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What official statements has the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) released about solidarity with Cuba and Venezuela since 2020?
Executive summary
Since 2020, Democratic Socialists of America’s national bodies and local chapters have repeatedly issued public statements and campaign materials calling for an end to U.S. sanctions and the embargo on Cuba and Venezuela, framing those policies as imperialist and harmful to ordinary people [1] [2] [3]. The International Committee and local chapters have also organized solidarity projects, delegations, and working groups (Cuba Solidarity Working Group) pushing engagement over isolation and opposing U.S. intervention [4] [5] [6].
1. DSA’s consistent headline demands: end sanctions and defend self‑determination
DSA’s International Committee and national statements since 2020 repeatedly call for an end to U.S. sanctions and for respect for the self‑determination of both Venezuela and Cuba. The Venezuela page states DSA “affirms our commitment to work to normalize relations with Venezuela, defend the sovereign right of the Venezuelan people to determine their internal matters, and oppose any sanctions and other forms of foreign interventions” [1]. Likewise, DSA’s Cuba materials and national statement oppose the U.S. economic blockade and call for removing punitive measures that harm civilians [2] [7].
2. Organizational vehicles: International Committee, working groups, and local chapters
DSA’s International Committee (IC) has an Americas Subcommittee and a Cuba Solidarity Working Group that coordinate national campaigns and chapter actions, explicitly pushing “engagement over isolation, cooperation over coercion” and mobilizing to defeat bills seen as hardening U.S. policy (e.g., FORCE Act) while supporting measures like UN‑oriented condemnation of the embargo [4] [6]. Local chapters, such as Twin Cities DSA, have published solidarity statements urging an end to sanctions and opposing coups or invasions [8].
3. Public campaigning and practical solidarity actions
Beyond statements, DSA’s IC has run campaigns, sent delegations, and organized events. The IC newsletter and campaign pages describe national organizing on anti‑embargo work, participation in the National Network on Cuba, and delegations/solidarity trips and aid deliveries—actions DSA frames as material solidarity rather than just rhetoric [5] [6] [3].
4. Framing: U.S. policy as “imperialism” and sanctions as “acts of war”
DSA materials use strong language to characterize sanctions and embargoes. The IC newsletter frames U.S. sanctions on countries including Cuba and Venezuela as “an act of war” that disproportionately damage working‑class and vulnerable populations; the Cuba and Venezuela pages describe U.S. policy as imperialist interference that undermines sovereignty [5] [1] [2].
5. Timeline and continuity: statements before and after 2020
Although DSA issued formal “Statement on Cuba” and a “Statement on U.S. intervention in Venezuela” before 2020 [9], the organization’s post‑2020 output continues and operationalizes those positions through IC campaign pages, newsletters, and working‑group activity that extend the same policy lines—end embargoes/sanctions and oppose intervention [2] [10] [1] [5].
6. Internal and allied voices: organizing strategy and criticism
Some DSA caucus and member materials push for aggressive anti‑imperialist work inside the U.S., urging prioritization of anti‑blockade efforts and solidarity delegations; such materials also note challenges in translating delegations into broader membership engagement [11]. DSA’s public-facing campaigns and op‑eds (e.g., Democratic Left pieces) recruit constituencies—like Cuban Americans—to join anti‑embargo work and emphasize humanitarian claims [12].
7. What the available sources do not say or clarify
Available sources do not mention any DSA national statement that endorses specific Venezuelan or Cuban government policies or leaders in granular policy terms; rather, the documentation emphasizes opposition to U.S. sanctions, solidarity with peoples’ self‑determination, and organizing against U.S. intervention [1] [2] [3]. Available sources also do not provide an exhaustive list of every local chapter statement since 2020; they show a pattern but not a complete inventory [8] [5].
8. Competing perspectives and political context
DSA frames embargoes and sanctions as humanitarian wrongs and imperialist policies; outside critics (not in these sources) often emphasize human‑rights abuses and democratic deficits in Cuba and Venezuela as reasons for sanctions. Within the materials provided, DSA materials repeatedly focus on how U.S. policy exacerbates suffering and hinders solidarity and diplomacy—an explicit organizational agenda that shapes their messaging [2] [1] [4].
Conclusion: From 2020 onward, DSA’s national and International Committee materials steadily advanced a coherent foreign‑policy line: oppose U.S. sanctions and embargoes on Cuba and Venezuela, defend self‑determination, and mobilize chapters through working groups, delegations, and campaigns to translate those principles into organizing [1] [2] [4] [5].