Simón Bolívar: A Man for All Seasons – Rebel With a Cause

Amidst the upheaval and orchestrated accusations or narco trafficking directed at Venezuela and its people by the USA and its associates , the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in Saint Lucia, took the time to honor Simón Bolívar on the 195th Anniversary of his death.

Venezuelan Ambassador Leiff Escalona delivered powerful insights into the legacy of the man known as the Liberator of the Americas.

Bolívar is rightfully esteemed as the liberator of five countries—Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Peru—and as the founder of Bolivia. He also established Gran Colombia, a large and influential nation.

As the first president of Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia, Bolívar achieved remarkable historical successes. However, his journey was marked by numerous defeats; he was expelled from Venezuela four times in 1812, 1813, 1814, and 1817.

His resilience is a testament to his character.

Bolívar endured the losses of the First and Second Republics. However, during the two decades leading up to his death, he learned a fundamental truth: the power of unity.

During his final expulsion, he was strategically collaborating with the government of Nueva Granada (Colombia). Through this experience, he recognized that Colombia and Venezuela shared deep cultural, linguistic, religious, and political connections. He identified the similarities between wealthy Venezuelan families and those in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, and he saw the potential to unite them in the pursuit of freedom.

He realized that the people could easily come together when they shared common ties, leading to the effective integration of entire battalions on the battlefield.

Understanding the Independence Movement

Bolívar’s military strategies have been extensively chronicled by scholars, historians, and military researchers.

Ambassador Escalona elaborated on the political aims behind Bolívar’s strategic, operational, and wartime tactics against the Spanish Crown. She stated, “From the viewpoint of a Creole aristocrat, his vision of freedom was intricately linked to his social reality. At that time, the Creole aristocracy—what we can call the Oligarchy—found itself side-lined from political, administrative, and economic power, which was typically allocated by the Spanish Peninsula. This fostered a significant rift between the Crown and the oligarchy, who were the productive class.”

The Spanish Crown restricted exclusive negotiation rights, which hampered the possibility of securing better trade conditions. This situation severely impacted economic productivity and efficiency.

Faced with this injustice, the oligarchic class seized the opportunity presented by Napoleon’s invasion of Spain and the abdication of King Ferdinand VII to renegotiate their terms with the Spanish Empire. Ecuador led the way with the Act of Independence, followed by Venezuela and Colombia, within the context of Gran Colombia’s influence.

It’s crucial to note that Bolívar’s initial motivation was not the broad sense of freedom he would later embody. The realization of Bolívar’s vision lay in the creation of Gran Colombia, aimed at fostering broader cooperation within the region.

How Was His Project Constructed?

By 1819, Bolívar envisioned the liberation of all of South America through unity. Even before the pivotal battles of Boyacá (Colombia) and Carabobo (Venezuela), Bolívar dispatched Antonio José de Sucre southward to organize the Southern Campaign, which concluded successfully in 1824, establishing a confederation between Gran Colombia (comprising Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama) and Peru and Bolivia.

In 1826, Bolívar drafted the first official documents outlining unification efforts from Mexico to Patagonia. After his success in the Southern Campaign, where he defeated the Spanish army at Pichincha (Ecuador) and Ayacucho (Peru), Bolívar launched an ambitious unification project.
At that time, he presided over both Gran Colombia and Peru, with Antonio José de Sucre as president of Bolivia. This strategic political alignment facilitated the envisioned “Andean Federation.”

Simultaneously, Bolívar initiated the Congress of Panama to integrate the nations of Latin America, laying the groundwork for a united future, and seeking to integrate this emerging Andean federation with the Federal Republic of Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica), as well as Mexico, Chile, and the Río de la Plata (Argentina), into a broader confederation known as the “League of American Republics”.

The Congress of Panama, convened by Simón Bolívar, President of Gran Colombia, took place from June 22 to July 15, 1826, in Panama City. Its primary aim was to foster political and military unity among the newly independent Spanish American republics, essential for their survival.

Key objectives included:

– Establishing a central council for defence and diplomacy.
– Emphasizing collective strength against European colonial threats.
– Ensuring member states retained sovereignty, as it was designed as a confederation rather than a federation.
– Creating a collective defence plan against possible European re-conquest.

Despite initial enthusiasm for its principles, the Congress ultimately failed due to a lack of participation and regional rivalries. Bolívar recognized the vulnerability of a divided Americas and believed that only through unity could these nations ensure their independence and dignity.

In the context of U.S. military interference and a hostile political climate, the Venezuelan Ambassador stated: “We must view the U.S. government’s recent actions and threats against Venezuela through the lens of history, echoing Simón Bolívar’s warning from nearly two centuries ago.”

On December 16, 2025, President Donald Trump made alarming claims of entitlement to Venezuela’s natural resources and proposed a blockade to seize our oil, land, and minerals.

Ambassador Escalona responded, calling this a blatant threat “to our sovereignty,” invoking Bolívar’s words from 1829: “The United States seems destined to plague America with misery in the name of liberty.”

Bolívar foresaw the rise of U.S. power and its potential to inflict suffering on American nations.

The Ambassador emphasized the need for unity and resilience, asserting that no foreign power “has the right to seize our resources.”

As we commemorate the 195th anniversary of Bolívar’s death, the Ambassador reflected on his complex journey toward independence, noting that many Venezuelans ponder the ‘what ifs’—what if Bolívar’s vision of unity had been realized? Was he ahead of his time or merely a bold dreamer?