INVESTIGATIVE INFORMATIONIST: SUPPORT FOR VENEZUELA

The situation in Venezuela has been extremely difficult. Mainstream media seems to have paid attention mostly to the violent demonstrations and casualties, not so much to the US sanctions and other political manoeuvres. Here are some different views.

Peter Koenig attended a press conference hosted by Venezuela's ambassador in Switzerland at the beginning of June. Koenig wrote (1):

"...the Ambassador introduced the issues at stake by explaining that Venezuela today has the largest known oil reserves in the world and the fourth largest deposits of gas; that the US is importing 60% of its lush energy use (a distant first of the globe’s per capita energy users), mostly from the Middle East, where it is subject to long and costly transport (40-45 days), and to many risk factors, including the Gulf of Hormuz, controlled by Iran, where today about one third of all the world’s petrol must pass through.

By contrast, shipments of petroleum from Venezuela across the Caribbean to the refineries in Texas takes only 4-5 days.

This is the main reason why Venezuela is in the White House’s crosshairs, plus,
of course, the fact that for Washington it is totally intolerable to have a sovereign socialist Republic in its ‘backyard’ – and so close, the same syndrome applies also for Cuba, a genuinely successful socialist nation, having survived almost sixty years of atrocious and criminal American strangulation. There is no tolerance for sovereign independent countries that do not bend to the dictate of the United States and her behind the scene handlers."

The relationship between Venezuela and USA has become more and more antagonistic and the two countries haven't had full ambassadorial relations since 2010. When USA imposed sanctions on Venezuela in 2014 on grounds of human rights violations, some political analysts were sceptical. Mark Weisbrot, director of Center for Economic and Policy Research, said that the sanctions would serve only "as an annoyance that further weakens US credibility among its American neighbors." He added (2):

"Of course it has absolutely nothing to do with human rights, as everyone knows."

“Ironically, it comes at a time when almost everyone sees that more than half
a century of sanctions against Cuba have failed, and the Obama administration has worse relations with Latin America than any previous administration including Bush, and is even more isolated than ever before on Cuba.”

Right-wing US congressmen have wanted to destabilise President Maduro.
David Smilde from Washington Office on Latin America predicted in 2014 (2):

“With the Republicans in control of both houses of Congress, it should not surprise
if there will be more measures to tighten the screws on the Maduro government in the coming years.”

Now USA has been considering new financial sanctions on Venezuela, if President Maduro will go ahead with the Constituent Assembly election tomorrow, on the 30th of July (3,4). Brazil, United Nations, European Union and the Organization of American States (OAS) have demanded that Venezuela should drop plans for
the assembly (4). There have been concerns that Venezuela is on the edge of civil war after "the fake referendum" on the 20th of July (5). Gregory Wilbert called on "international left" to take a stand on Venezuela (6):

"The possibility of civil war becomes more likely as long the international media obscure who is responsible for the violence and as long as the international left remains on the sidelines in this conflict and fails to show solidarity with the Bolivarian socialist movement in Venezuela."

Former Venezuelan ambassador Julio Escalona said that some of the diplomatic tactics that are being used against President Maduro are similar to those used against former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi (7):

"They are applying here, in some sense, the Libyan model. They succeeded in having the Arab League condemn Libya, they managed to isolate it diplomatically. Once isolated, it took to the Security Council and condemned Libya. That is what they wanted in Venezuela."

"They wanted the OAS to condemn Venezuela to then apply everything that has
the imperial plan and that is why they invented the plebiscite, the so-called popular consultation.”

The former ambassador continued, that USA hasn't been able to attack Venezuela the same way because Venezuela isn't isolated internationally. Venezuela has been working closely with several international organizations. Russia, Cuba, Bolivia, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Ecuador and many other countries have expressed their support for President Maduro (7).

In the summit last week, the presidents of the Southern Common Market, Mercosur, had plans to threat to expel Venezuela from the organization and to demand that President Maduro should suspend the elections for the Constituent Assembly. However, the presidents backed away from the threat and only issued a declaration where they called on both Venezuelan government and opposition "not to take any initiative that could divide Venezuelan society even more, or aggravate institutional conflicts." The president of Bolivia Evo Morales did not sign the declaration. He had stated in the summit earlier (8):

"Our obligation as a region is to avoid any foreign intrusion, any intervention."

"For nobody is it hidden or a secret that behind the political problems of Venezuela is the United States. Behind this blow to Maduro are economic interests that are looking for Venezuelan oil."

During the Mercosur summit in Mendoza, Argentina, social movements at
the People's Summit gave their full support to Venezuela. The Venezuelan ambassador to Argentina, Carlos Eduardo Martinez, said to the alternative forum delegates (9):

"We must keep in mind that what is happening today in the continent, especially in Venezuela, is an imperialist attack that has as fundamental objective to recolonize us, to end our sovereignty and to take possession of all the abundant natural resources with which our countries count."

Last Friday, member countries of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) released a statement where they rejected US interventionist threats against Venezuela (10):

"ALBA countries reject those countries that not only ignore the Venezuelan legal system and the constitutional and legitimate government of President Nicolas Maduro, but also put at risk the status of Latin America and the Caribbean as a zone of peace.”

"[The imposition of sanctions] constitutes a clear violation of international law and
an unacceptable interventionist application of U.S. law.”

"[The sanctions] do not contribute to the resolution of the situation that the country is going through."

Sources:

1) Peter Koenig: "Why is Venezuela in the White House's Crosshairs?"
Global Research 11.6.2017

http://www.globalresearch.ca/why-is-venezuela-in-the-white-houses-crosshairs/5594240

2) Jonathan Watts: "Venezuela to face US sanctions over violence against protesters" The Guardian 12.12.2014

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/12/amid-violence-against-protesters-venezuela-to-face-us-sanctions

3) CNBC: "US weighs financial sanctions to hit Venezuela's oil revenue, sources say" 21.7.2017

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/21/us-weighs-financial-sanctions-to-hit-venezuelas-oil-revenue-sources-say.html

4) Al Jazeera: "Maduro's July 30 vote to go ahead amid Trump threat" 19.7.2017

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/07/maduro-july-30-vote-trump-threat-170718201502179.html

5) David W. Pear: "Venezuela on the Edge of Civil War" Counterpunch 25.7.2017