If democracy as a system of "government of the people, by the people, for the people" is to be preserved, then today's democracies must desist from stoking direct regime change within governmental systems deemed non-democratic. Democracies must lead by example and by socio-economic gains that ought to be sufficient to force non-democracies to conform to the system of the people - democracy.

The current push back against democracy worldwide comes not from opposition to the ideals of the system, but against the deeds of democracies for trying to wrangle and to influence other nations to adopt a foreign system equipped with all foreign characteristics and bearing no compromise to adapt to local ethos.

The system of democracy went on trial in Madrid, Spain, earlier today, with the trial of 12-leaders of Spain's Catalonia region in connection with the democratic process of holding a referendum in 2017 on Catalonia's independence bid from Spain. Charges of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds have been leveled against the Catalan 12 for holding the referendum. 

While right wing and Spanish monarchists might be calling for severe punishment of the Catalan 12, the emphatic truth remains that the Catalans are only guilty of conducting a peaceful process of the system of democracy for getting a vote from the people of their region.

Many of today's highly developed and advanced peoples and societies are products of political revolutions. This fact stands as an affirmation of the glory of the exercise of the people in bringing about immediate political, social and economic change to better themselves and to secure a better future for their generations. 

Noted revolutions have been: the French Revolution, the American Revolution, the Chinese revolution, the Russian Revolution, the Cuban Revolution, the Haitian Revolution and the Iranian Revolution, to name a few.

In the Bible, the horrible wolf - Saul of Tarsus, repents his violent persecution of Christians. He converts and he goes on to become the Apostle Paul or Saint Paul, as he is known to most people. He is quoted widely and accepted as one of the most pivoting and important leaders of the early Christian Church.

That was Saul back in the first century. If he lived today, would he suffer a seemingly perpetual punishment for his early transgressions? Is there a point in life that relieves the individual of the nonsense committed as a youth or as a young adult?

Humanity, in spite of great innovations and advances in science, technology and discovery, remains very much under stained man-made pressure. The effects of conflict, idealism, agitation, division, hate and inaction on environmental protections demand a more rational response than that presently given.

Nuclear proliferation and human insecurity beg a rational response set against a concerning scientifically proven warming climate. The priorities and means to the continuity of the human species cannot be accomplished amid a new nuclear arms race, hate, division and a failing environment.

Venezuela's political crisis has been exacerbated by a new European Union (EU) statement of support for opposition head, Juan Guaido as interim leader over the defiant President Nicolas Maduro, who has defied European ultimatums to call new elections.

The EU's announcement of support for the Venezuelan opposition leader, who proclaimed his own ascension to the presidency at a rally, and not after a vote, last month, comes along with the already recognition of Juaido by the US, Canada, Australia and many Latin American nations.

The announced withdrawal of both the United States (US) and Russia from the two-nation Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, is not a necessary requisite to an arms race. The withdrawal of both nations forges hope of an emergence of an even wider nuclear pact, involving more nations pledging to eliminate more classes and types of nuclear weapons.

Full consideration should be given to the likelihood of a nuclear weapon eliminating treaty between the US, Russia, China and others. Hence, with the failure of the INF Treaty, an opportunity now exists for wider world engagement and involvement in respect to the inherent dangers of nuclear weapons despite claims that they are deterrents to conflict.

The Donald Trump administration has announced it will withdraw the United States (US) from the Cold War era-ending Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which was signed here in Washington, DC, December 8, 1987, between US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet Union General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. The INF essentially banned an entire class of nuclear weapons, a first for humanity at that time.

Subjected to the INF ban were short range and intermediate range ground-launched cruise missiles with a range of 500 to 5,000 km.

Whatever befalls the Nicolas Maduro government in Venezuela in the short run, will undoubtedly define the masked strength or the inherent weakness of regional integration in Latin America and the Caribbean. Hence, Venezuela's present predicament is a laboratory into the study of sovereignty, influence and soundness of regional integration in Latin America and the Caribbean.

While many nations in Latin America and the Caribbean could easily concur with the largely western thought that Maduro's government in Venezuela is tainted and may lack legitimacy, they are however confronted with the dilemma of supporting an American-Canadian-European fix to Maduro's tenure in lieu of their own regional solution to the ending crisis.

Behind the smoke of the deepening crisis in Venezuela are questions, issues and matters of sovereignty, colonialism, influence and the dignity of developing nations...

I shall attempt to explain in the next 24-hours. I'm taking 24-hours to further analyze and to assess this issue per democracy, the rule of law and nation independence.