themselves invaded Venezuela deporting its president Nicolàs Maduro. As usual, with no consequences regarding their participation and their athletes.

Vladyslav’s gesture is understandable from a human point of view, but rules are rules. And must be respected. By everyone. Please tell the Ioc.

ps.

This doesn’t mean any support to Russian invasion or antisemitism, needless to say.

Standard
esteri, sport

The silent struggle of neutral athletes (or what it means to compete without a flag)

She’s competing for short track. But hasn’t the same look in her eyes as her colleagues. Alena Krylova is Russian, but can’t race with her country’s flag. You could spot her from tens of meters because her costume is completely blank. Neutral athlete (Ain), that’s the acronymous.

A flag means pride when you win; support when you lose; strenght in both cases. Means belonging to a community larger than your close entourage. And this helps to cope with a hard athlete’s life, the perpetual race against time and numbers.

Imagine this girl roaming around the Olympic village, where lots of guys in their 20s and 30s sit with their colleagues, in groups often made out of nationalities. She is anonymous, with other anonymous from her land, obliged not to wear any symbols. Observed, in a way,like rare animals, like criminals.

Excluding countries from the Olympics has already been done, for South Africa in the apartheid era, for example.

It’s a powerful means of political and social pressure on governors.
But the weight is beared by the single athletes traveling the world.

I think not having a flag makes their performances worse. You lack traction.

I don’t know if there’s another way. Maybe it’s just life. But I know – and this for sure – that Israel should undergo the same treatment.

Standard
esteri

A 30 yo Indian guy made it to link his Facebook page to the American ICE’s agency, showing its sloppiness

The link to the Facebook page of ICE, the U.S. anti-immigration agency, leads to the page of a friendly thirty-year-old Indian man instead of the agency’s official social media property. The young Asian managed to outwit the heavyweights of U.S. security using a very simple trick. A story that seems to confirm the sloppiness of the agency responsible for the brutal killing of two people in the past month and for numerous raids.

Imagine the worst

Even the best make mistakes. Imagine the worst. At the bottom of the ICE website there is a bar with links to social networks. It can be interesting for a reporter to browse these pages to understand an organization’s point of view.

As communication manuals teach, nothing is more disheartening than seeing them empty. It signals neglect and affects how the “brand” is perceived by consumers. The news is full of so-called “epic fails”, which have cost companies dearly in terms of reputation—and sometimes the careers of their social media managers.

If ICE’s Instagram page shows all the agency’s brutality, with mugshots posted online without precaution and captions that seem written by some Ohio farmer, trying to reach the Facebook page is what brings a surprise: you end up on the page of an Indian man, one Punit Saini, apparently a content creator by profession.

Saini lives in Jaipur, India, the capital of the state of Rajasthan, and did something ingenious: he took advantage of the option (offered to everyone by Facebook) to change the name of his personal page. He called it “wwwicegov,” thereby misleading the unwary developer of the ICE website, who took the bait. No one bothered to check, and even the American press failed to notice.

Among religious-inspired images and photos gazing toward the horizon or sitting on a large motorcycle, the young Indian man hit the jackpot.

A matter of method

It would just be funny, if it were not for the fact that ICE—short for Immigration and Customs Enforcement—is known, beyond its harsh methods, for a certain carelessness in its raids. The Trump administration has repeatedly come under fire for deporting people to foreign countries (with which it has signed agreements for this purpose, such as Ecuador) without properly verifying their identities. A doorbell rings, the unfortunate person is taken, and they are put on a plane and sent out of the country.

The oversight on the Facebook page, much like what one would say about a company, appears to confirm ICE’s rough-and-ready methods.

The Indian young man’s prank is somewhat like Mathias Rust’s flight over Red Square in Moscow in 1987: a harmless demonstration, but perhaps effective, in revealing the agency’s slapdash approach—and that of those who inspire it.

Post scriptum – how this story ended

I pitched this to several news outlet in Italy, India, and even in the US. It was not considered. Since I know how this things go, I had already posted it on my blog and social media page, tagging ICE.

Long story short, the agency removed the Facebook icon and link top the Indian guy from its home page (see photo below). An Italian magazine accepted the pitch yesterday (Feb 5th 2026), but it was too late.

I have reasons to suspect ICE removed the icon and the link because of my article and social media post.

This story shows a couple of things: one, the truth is out there, and journalism can’t be made from newsrooms. Two, to quote an Italian politician (Giulio Andreotti), I know I’m average, but I can’t see giants around. Third, journalism still has its purpose in this society. And nobody’s untouchable.

pps Writing this story I realized once and for all that all my digital life is bases on applications and a cloud owned by American companies. Under recent legislation by Donald Trump, all of a sudden anyone can be banned from these platforms (and his accounts be blocked) if the government thinks he goes against America’s interests. This story might be nothing, and probably is, but everyone having a public role should consider moving to other platforms. Myself included.

Standard
economia, esteri, politica, unione europea

EU and India toward an historic agreement. Thank Trump for it

The EU and India concluded negotiations today on one of the most ambitious free trade agreements ever for both. All along the economic aspects, renewed collaboration is expected on key topics, like security (even cybersec) and defence, classified information, climate, disaster management, startups.

It doensn’t look the timing is casual, obviously.

Donald Trump openly menaced the EU with tariffs from the United States in the last months while the agreement will cut them for a variety of goods exchanged between the Old continent and India. And when it comes to defence, there’s not much to add to the bullying over Greenland, counterbalanced by the search of new alliances.

Some figures. The EU and India already trade over €180 billion worth of goods and services per year, supporting close to 800,000 EU jobs, as referred by Bruxelles. The deal is expected to double EU goods exports to India by 2032 by eliminating or reducing tariffs in value of 96.6% of EU goods exports to India. Overall, the tariff reductions will save around €4 billion per year in duties on European products.

Bruxelles is reacting in a polite way, as usual. But it’s reacting, it’s doing it fastly, and that’s important. Please note that negotiations started in 2007, and were suspended in 2013 (in the same period, a diplomatic crisis involved 2 Italian troops accused of killing a fisherman). At the time, India was looking for a role on the international arena, to accreditate itself as a mid sized power, and wat way too assertive, so to speak.

Things have changed, in the meantime, and talks have been relaunched in 2022, accelerating last October. The country now is the most populous in the world, and the 4th largest economy. Not only. It hasn’t to struggle with demographic issues as China, burdened by an older population and the outcomes of the one-child policy of the 20th century. Moreover, the upper classes speaks English and uses Latin alphabet; it’s a democracy and its legal system is understandable and modelled on the British, and there’s still a deep tie with London.

In brief, India might be one of the countries to monitor in the next years.

It also has problems: a variety of languages, poverty, internal conflicts between Induists (largely dominant) and Muslims. Narendra Modi, the prime minister, can be tough in his repression. But Delhi’s constitution and institutions have proved resilient over time.

A few would have predicted this only 10 years ago.

Now the agreement needs to be finalized. On the EU side, the negotiated draft texts will be published shortly. The texts will go through legal revision and translation into all official EU languages. The Commission will then put forward its proposal to the Council for the signature and conclusion of the agreement. Once adopted by the Council, the EU and India can sign the agreements. Following the signature, the agreement requires the European Parliament’s consent, and the Council’s decision on conclusion for it to enter into force. Once India also ratifies the Agreement, it can enter into force.

It’s going to take time. But that of today is a good base (more info here). In the press release Trump is never mentioned, but is clearly present when Ursula von der Leyen comments “We have sent a signal to the world that rules-based cooperation still delivers great outcomes”. How will he react?

This deal might be considered a sign of hope in a future in which bullying lets diplomacy go ahead. Peace has been always built on trades – and even though globalization had plenty of excesses and lead us to deep inequalities, the world needs to correct its flaws while maintaing its most positive impact – a stable world.

Standard
esteri, politica

It’s a long way to the top (for the Global south)

There’s another remarkable aspect in the mess provided by Trump this last year to the world. That, after 12 months since the commander in chief had taken office, the West finally seems to have pulled off the mask.

One remarkable example – and the first, maybe, at this level – was the unexpected, surprising speech given by Canadian prime minister Mark Carney at the World Economic Forum in Davos, a ski resort in Switzerland.

Said Carney: “[…]We knew the story of the international rules-based order was partially false. That the strongest would exempt themselves when convenient. That trade rules were enforced asymmetrically. And we knew that international law applied with varying rigour depending on the identity of the accused or the victim”. “This fiction was useful. And American hegemony, in particular, helped provide public goods: open sea lanes, a stable financial system, collective security and support for frameworks for resolving disputes”.

To conclude: “Let me be direct: We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition. Over the past two decades, a series of crises in finance, health, energy and geopolitics have laid bare the risks of extreme global integration. But more recently, great powers have begun using economic integration as weapons. Tariffs as leverage. Financial infrastructure as coercion. Supply chains as vulnerabilities to be exploited. You cannot ‘live within the lie’ of mutual benefit through integration when integration becomes the source of your subordination”. Welcome to the era of geo-economics.

—

That’s, more or less, what antagonist movement keep saying since decades; but never in life I would’ve thought I’d be seeing such a speech pronounced by a Western leader in front of a bunch of rich capitalists and head of states.

Canada is under threat by the US, obviously; and looking for allies among middle-sized powers, as Carney remarked. But, still, it looks sort of a tipping point.

There’s more.

This morning I read an opinion piece on the BBC website authored by senior correspondent Allan Little. The journalist recalls a lecture he gave to the young students of Columbia University in New York just months after 9/11 2001.

One of them, a Pakistani just gotten to the US, took him apart during a coffee break for a chat. He paralleled the US to the Roman Empire.

“If you are lucky enough to live within the walls of the Imperial Citadel, which is to say here in the US”- the aspiring journalist stated with lucidity – “you experience American power as something benign. It protects you and your property. It bestows freedom by upholding the rule of law. It is accountable to the people through democratic institutions.

“But if, like me, you live on the Barbarian fringes of Empire, you experience American power as something quite different. It can do anything to you, with impunity… And you can’t stop it or hold it to account”.

Impressive.

To corroborate these words, Little then draws a picture of all the interventions in the so called Global South performed by Washington over the last couple of centuries. And there’s not much to be proud, apart from the intervention in WW1 and 2.  

He concludes he’d been wrong at the time in describing the White House’s role to the students gathered to listen to him.

–

Same thing here: this is the BBC, British public television, not a socialist party house organ. Whilst provided with an enviable reputation as being independent, I would’ve never actually thought that the broadcaster would so openly admitted what the West – UK included – did over time to the rest of the world (well, the article didn’t mention the Iraqi invasion, but nobody’s perfect). There’s an explanation:  Britain endend up being another of Trump’s targets for its defence on Greenland, and – as Canada – is looking for allies. But, nevertheless, this is sign of the times.

—

None of this would have happened without the New York tycoon’s turned president impulsive actions and excessive beaviour. Is it a sign of hope for the so called Global South? Well, in a way.

On the other hand, though, all this debate about the Arctic made me think that the world is still focused on the Northern emisphere. We’re getting closer than ever to a conflict over a piece of land and  ship routes situated in the same part of the world that for ages dominated, colonized and exploited the rest of the globe. Even China recently described itself as an “Arctic power”, and is buying icebreakers.

Less than a year ago I was speaking to a top executive of a big German electronic brand. Asked which areas worldwide were supposed to make a jump forward, economically speaking and based on their projections, he answered – quite obviously – : South-east Asia. I replied: what about Africa? And South America? “No way”, he did.

The West might be pulling off the the mask. But, to quote the AC/DC, a rock band, “it’s a long way to top if you wanna rock’n roll”.

(photo: BBC website)

Standard
esteri, politica

The speech that could define an era

This given by Mark Carvey, Canadian prime minister, in Davos could be an era-defining speech. It’s worth a read.

The West forgave a lot to the US over the course of the years in change for military protection and economic benefits. At the same time, it pitctured itself as the “free world” – a definition which largely exceeds its merits -.

Carvey’s speech (not certainly a communist) pulled off the mask.

“You cannot ‘live within the lie’ of mutual benefit through integration when integration becomes the source of your subordination”, he admitted.

“And there’s another truth: if great powers abandon even the pretense of rules and values for the unhindered pursuit of their power and interests, the gains from “transactionalism” will become harder to replicate. Hegemons cannot continually monetize their relationships”.

Hence, he basically advocates for middle powers to seek other allies, apart from the Us.

Do yourself a favor and go read the original. You can find it here.

Standard
esteri

Iran must pay its hard toll for a real revolution

Iran, is it good to invoke an intervention from a foreign power to depose the ayatollah? Probably not. It might seem cynical, but revolutions claim their toll, even in terms of blood, to last.

Regimes often enjoy complicities in significant portions of the population, be they the ones who helped them to take power or portions of the society lured over the years.

In every country, there’s a quota of people that evaluates stability over everything else. A quota of people who has adapeted to the muted conditions, and prefers not to indulge in phantasies of further change.

For as strange as it may sound, freedom is not everyone’s priority: and that’s why normallstreets are taken by the students, because they have a cultural basis, the thirst for knowledge and are not compromised with the political authorities, who – for example – might have spread favours, jobs, power roles to co-opt supporters among their fathers.

So, to replace a regime with what? An American intervention, recalling back the Shah Reza Pahlavi, is likely not going to succeed. The Shah was very tightly bound to the Us even when it was in power, and he was ousted. Iran, moreover, is impossible to invade for a foreign cuntry due to its geography, even for the US.

A tribute in terms of blood is necessary for reaching the compromises needed to bring a new constitution, renewed institutions, and to overcome deep internal fights. Everywhere. One last thing: who presses for an American or Western intervention in Iran, should consider if he would accept every independent outcome coming from free elections: democracy is not the preferred form of government for all the world.

Yes, it’s impossible not to empathize with the Iranian, and not so support them morally: but every country must do its own revolution on his own.

Standard
clima, esteri

Pazzo, criminale o entrambi?

Donald Trump ha firmato mercoledì 7 gennaio un memorandum per ritirare gli Stati Uniti dalla Convenzione quadro Onu sul cambiamento climatico, la cosiddetta Unfccc, e dal panel Ipcc. Bye bye, dunque? In realtà solo dal secondo, come spiega Jacopo Bencini di Italian climate network. Per uscire dal primo serve un’autorizzazione del Congresso, che al momento non ha in programma di trattare il tema.

Ma Trump non aveva già lasciato gli accordi del clima?

No. L’anno scorso aveva annunciato il ritiro dall’Accordo di Parigi (con efficacia dal 20 gennaio prossimo), che sotto l’ombrello dell’Unfccc sta.

Gli Usa, insomma, potevano ancora partecipare come osservatori alle conferenze del clima, le Cop. E possono accora, volendo.

Lasciando la Unfccc, se mai avvenisse, uscirebbero completamente di scena.

Tutti gli altri Stati del mondo aderiscono alla Convenzione Onu: si tratta di oltre 190 paesi che si trovano più volte all’anno a negoziare.

Ma perché sarebbe importante questa decisione?

Perché il presidente porterebbe fuori Washington dal processo per la cosiddetta governance globale del clima. Il processo, intrapreso 34 anni fa con la Conferenza di Rio, che cercava di trovare un coordinamento tra le politiche internazionali in materia.

Ed è proprio quello che l’amministrazione guidata dal commander in chief newyorchese non vuole.

Peraltro, Trump non si è limitato al clima: con lo stesso atto ha chiesto di ritirare gli Usa da altre 65 organizzazioni internazionali.

“Come questa lista inizia a dimostrare, quello che è cominciato come un quadro pragmatico di organizzazioni internazionali per la pace e la cooperazione ha preso le sembianze di una estesa architettura di governance globale, spesso dominata dall’ideologia progressista e staccata dagli interessi nazionali”, ha dichiarato il segretario di Stato Marco Rubio.

Il rapimento di Maduro in Venezuela, il sequestro di una petroliera russa, le minacce alla Groenlandia, i dazi e il ritiro dalla cooperazione internazionale dei mesi scorsi, quello paventato dalle organizzazioni di governance globale ieri: la politica dell’inquilino della Casa Bianca comincia ad apparire sempre più disordinata e figlia di un delirio di onnipotenza.

La strategia di sicurezza nazionale pubblicata a dicembre offre una chiave interpretativa, che peraltro fa riferimento a presunti diritti divini allo stile di vita americano. Ma non basta.

In realtà non ci troviamo solo di fronte a un declino di una grande potenza, e dell’Occidente in generale. Potrebbe trattarsi di un declino cognitivo del presidente, che, nel secondo mandato, forte dell’esperienza del primo, si è circondato di yes men e ha piazzato una pletora di fiduciari in tutti i gangli della macchina amministrativa.

Le istituzioni statunitensi, che nel 2016 avevano retto, oggi traballano.

Non è chiaro il limite, ammesso che ci sia. Non è chiaro nemmeno quando la corda si spezzerà. Ma in tutti i discorsi che vengono fatti manca un elemento: la politica interna. Vuol dire che Trump non può essere fermato dall’esterno: una potenza nucleare, ed è vero in particolare per la più grande del mondo, non può essere controllata con la forza. La speranza va riposta negli americani stessi. Sono loro gli unici a poter fermare l’uomo che, per due volte, hanno messo al comando. Una reazione della società civile è necessaria. Una reazione che, fino a oggi, non c’è stata.

Per completezza di analisi va detto che Trump ha sicuramente, prima di altri, evidenziato il declino dell’Occidente nel corso del primo mandato, sottolineando  che il nuovo avversario stava a Pechino, non a Mosca. Ha anche più di qualche ragione nel sostenere che il paese asiatico ha avviluppato il mondo in una rete economica da cui è difficile, molto difficile uscire quando vi si entra. E che non lo abbia fatto per filantropia, ma per interesse – si vede bene in Africa, e pure in Sudamerica -. Tra le condizioni per essere aiutati dal Dragone economicamente (ma parlianmo in buona parte di prestiti, non di grant), in particolare, ve n’è una che serve a comprendere: riconoscere l’esistenza di “una sola Cina”, cioè la non indipendenza di Taiwan.

Comprensibile che, vistasi sfidata sul proprio continente (la dottrina Monroe ha due secoli, ma è sempre attuale), la superpotenza sia in allerta e cerchi contromisure. Ma le relazioni commerciali sono state il modo che l’umanità ha trovato per non farsi la guerra: la stessa Unione europea, tentativo fatto dopo due devastanti guerre mondiali, si basa su questo concetto. Non si può pretendere di cambiare il corso della Storia con le minacce o, peggio, con le armi. Anche il tentativo della globalizzazione (per molti versi fallimentare, ma non sotto ogni punto di vista) è stato questo: usare il commercio come leva per evitare di far ricorso ai cannoni.

E Pechino? La Cina, mentre il mondo cambia alla velocità della luce, ragiona sul lungo periodo, e sta alla finestra. Trump passerà, pensa probabilmente Xi Jinping. Bisogna vedere cosa resterà di lui.

Standard
esteri, politica

Venezuela, il punto di vista di un’attivista espatriata in Italia

Nei giorni scorsi ho pubblicato un’intervista a Oscar Castillo, avvocato venezuelano in Italia. Castillo offriva il suo punto di vista sul blitz di Trump e la politica venezuelana.

Oggi aggiungo la voce di Mercedes Vásquez, presidente dell’associazione Insieme per il Venezuela. Laureata in scienze internazionali e diplomatiche, Vásquez è in Italia da 25 anni e lavora come commerciale.

“Per noi venezuelani, l’arresto di Maduro è una cosa positiva, non certo negativa”, racconta. “E’ un criminale, contro cui c’è un procedimento della Corte penale internazionale per crimine di lesa umanità ”. “Sono delusa dall’atteggiamento dei media italiani e di certi politici. Dov’era la comunità internazionale quando nel 2017 il regime uccideva più di 200  ragazzi con colpi in testa durante le manifestazioni? O l’anno scorso, quando abbiamo vinto le elezioni? Si parla di colonialismo americano; ma pensate che russi e cinesi vengano in Venezuela a comprare caffè?”.

Vásquez si colloca, dice, in maniera equidistante nello schieramento politico. “Non amo le ideologie estreme. Non sono fascista, e non sono comunista. Sono andata molte volte al Pride, anche perché nella comunità trans ci sono molti venezuelani. Sono a favore del matrimonio gay, in generale, dei diritti civili e umani”. E in Italia? Da “migrante”, come si definisce, la questione è diversa. “Chiaramente non posso essere d’accordo con alcune idee politiche sull’ immigrazione o quando fanno le loro uscite contro i migranti senza motivazione. Fratelli d’Italia ci è stata molto vicina nella nostra lotta, ma ho amici cari anche a sinistra (fa il nome di un esponente dem, ndr). Mi piace quello che dice Calenda, per esempio sull’Ucraina”.

**

Il Venezuela era un paese di latifondisti, dove la rendita agraria era una componente  importante dell’economia. E la maledizione delle risorse, per cui paradossalmente disporne impoverisce, dal momento che viene a mancare lo stimolo a costruire un’industria, non migliorava e non migliora le cose.

La presidenza di Hugo Chavez giustificava sé stessa con la lotta al latifondo. “Ma la situazione economica con lui e, soprattutto, con Maduro, è peggiorata. ll Venezuela è un paese impoverito. Un medico in pensione prende 3 dollari al mese. Mancano le medicine, gli antibiotici e i chemioterapici: lo so perché mia madre è morta di diabete e non aveva gli antibiotici per curare una cancrena alle gambe. Se nella nostra comunità in Italia qualcuno muore di tumore, andiamo subito a prendere i farmaci avanzati e li spediamo in Venezuela. Una scatola costa 400 euro, come potrebbero permetterseli là? Ma abbiamo spedito anche colori per i bambini, che ci inviavano disegni in bianco e nero perché avevano solo matite con la mina grigia”.

Per Vásquez, tra Chavez e Maduro non ci sono differenze. “Anche il primo, seppur eletto democraticamente, era un dittatore. Appena giunto al potere requisì imprese, chiuse televisioni: è come se il governo qui decidesse di chiudere Mediaset. Prima di loro forse non c’era un paese dove tutti stavano benissimo ma eravamo liberi, e non posso negare che ci fosse corruzione: ma c’era democrazia, libertà di fondare un partito politico, di esprimere la propria opinione. Oggi la separazione dei poteri esiste solo sulla carta: nella realtà, fa tutto capo a Maduro. E alle manifestazioni si spara in testa a ragazzi adolescenti. Un componente del regime ha detto che tanto non hanno cervello. Per non parlare delle torture: ho un amico che ha subito torture bianche per quattro anni per motivi politici. Significa stare in una stanza piccola con la luce accesa ventiquattro ore al giorno, senza aria condizionata. Ha tentato due volte il suicidio”.

Lei viene da una famiglia di professionisti: i suoi genitori erano docenti universitari. Se le domando quale percentuale della popolazione appoggia Chavez e Maduro, e che tipo di reddito ha questa componente, cosa risponde? “Che li appoggerà a malapena il 10% della popolazione, e sarebbe l’1% se tutti potessero realmente votare. Comunque, anche se i miei erano docenti universitari, io ho frequentato un’università pubblica. I professionisti, la classe media, in Venezuela se la passano veramente male”.

**

Cosa pensa del piano di Trump per il Venezuela? Che transizione sarà? “Non ci sarà transizione fino a che ci saranno prigionieri politici”, risponde Vásquez. “Speravo che nel corso dell’operazione svuotassero le carceri, ma non è stato così. Adesso ci sono ancora miliziani del governo in giro per le strade. Pare ci siano alcuni regolamenti di conti in corso tra loro”. “ Vásquez dice di non tornare nel proprio paese da dieci anni. “Ho contribuito a raccogliere firme per portare Maduro di fronte alla Corte penale internazionale. Una ragazza che lavorava con me ha provato a tornare in Venezuela: è stata incarcerata per undici mesi come estremista di destra”.

Come scritto nel caso dell’intervista a Castillo, a tutte le affermazioni va fatta una tara giornalistica. Ma credo sia corretto dare spazio alle voci che provengono da un paese complicato, inscritto in un territorio complicato, e i cui destini, probabilmente, dipendono da un gioco molto più grande. 

Standard