A meeting of the Defense Strategy Research Center of the Union of South American States was held in Buenos Aires, the capital city of Argentina, in late May. It displayed the united will of regional countries to reliably defend their national sovereignty free from military dependence on the United States.

The meeting set it as a core objective of the joint defense policy to collectively protect the sovereignty and resources of the regional countries.

This shows that a fresh progress has been made in the regional countries' efforts for their integration in the defense field and that the U.S. military control over these countries has considerably weakened.

The U.S. has intensified its domination over Latin America under the signboard of deceptive "isolationism" and "Monroe Doctrine" for centuries.

It concluded the "treaty for mutual cooperation among American states" with 18 countries of this region in 1947 after the Second World War and had used it as a noose to put them under its military control for many years.

But, such trick has become impotent as the desire for independence and socialism has grown stronger in Latin America after the Cold War and in the new century in particular.

South American countries have increased their own military capabilities and strengthened cooperation in defense in face of the U.S. military intervention in the regional countries' internal affairs and its persistent moves to sow dissension among them.

They formed the Union of South American States in 2007 and have pushed forward the process of regional integration in not only economy but also military field.

At the 3rd South American Defense Council meeting held in Lima, the capital of Peru, in mid-May this year they discussed on establishing a system to step up the creation of peace zone in South America and strengthen mutual confidence. Later, they set up a defense strategy research center whose basic mission is to adopt a regional defense policy.

This is a "decisive change from word to action" in the process of integration of the Union of South American States, said the general secretary of the Union.

The process of this integration goes in gear with the movement to withdraw from the "treaty for mutual cooperation among American states" cooked up by the U.S.

Noting that a few years ago Mexico declared its will to withdraw from this treaty, the Ecuadorian defense minister stressed that South American countries should quit the "treaty" in group, following the footstep of Mexico and thus realize independence of regional defense policy.

An Argentine expert in international affairs said that the effective operation of the Defense Strategy Research Center would be entirely helpful to the South American Defense Council in its work to rapidly deal with regional defense problems and potential conflicts and when the time ripens the "treaty" would become a mere scrap of paper.

As seen above, the cooperation among regional countries in defense is getting closer with clear objective to terminate the U.S. military intervention and yoke.

The Brazilian defense minister said that it would be possible to successfully deter the outsiders' challenge to the core interests of South American countries if they ensure the active and effective cooperation in defense on the basis of mutual respect for sovereignty.

The South American countries' efforts to cut off the noose of the imperialists' domination and yoke and defend their national sovereignty and dignity by dint of united strength will surely result in good fruition.