by Chris Faure for The Saker Blog
(*This is accurate at the time of posting but the situation is still developing fast. Updated comments at the end.)
It came as no surprise this past week when the US Administration made good on their promises to attempt to Regime Change Venezuela, the third part of John Bolton’s Troika of Tyranny, the other parts being Cuba and Nicaragua.
But there were a few surprises.
Saker readers would be familiar with John Perkins’ The Economic Hitman where he explained how Latin American leaders compliant to Western hegemony are bought and non-compliant leaders are removed, frequently with extreme prejudice. In Perkins’ time, these adventures were hidden, because they are illegal.
The first surprise here is the open and flagrant manner in which this coup d’état is proceeding, as if it is a great accomplishment. The Regime Changers are proud and beating their chests like gorillas with their illegal action as if the accomplishment is already in the bag. But is it? Despite Venezuela being a socially divided country between poor and rich, I believe there has been enough knowledge transfer to the ordinary Venezuelan so that this time, the Regime Change is not yet ‘in the bag’.
The second surprise was the sheer theatrical component of this attempted coup d’état, and the script and the technology of regime change is openly visible. The ones that are supporting the coup d’état, acted in concert, as a bunch of bullies would, with each part nicely scripted down to the 5 minutes. This will become clearer as we continue.
The third surprise is that in the UNSC meeting yesterday (Saturday, January 26) there probably has never been a more thorough listing of regime-change operations in Latin America. This was listed both by the Russian Representative and the Venezuelan Foreign Minister. This history is now clear and public, for all to see.
So, what happened in Venezuela this past week and why now? Why is it so urgent that over 70 Experts immediately called for the US to Stop Interfering in Venezuela and what prompted, for example, Peter Koenig to immediately broadcast this appeal? Venezuela – An Appeal to Russia, China and all Unaligned Countries for Support of Sovereign Venezuela
Let’s look at the timeline, then some editorial comment and lastly we look at who stands in the proverbial corner as allies with Venezuela and possible outcomes.
This week, Vice President Mike Pence of the USA called on the people of Venezuela to take to the streets against their elected government and called for the security forces of Venezuela to back this barefaced regime change called for by the US. He even prepared this video addressing the People of Venezuela, replete with badly accented Spanish assuring the People of Venezuela that “we [the US] are with you.” ‘Estamos con ustedes’ in a fake accent that makes the language of Spanish blush! He even had the temerity to use the term “Libertad” after years of brutal US imposed sanctions and various attempts at regime change over many years in Venezuela. Then, he ends with a distinctly pecksniffian ‘Vaya con Dios’, i.e, ‘Go with God’, he tells the Venezuelans. Besides the fact that this phrase is not even used in common Latin American speech and belongs to the genre of bad old 1950’s soap operas, it is truly the only piece that I agreed with. The Venezuelans will be much better placed to ‘Go with God’ than to ‘Go with Pence’.
The very next day, in what later turned out to be a paid leader of one of the smaller opposition groups, a certain Juan Guaidó holds an opposition rally in Caracas and declares himself “interim president of Venezuela” while denouncing incumbent Nicolas Maduro as “usurper.” This was just after a phonecall with Pence.
Literally, just a few minutes later, the script runs and US President Trump by Tweet pronounced Guaidó as the legitimate interim president. Within about half an hour, more scripting as Canada follows suit as well as several right-wing South American governments allied with Washington. These declarations were written down in formulaic form, and the similarity of the words and the denouncements is clear.
This prompted Paul Craig Roberts to quip: Washington Has Appointed A President For Venezuela. He soon followed up with this piece “The Exceptional Nation Asserts Its Exceptionalism” and he asks:
“How long will other powers tolerate Washington’s illegality and aggression? How long will Americans tolerate the shame that Washington heaps upon their shoulders?”
In a display of brass effrontery and audacity, French President Macron announces that he supports “the restoration of democracy” in Venezuela and salutes “the courage of the hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans marching for their freedom”, while in his own country he deploys riot police against the gilets jaunes (yellow vests).
Can you see that this coup d’état was planned on a tight timeline with the focus on quickly gathering enough world leaders to support it? The group that was pulled together for the coup planning is named the Lima Group. This group does not have formal standing and may have been fabricated for the distinct purpose of coup planning. They are now quoted as if they have gravitas.
Saturday January 27th, just before the UNSC met to discuss this, we have almost identical threats from France, Germany & Spain issued almost at the same time, to recognize Venezuela’s self-appointed president. The Venezuelan envoy to the UN quite rightly mentioned that the speeches in the UNSC sounds scripted and they are. In circumstances like these, we always get the embarrassing faux pas. The British representative told with relish how Maduro won the previous election (May last year) by stuffing ballot boxes. Well, Venezuela does not use ballot boxes. (Would it be sporting to call him ‘Qué idiota!‘? Let’s not be so rude and stick to ‘La marioneta‘ for now).
So, the next step back in Venezuela on Thursday, was that President Maduro announces cutting off diplomatic ties with the US and orders American diplomats to leave Venezuela within 72 hours. This has subsequently changed to something that is not clear at the time of writing.
And here is the fairytale theater: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says that since Maduro is no longer the legitimate president he has no authority to sever diplomatic ties with Washington and Trump and Pompeo threaten that “all options are on the table” – meaning military action – “if US personnel are endangered.” Wait a moment, let’s parse this down. First, they say Maduro is no longer President. Second, despite being no longer President, they hold him accountable for acts of violence against protestors? So, mob protestors can run free and create mayhem, because Maduro is in any event responsible? Truly Alice-in-Wonderland ‘off with her head’ methodology.
The situation is prime for an escalation. The main demand from the Western stooges seems to be new elections within 8 days and the West will ‘pave the way for a brighter future for Venezuela’. One cannot help but ask where they were up to now? And, what about those years of sanctions? And what about the engineered scarcity by multinational organizations of basic household goods because there are price controls in Venezuela to avoid excessive profiteering and gouging?
Why now?
It certainly seems that Russia’s more visible alliance with Caracas may have triggered the timing for this coup. Last month, Maduro visited Vladimir Putin in Moskow, and they signed multi-billion-dollar partnerships for oil exploration, mining, agricultural and other trade ties.
Within days of Maduro’s visit to the Kremlin, two Russian Tupolev Tu-160 nuclear-capable bombers flew 10,000 kilometers to Venezuela in a political (certainly not a military) show of Moscow’s support for Venezuela.
Washington’s reaction to the Russian bombers landing in Caracas was one of rage, indignation and sheer apoplexy.
All of John Perkins’ financial warfare techniques are being employed, as well as a few new ones. The one is called lawfare where local laws and constitutions are twisted to the extent that the underpinnings of the legal basis that a country functions within, is reduced to shreds. We saw this technique used to good effect in Brazil in April 2016, with the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff and the jailing of Lula da Silva.
All however is not rolling out as the Coup Planners figured and the scripted theater is obvious.
– Maduro is managing to keep Venezuela calm and the last few nights there was no violent protesting. He speeched on Friday to urge dialog.
– Caracas Reporter Says: ‘US Plot in Venezuela Failing’
– Take a look at the meeting of the OAS (The Organization of American States), where the first proclamation in the constitution of this body is that American countries will not interfere internally in the affairs of one another. At this body, Pompeo tried to get other countries to knuckle under and agree with the US power grab. He failed. (I’m sure what helped him fail, is that he could not even pronounce the name of the Interim Puppet President that the US tried to elect. The beloved and oh so competent Gweedo indeed! He was also late to the meeting. The OAS is a formal mainly Spanish speaking organization and this did not go unnoticed). The OAS is now in disarray. https://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/14241
– The Coup Planners also failed in getting the Venezuelan people to revolt, to get the Venezuelan military to revolt and to overthrow Maduro, which was the plan.
– The last two days in Venezuela were calm days after a fiery speech by Maduro that Venezuelan’s do not harm other Venezuelans.
– On Friday, Maduro is still in charge of the palace and Guaido (Gwaido, not Gweedo, but I might change my mind here, he may indeed turn out to be a Gweedo) gave what Venezuelanalysis.com calls duelling speeches. Guaido is still calling on the Venezuela armed forces to rise up against the Government, but his speech was given in a wealthy part of Caracas and he is holding as bait, all the money that will come from the US if the armed forces will rise up. The Venezuelan people inherently do not trust money promises.
– Maduro held a full press conference in Miraflores Palace saying that the US has no say in Venezuelan affairs. Apart from the press, his address was attended by scores of public officials, including ministers and numerous representatives of the armed forces. He also announced military drills. https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/14255
– Caricom is not supporting this external meddling.
– At the UNSC on Saturday morning, the Coup Planners again failed to prevail as many countries spoke against the illegality of the Coup. China, Equatorial Guinea, South Africa, Russia, Nicaragua, Cuba, Bolivia, Saint Vicent, the Grenadines, Barbados, and Suriname, were among the countries that expressed their recognition of the legitimate and constitutional Venezuelan government.
So, where are we now?
The Coup Planners believe in their coup and they are as busy as little mice staffing up to rule Venezuela via an erstwhile ”La marioneta Gweedo‘. Their first appointment is someone that you may recognize immediately, and the next appointment you will remember from a little further back in history.
1. The Dream Team writing up a new set of laws for Venezuela to “ensure Venezuela’s transition into a better future”: Debbie Mucarsel-Powell will be bringing humanitarian aid, Donna Shalala will stop the arming of Maduro’s thugs with batons and tear gas, while (yes, this is no joke) Debbie Wasserman Schultz gets arguably the hardest task of them all – taking on Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. https://www.rt.com/op-ed/449686-debbie-schultz-fixing-venezuela/
2. The Arch Neocon of neocons, Elliott Abrams, who played a central role in the Iran-Contra scandal, and oversaw US regime-change wars in Nicaragua and El Salvador. His job is to “help the Venezuelan people fully restore democracy and prosperity to their country.” Abrams is expected to coordinate all diplomatic efforts to replace President Nicolas Maduro with the self-proclaimed president Juan Guaido, recognized by the US, OAS and several EU members. https://www.rt.com/usa/449756-abrams-pompeo-venezuela-iran-contra/
Dr Jill Stein’s comments on the appointment of Abrams – Dr. Jill Stein?Verified account @DrJillStein
Trump’s Venezuela point man Elliott Abrams:
-Backed death squads in Latin America that murdered 1000s for right-wing dictators
-Lied to Congress to cover up treasonous Iran-Contra affair
-Led 2002 US coup d’état attempt in Venezuela
Still think this is about democracy & human rights?
Comments
It is clear that Venezuela is struggling for existence while living under debilitating sanctions. It is also clear that after the last elections, and with the help of Russia and China, they made progress. But how can one make progress if a coup plotter promises to pay the coup executor with Venezuelan assets that were previously confiscated under a sanctions regime? Also, the country’s gold is being held hostage by Britain.
There are many accusations against Venezuela, and some have merit. One of the legitimate accusations against Venezuela is the level of migration. It is not well known that there is an active program inside Venezuela to bring the migrants home. Even that is interfered with. https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Ecuador-Delays-Venezuelan-Planes-of-Return-to-Homeland-Plan-20190126-0008.html
The fact of the matter here is not that ‘Maduro is Bad’, or ‘Socialism is Evil’, or ‘Venezuela is an economic basket case‘ or any of those excuses that we see in the public domain from ‘too-quick-thinkers’ and expat Venezuelans. (Is it really an economic basket case if Venezuelan assets in the West are being held hostage as a result of sanctions?) The fact of the matter is that there is flagrant and illegal regime change being carried out in front of our eyes to the benefit of globalist sociopathic, mobsters.
To the average American that is supporting this overt and barefaced attempt to take over and control another country, you cannot further support the thinking that your current administration is fighting globalism. These are your globalists, the Pompous Pompeo’s and Brutal Boltons and Pious Pences, with Mr Trump twittering the threat chants like a cheer leader. The appointments mentioned above, the Dream Team, is a team from the Democratic party. What’s all the more inflammatory is the flagrant illegality of Washington’s actions.
The opposition figure whom the White House has anointed as “acting president” but is actually “acting stooge puppet” and the minor congressional body he is backed by inside of Venezuela has been declared in contempt of the constitution by Venezuela’s supreme court. They are carrying out the steps to globalism in front of our very eyes and right now. They could not overthrow Venezuela’s government, so, they are trying to split it by paying US$200,000 to a usurper, that did not even take part in the previous elections, and they paid him to declare himself Interim President. Furthermore, they are offering money, but this money is not new money, it is money that has been taken by seizures, from Venezuela, under sanctions regulations. So, they are offering to pay their imposed President/Stooge/Puppet money that they confiscated to split Venezuela even further.
Why does this Latin American, Caribbean country called Venezuela tug at our heartstrings? Is it because despite all headwinds, all previous attempts at fomenting revolution and fomenting regime change, they stood strong against the globalists and neocons? I would suggest it is. I would suggest Venezuela is in the mold of Syria who has been fighting a war for their own self-determination for years now. I would suggest Venezuela is in the mold of Russia, that is grimly holding on to their own self-determination and building. I would suggest that the people of Venezuela will not tumble as this regime change further unfolds. They have not tumbled up to now.
Which Venezuelans do you care about? More than 50% of the country is Mestizo. What is your problem if these social people want some form of socialism? What if they feel that income from Venezuelan Oil is to be used to increase living standards for the whole country and the poor? What about their type of Socialism? Do you really believe that Maduro is similar to Sadam Hussein as he is now being represented by the Coup Planners and he is killing and incarcerating his own people at a tremendous rate? Have you not heard this type of accusation before, usually to drum up pretext and de-legitimize a victim for a war? Let the Venezuelan people vote out Maduro if they do not like him. In reality, they do like him. Do you really think that Brazilians will act as a proxy military force to destabilize Venezuela? Will Colombia provide soldiers for feet on the ground in Venezuela?
Let’s take a look at some young Venezuelans and their grasp of what is happening.
This is what the young Venezuelans are saying: “Trump is a little out of touch. Why would he come and save us. He only wants our oil and our riches.”
“What happened (in other Latin American countries), will not happen here, because of the consciousness of the people.”
https://twitter.com/EmpireFiles/status/998834055620706304
This is what the young Venezuelan soldiers are saying: (Offered with support from Colombia).
“Listen, yankee, to what I’m going to say! In my country, you will never invade! Get over here because a beating is coming your way! We will be your Latin American Vietnam!”
https://twitter.com/futb0livariano/status/1087125667551031297
Despite what Governments say, there is a real understanding at grassroots level among the Latin American people that what can happen to Venezuela today, can happen to them tomorrow. Living in a Latin American country, I heard this being expressed a few times during the course of yesterday alone. “Hoy Venezuela, mañana nosotros”. Today Venezuela, tomorrow it will be our turn. So, despite the right leaning governments in Latin America, it is fair to say that the people know what the real deal is.
The hegemon is calmly walking into a constitutional crisis or a war or a civil war in Venezuela that may eventually look like Moscow, Black October 1993. Today Venezuela may be an economically failed state, but with good support and guidance from Russia, China and their other friends, they can still get out of this. In terms of the strength of their people, there is no failure.
Let’s take a look at the larger allies of Venezuela.
First we have Russia. President Putin spoke to Maduro and gave him real solid help and support.
President Putin Stands Up For President Maduro – Washington Coup CAN Be Stopped if Right Moves Made!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=240&v=daY7RdIN5f4
China
Always muted with nuanced language, China has made investment in Venezuela and they buy Venezuelan oil. China will not just sit back here, but it is hard to see what they will do – probably some asymmetrical action. Bear in mind that there are more trade talks scheduled for the coming week and a supposed 2nd meeting with Kim JongUn of North Korea. I would expect nuanced action from China.
India
New Delhi: “Following the US recognition of Juan Guaidó as interim president of Venezuela, India has refused Washington’s call to recognize the opposition leader, saying that crisis should be resolved by the “people of Venezuela” through “constructive dialogue”. https://www.thewire.in/diplomacy/india-backs-nicolas-maduro-refuses-to-recognise-guaido-as-venezuelas-interim-president
India will continue to buy Venezuelan crude. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/venezuela-will-continue-to-sell-oil-to-india-envoy/article24646263.ece
Mexico
Although standing strong in their non-aligned status, they have declared that they will work on regional strength and Venezuela is not outside of the scope of the region. Mexico, the Caricom countries and Russia have offered internal mediation and help to Venezuela.
So, if we count Russia, China, India and Mexico alone, we are looking at 4 countries that are on the list of having the highest populations in the world. https://www.internetworldstats.com/stats8.htm
I would certainly say it is a sizable opposition to the attempted Coup Planners.
Caricom – https://caricom.org/communications/view/statement-by-the-conference-of-heads-of-government-of-caricom-on-the-latest-developments-in-the-situation-in-the-bolivarian-republic-of-venezuela
So, what can we theorize could be the expected outcomes?
None of us has a crystal ball and it is too early to say.
I would suggest that this phase of the attempted coup itself will fail, although the damage to the country of Venezuela, its people and its existence will be vast. The coup will fail because it is hamfisted and with the expectation of a ‘quick win’, there is no plan B that does not include the option of violence. The Coup Planners expected immediate victory but this was not to be. If history is a guide, the Coup Planners will double down, and double down yet again. In the past, a coup like this would be hidden because it is illegal. This one is out in the open; it cannot be argued and the coup planners engage in chest beating and a clear strategy, although not very well executed. Venezuela and its friends must prepare for a long siege.
It is clear that the situation on the ground is not understood by the Coup Planners. The real sense of hamfisted Spanish in Pence’s video, the defeat at the OAS, The Caricom announcement, the inability to pronounce the name of the new supposed interim leader by Pompeo and such other things is not falling on deaf ears in the Latin American population. The will of the Venezuelan people and their demonstrated abilities to withstand regime change cannot be underestimated. Venezuelans are well experienced about withstanding coups, as they’ve lived through a number of them.
The proposed Interim Puppet President Gweedo is clearly not of the strength to push through a coup as he is mainly in hiding. Venezuela is not bursting out into violence. The military and defense forces stand with Maduro. This is a principled and strong position but, one must bear in mind, against a strong enemy.
Despite the various governments in Latin America that became right leaning and had their governments appointed by the Hegemon, the people in Latin America understand where their opposition comes from. I cannot see Brazil or Colombia sending troops on the ground. The Venezuelan right is not united. American troops? Trump will most probably lose his base. I cannot see this.
The most scary scenario (very unlikely at present) would be that NATO Troops may be called in via Colombia.
The most probable outcome is that we see a protracted doubling down from the Coup Planners and a long period of just continued hammering at Venezuela on all levels. She will need all her allies firmly in her corner.
We wait to see if anyone raises a word against this illegal attempted coup and the Coup Planners in the United Nations Security Council.
Judging from the comments in the UNSC just yesterday, we may see the Monroe Doctrine being seriously challenged.
……………………………..
Updates
The full UNSC meeting can be found here:
- The brilliant but casual speech by the Venezuelan representative (Arreaza) Saturday morning at the UN makes good listening. Some excerpts:
“The United States is the one that should be evaluated (and not Venezuela) for its permanent disrespect and interference in external political affairs.”
“How is it possible that the president of the United States, Donald Trump, who militarily threatened Venezuela, has not been questioned by the world?”
“How can it be possible for a lawmaker to proclaim himself president and for international governments to recognize him?”
“Force is being imposed on the law. That is dangerous and we must stop it here from the United Nations.”
- France, Britain and the United States sing the very same story, each of them calling for a self-proclaimed President if elections do not take place within 8 days.
- Cuba, whose representative sought the floor for a 2nd time clearly called out Pompeo’s lies but he had left already and was not there so that she could do it to his face. She had clear facts to back up her statements, as well as highlighting the unrelenting economic and trade war against Venezuela that curtail the opportunity for the Venezuelan people to seek out their own opportunity for themselves and to undermine social cohesion. She said that the US must clarify what responsibility they are willing to bear if their current actions provoke instability in the entire region. She called the US attempts an undignified assault on truth and indicative of the lack of respect that Pompeo’s government displays to the United Nations and people everywhere. Venezuela will never be anyone’s satellite or lackey. The return to the Monroe doctrine, the bullying has the aim of looting, pillaging and stripping the oil reserves of that nation. Go back to your history books, Michael Pompeo, she says. (I was expecting her to toss a shoe at him. Cuba Viva! )
A recent history of the run-up to the current point in time can be found here: https://venezuelanalysis.com/audio/14251.
Despite using the name Gweedo for some comical effect, the man’s name is Juan Guaidó
There is a big number of independent writers and bloggers and formal and less formal analysts speaking out about this travesty of justice in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. This is heartening to see. MoonofAlabama has a list of Media Claims About Venezuela Are Lies Or Misconceptions. #Venezuela hashtag on Twitter contains a number of opinons.
https://www.voltairenet.org/article204656.html
(1) Critical knowledge regarding Western assault on South America
The US empire is reaching its evil and corrupt ending. No regime change, evil or power they possess can alter this course. Their time will surely come.
But they plan, and Allah plans. And Allah is the best of planners. (Quran 8:30).
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-01-28/venezuela-regime-change-good-american-oil-companies-says-john-bolton
Don’t ever mention the GOLD in Venuzuela.!
Do t ever tell anyone Venuzuela has the world’s largest deposits of GOLD.
And don’t tell anyone the US, the EU, and the Jews want it all.
Does this somehow remind you of what happened in Iran in 1953 along with Kermit Roosevelt?
Mulga Mumblebrain would also remember these events even more clearly considering his role at the time.
I thought I told you to wait in the car.
You did indeed, but then I thought I saw John and Robert walking alongside Martin Luther King, and I thought that this was not the place for me.
“Dead president’s corpse in the driver’s car;
The engine runs on glue and tar…”
I was saying that name to myself as I read the opening paragraphs. It is a complete utter humiliation as an American that none of my friends ever heard of Kermit not a green frog Roosevelt.
The huge difference between this and Iran 1953 (or even Syria 2011) is that this time Washington is making not even the most cursory attempts to hide what it is doing.
That makes an enormous difference, if only because they will find it impossible to back down or cut their losses. So if they find themselves in a no-win situation, they will be compelled to double down anyway. As anyone familiar with gambling can tell you, that is a situation that leads directly to bankruptcy.
And again one thinks of the Suez Crisis in 1956 with the Israelis and the UK taking on Egypt and the US running about yelling; “Get out! Get out! There’s too many cooks in the kitchen!”
We all live by the grace of Christ
“But they plan, and Allah plans. And Allah is the best of planners. (Quran 8:30)”.
Also, they are apparently among the worst of planners.
And don’t they remind you of the old Mac Davis song; ‘Oh Lord, it’s hard to be humble’?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itb6uNL_3ag
https://www.voltairenet.org/article204845.html
(2) Critical knowledge about Western plans for South America
https://www.voltairenet.org/article197541.html
(3) Critical knowledge about Western plans for South America
https://www.sott.net/article/405921-A-coincidence-Venezuela-green-lights-Russia-to-mine-gold-in-a-matter-of-days-US-attempts-overthrow
Venuzuela holds:
(1) The Largest known oil reserves in the world.
(2) The largest known gold deposits.
The US and Western attack on Venuzuela is a geopolitical admission that the West’s currencies are about to be abandoned. The attack is also an admission that the West has figured out that as things currently stand Russia now has control of the Middle East. Spain wants gold from South America. Every European Power needs gold desperately because they sold their gold to whoever would take it and their coffers are empty. The US dollar is an empty bucket. The US is desperate for gold…simply desperate.!
The 21st century conquistadors are riding with swords drawn and will cut down every man, woman, child, beast…thing…in their paths to the GOLD of Venuzuelans. This is gold rush to steal backing for the Hegemon’s worthless dollar.
The oil is big.
But it is the Gold Baby..!
@ anon.
I read miessan too. He is a key outlet for before-its-news Russian intelligence and is always way ahead of the curve.
I am increasingly convinced of 2 things:
1 that there is some truth in the continual claims by the US/UK/EU/Israel deep state that Russia and China are attacking the ‘west’, although they are not being honest about how exactly, and
2. that the Russians and Chinese, aware that they are lined up for political, cultural and physical rape – are actively – not re-actively – killing the west by a thousand cuts before this happens.
The US published their hegemonic goal. Knowing that the US must, by its own policy, respond to challengers to its hegemonic objective, we see Russia, China and their smaller allies actively baiting the US to respond at the limits of its reach, literally pulling the hegemon apart by hitching a war to each of its overstretched limbs.
The price Maduro is about to pay is lesser than handing over sovereignty to the corps and it will cause decades of resentment against the US worldwide.
What I see is the US firefighting everywhere, destroying their alliances and image abroad by forcing increasingly desperate, ill prepared interventions and pressures on allies and their neighbors, creating a war weary population, a nation divided at home.
It is hard to argue that the interventions in Ukraine (which hardened the Russians around Putin), Libya, Syria, Afghanistan, etc etc and now Venezuela have made the bankers home territories more stable. It is killing them. I am increasingly convinced that this is not an accident and is the deliberate preferred option by the multipolar core (many localized blood-lettings) to an outright war.
The US et al are losing without even realising.
I would say that what you say is in fact propaganda.
Harry red herring is in the same net.
The US is being used by Zionism to break the world. The Zionazi’s own the media, money creation and supply, control the MIC, the internet giants, tigand run all the agendas tearing all of our countries apart, be that gays and transgender rights or whatever else you want to nominate. They…the Zionist empire hidden within the power centres of the West are intent on the death and or enslavement of every other human being who is not a flower of their Lucifer Ian Talmud.
I stronly suggest you google: revelation 12 sign compendium.
@ anon
I’m not into that kind of horse turd myth hunting. I like facts. I have lived in Israel and know as well as they do that they have a scrap of land without resources, little water. They are also staggeringly impractical. They can’t survive if their host nations wither.
The US hegemonic idea is more generalised than that. It is about greed in humans generally. Excessive greed and how it kills you in the end.
They wandered around that area for 40 years and settled on the only place that had no oil. And apparently “little water”; wasted it hitting rocks, I guess.
Well they have to get the gold to replace what was stolen from Fort Knox.
Arrest Gweedo for treason, and for collaborating with a foreign power to destroy the country and its people. Hang him, as an example to others. Ban US goods and services and contacts. Follow Russia and China advice.
Agree with all but the hanging. Life with hard labour seems more humane.
You don’t think Australia is for the chopping board.?
WA seems poised.?
Why the bases in Darwin and the ports in WA.?
You don’t think Carpentaria, Darwin, PNG are an item.?
And Fiji.? And all that lays between.?
NZ, Tassie,
Australia is for the high jump for a number of reasons. First, the ecological Holocaust and anthropogenic climate destabilisation in particular are hitting it hard already. Second the economic system based on one-sided class warfare, elite hyper-avarice and massive indebtedness is going to blow. And third, as one of the most groveling accomplices of the genocidal Thanatopian ‘Exceptionalist’ regime, when that monster falls, one way or the other, we will go down with it. Forty years of hard Right Thatcheric economics and social policy has also made us a cruel, hateful, bullying, pig ignorant dystopia, and I doubt that the sort of collective action that helped people during the Great depression will be seen again next time. More likely it will be ‘Every man for himself and The Market take the hindmost’.
Aus made a break for it 45 yrs ago, but the CIA and MI6 shut Gough down with a blatant coup, and they’ve been a slavering US toady ever since. I see the current brain dead Foreign Minister (Marise Payne?) has staunchly backed the US at denouncing Maduro – she probably doesn’t even know where Venezuela is!
Sorry John,
But it was under John Curtain that the Australian Government stopped holding onto the petticoats of Britannia and grabbed the coat tails of Uncle Sam. That was when Winston Churchill wanted to send the 6th Div to India instead of defending Australia from a Japanese invasion,
The CIA in regard to Pine Gap, MI5/6 in regard to trying to buy back the farm and then Rupert Murdoch and Mossad in regard to Whitlam’s recognition of the Palestinians as equal to the Israelis. It was Rupert who blatantly stated that the Labour Party would never again hold office until they made Bob Hawke their Prime Minister.
‘Humane’ is not relevant here. Hanging or the guillotine or the firing squad is the appropriate measure. Humane can be legitimate or it is simply a diabolical ruse, now common in the modern world, which wants to be better than God.
I am against capital punishment as a rule, but for hard practical reasons this seems a situation that demands it. Dead men tell no tales, escape from no prisons, launch no new revolutions.
Besides, it would discourage the others. Treason has come to be almost accepted these days – consider all the nations whose governments pursue Washington’s interests rather than those of their own people.
In each of those countries there must be people in positions of decisive executive power who are committing deliberate, systematic treason.
IMHO they should all be hanged.
Considering the recent bungled regime change operations and attempts to start some (Turkey, Cuba, Crimea, Transnistria, Uzbekistan, North Korea, Syria, Yemen, South Sudan, and the US Presidency), the odds are on Venezuela’s side right now.
The calculus we don’t see is how much blood-letting with the sociopath Abrams and the ideologues Pence and Pompeo plan for this regime change. The driving force in the Senate is the new John McCain, Marco Rubio. He is obsessed with this project since he failed in “retaking” Cuba after Fidel passed.
The balance of public sympathy would quickly form a large majority support for Maduro if innocents are slaughtered like we saw in Kiev’s Maidan.
Though a false flag incident could be decisive and brand the Maduro regime as criminal, the emotions of the people can just as easily backfire against the US-driven coup because Latin people know so well all the US bag of dirty tricks. They may be hungry and in need of economic restructuring, but they also know the heavy hand and boot of US agents. They understand that civil war will wreck the nation for decades more. The quickest route to a better Venezuelan life is some sort of negotiated end to this situation.
Russia’s stout and public support might help calm the situation and force dialogue, discussion, negotiations and a solution to the immediate problems.
I don’t like the euphemism ‘sociopath’ used for psychopaths like the Evil Zionazi thug Abrams. He is as Evil as he looks, and has a blood-soaked record to match almost any Nazi. Venezuela really put itself in the sights of the Zionazi thugs when Chavez began supporting the Palestinians against the brutal Tel Aviv regime. The addition of Debbie Washerwoman Schlitz to the hit-squad, with however many other Zionazi and Sabbat Goy thugs, shows that Bibi is drooling at the prospect of Venezuela being punished with ‘Shock and Awe’ for its ‘antisemitism’, ie believing that human rights apply to the goyim as well as the ‘Chosen’ Herrenvolk.
But, what is to be negotiated with the US?
The US is no part of this country to have anything to negotiate. What do you mean, to cede them some riches so as they live the people there alone, as he has done Deripaska, ceding shares in his ( of the Russian people, really ) enterprises?
On the other hand, what is to be negotiated with a 5th column CIA agent?
To repeat elections till he wins?
What if he never wins, as it is the case today?
Putin and the Chinese and most of the other nations backing Maduro have said to negotiate.
For one thing, it breaks the momentum of the regime change, exposes the traitors and changes the messaging to the masses.
Look what has happened for Kim in North Korea.
It changed the whole perception of him.
From madman to a reasonable guy who wants to build his nation’s economy.
Larchmonter445
This coup d’etat against Maduro was planned as sloppily as the coup d’etat against Erdogan in 2016. It would appear that the CIA has a manual on regime changes and coup d’etats. It would also appear that the CIA has not updated it’s manual, using carbon copy methods for each coup d’etat.
The difference between the coup d’etat against Erdogan in 2016 and Maduro in 2019 is that this last one has all the characteristics of a second rate comedy. The US pulls off it’s usual bag of tricks, while Germany, France, Canada and a few others join the comedy in record time, parroting off the same script. The only thing missing is a trailer stating “written, produced and directed in Langley, Virginia”.
As I wrote yesterday, Washington has one huge problem. People in Venezuela cannot forget the pre-Chavez years, when the country was looted by foreign corporations, and when you had poverty and illiteracy. Chavez overturned this, followed by Maduro. However, the bureaucrats in Langley, Virginia, have not grapsed this point. Instead of using their brains, they prefer playing with their computers, digging up old plans for subversion.
” It would appear that the CIA has a manual on regime changes and coup d’etats”.
Is that similar to the manual that instructs spies on how to poison enemies by placing non-lethal nerve gas on door handles?
Somehow that sounds a lot more like the CIA’s style than that of competent Russian professionals.
The people who founded the CIA were largely frustrated bankers, lawyers and accountants – and its operations have always borne the unmistakable mark of the over-imaginative amateur.
If the psychopathic criminal Abrams goes to Venezuela and starts plotting to kill and torture people, he might get his own throat cut.
Just saying. (All right, and maybe hoping and wishing a little).
You mean like the American general, Randy Keyes who went to the Ukraine?
I believe blockchain with transactional verification along each step of the product could bring confidence to a system lacking on trust currently
About the Election that the US uses as excuse for regime change:
https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/venezuela-president-maduro-illegitimate-10-facts-counter-lies
Since it comes from a Venezuelan and is fact-based, this information is very useful to sharpen opinion.
It flies in the face of the propaganda and Fake News.
Very clearly presented, and true.
It’s an easy task to counter the mountains of lies and obfuscation being presented by those who want to depose Maduro, but the resources of the non-stop lying western media are such that it becomes an exhausting task to keep pointing out the lies.
This 2 minute clip shows a Venezuelan lawyer in Argentina, being interviewd and all of a sudden totally stumped for words when someone reads out to her the precise article in the Venezuelan Constitution that shines light on her lies. The fact that none of the reasons stated in the Constitution for deposing a president, are even remotely present in this case.
[In spanish]
https://twitter.com/PavpsC/status/1089670131205238785
Hasn’t it been clear this was in the cards? This silly marxist analysis: deals signed with Putin = coup. Man, that’s not how it works.
Would it be incorrect to say Turkey’s “old fashioned” methods were the best answer to a coup attempt in recent years?
Maybe Venezuela’s real problem is terrorism. Maybe some of the opposition are terrorist sponsors. I heard this strange rumor that Maduro would speak to the opposition. They laughed that off, rumor has it. Remember in Armenia when the guy wanted to negotiate. The cia guy retorted, “we are only here to negotiate your removal.”
Russian advisors have sort of a bad record at the negotiating table. Good at a lot of things, but when met with a swindler, they tend to sell off the country. After all, it’s Western to sell off everything, and Russians can be Western too! They can speak English too, dammit!
Let’s say Maduro takes a different approach. Negotiate someday, somewhere, maybe. Shouldn’t he weed out the terrorists first?
True, Erdoğan had it right. Identify the traitors and their organizations for what they are and arrest them and prosecute them. Chavez made the mistake of not doing so after 2002.
Guaido is clearly a traitor collaborating with a foreign power to overthrow the legitimate government of Venezuela. Those that support him are clearly traitors as well, especially, those in power positions, and the pro coup media. Warrants need to be sent out for their arrests, and they should be jailed until trial. The ringleaders should be convicted and jailed, the blind or not so blind followers should lose jobs and/or be fined, depending on their degree of awareness and complicity. The pro coup traitors in the media should have their media confiscated and closed down or sold off and be jailed for treason, as well. Those pro coup supporters in business and industry should have their busnesses confiscated by decree and auctioned off to pro Venezualan businessmen and industrialists. The proceeds can go to the state to alleviate the suffering caused by illegal US sanctions.
Of course, if committing treasonous acts is legal in Venezuela, then all this can be ignored.
Traitors should be shot. Eliminated. This the best deterrent.
Lula, the loser that tried to negotiate with the powers that be, helped Chavez to go this way.
Chavez arrested several people including people from Globo Vision, Brazillian TV CIA representatives.
Lula convinced Chavez to release everybody and do it Brazillian way.
He is in prison now…and I bet still seek dialogue, lol.
Lula is a great negotiator, one of the best ever, but certain things cant be negotiated.
He is in prison by his own mistakes!
The Russians used to quite effective in negotiations with terrorists:
https://www.upi.com/Archives/1986/01/06/Kidnapped-Soviets-released-through-castration/2113505371600/
Pretty thorough analysis of what is publicly reported of the coup.
“The coup will fail because it is hamfisted and with the expectation of a ‘quick win’, there is no plan B that does not include the option of violence. The Coup Planners expected immediate victory but this was not to be. If history is a guide, the Coup Planners will double down, and double down yet again.”
That section I disagree with, though. While the zionazi-gays would be ecstatic had Venezuela folded, I don’t think that was the purpose in this first stage, or an expected outcome. What I think they are doing is laying the groundwork for more serious conflict later. We are seeing the psywar and propaganda foundations being laid in order to prepare the public to accept the next stages.
To understand what the coup plan entails, it is helpful to look at who the plotters work for. These 3 stooges (trump, pence, pompeo) are israeli owned, not american. They do things the israeli way. This means they rely upon psywar and image, propaganda and owning the narrative, more than by brawn. The israelis rule the west in this manner.
With that in mind, look at what the zionazi-gays have done so far. They have set up a fake regime, which their colonials can then pretend is legit. They have also set the propaganda theme. While we here, and many other places see through this nonsense, the vast majority of people in the west never see information that is outside the zionazi-gay propaganda narrative. They simply will never know anything else. It is these people who the zionazi-gays are targeting right now, getting them to internalize the “correct” view and ready to accept whatever war crimes the zionazi-gays will do next.
Another part of the psywar aspect is they are trying to overwhelm the victims with reams of downer false narratives. For example, stuff like this:
Venezuelan Opposition in Secret Talks With Military to Force Maduro Out – Guaido
https://sputniknews.com/latam/201901281071874069-venezuela-opposition-secret-talks-maduro-guaido/
(The article describes a washington post story featuring guano-guido’s “amazing” make friends and influence people talent..)
They coordinate this stuff in the media, as well as in their defeatist spamming of websites.
One can bet that the next stages of this zionazi-gay coup will include all the war criminality of their previous ones, and perhaps even worse, and that they are just beginning the attack.
Under estimating one’s attacker never ends well.
Guano-Guido the perfect epitaph.
Here in Austfailure, perhaps the Thanatopolis DC regime’s most groveling boot-licker, the vile Morrison (a religious fanatic like the loathsome Pence) regime has followed orders and joined the coup plotters. So much for the ‘rules based International order’, so beloved of these repellent hypocrites. Moreover our defence Minister, the pipsqueak’s pipsqueak, Pyne, has been threatening China and defaming Russia like a loyal backside-kisser. I do hope that karma prevails, and this hideous country, where bullying is a religion, both internally and externally in league with our Thanatopian Masters, gets its richly deserved and long overdue comeuppance soon. The quickening pace of climate destabilisation, our economic indebtedness and our craven obeisance to the dying Exceptionalist Empire pretty much guarantee it.
‘rules based International order’ is a relatively new phrase that has been on the Maybot’s (and others) lips constantly for the last couple of years only. I’d never heard it used before but now it is everywhere. It is deliberately used in place of the old ‘international law’ but certainly is not intended to signify the same thing.
‘rules based International order’ is intended to mean that the US makes the new rules and everyone else follows their orders. The old UN function is thus superseded, all with the legalistic sleight of hand (or mouth in this case) of swapping a few common words around. This stuff works, obviously, on those who are not aware.
To imply that the USA, Israel and the NATO stooges obey the ‘rules’, requires a gift for hypocrisy, mendacity and utter contempt for the historical record. And Western fakestream media presstitutes have no trouble sinking to the depths required. Their jobs depend on it.
“‘rules based International order’ is intended to mean that the US makes the new rules and everyone else follows their orders”.
Exactly.
“Our world, our rules”.
The rest of the world’s mission – should it choose to accept it – is to demonstrate that the situation is actually quite different.
How long can it be before the sheer number of the USA’s victims adds up to a quorum for “belling the cat”? (Or, if necessary, more extreme measures).
“The second surprise was the sheer theatrical component of this attempted coup d’état, and the script and the technology of regime change is openly visible. ”
Not surprising; is not Bolton a left-over from the openly visible theatricals of 911, the “War on Terror” rape of Iraq and the “Bloodsoaked Dictator” attempt to destroy Syria? Aged criminals stiffened in a habitual behaviour pattern arising from the arrogance of power allied to impenetrable stupidity and a Napoleonic sense of “greatness” or “exceptionalism”. For punishment they should be sentenced to copy out the Aeneid 100 times.
“Parcere subjectis et debellare superbos” — Virgil, Handbook of Imperialist Theory
For the Lingual-challenged> “Spare subject (people) and pull down the haughty” (anyway that’s my translation)
Some instruction in Latin and in Greek was part of the canon, part of the syllabus of American high schools, until the time of the Kennedy murder, more or less. Pure coincidence that the “Kennedy intervention” was a classical Roman coup and that the instruction in the classics stopped. Rhetoric was systematically removed as well. This helped create a gullible and ignorant population that much easier to manipulate…
An interesting lecture, by the way > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwzwu1ORC_c
In that video I disagree with the speaker’s usage of the term “stochastically”. It is no more true of the murder in the Senate than it is true of the murder in Dallas. I would moot sporangious as a superior term, essentially “from seed” or “seeded”. This is to say that the ethics of any Imperium is determined by it’s essential “seed”, ie it is structural, not the product of randomness.
I looked for “Handbook of Imperialist Theory” and found many related publications, but zero of that specific precise title. Will the Dr kindly say the url or precise title?
Thanks, p
Dr M is, I think, referring to Virgil’s Aeneid, which was one of the standards in classics study for young kids, along with the Iliad, in the time frame you mention. It definitely served as a handbook of Imperialist theory, though the reasons for removal from the syllabus in Britain, at least, were more complicated and political than just an intention to dumb down the ‘deplorables’. Given that dumbing down was the end result, though, intention then seems moot now.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeneid
Re: For punishment they should be sentenced to copy out the Aeneid 100 times.
Agreed! And after they’ve finished that homework, escort them to the firing wall.
Rt in UK running a documentary today……USA training…. of secret armies ..assassins….dictators …torture training especially against South America …
https://www.rt.com/shows/documentary/
Paying the price for peace
‘speeched’ – ? Has ‘spoke’ been declared an archaic word?
Paul Craig Roberts, Questions and Answers.
Q1: ”How long will other powers tolerate Washington’s illegality and aggression?”
A1: As long as it’s the power of Zionism that rules them.
Q2: ”How long will Americans tolerate the shame that Washington heaps upon their shoulders?”
A2: As long as it’s being done for propping up their wasteful, parasitic lifestyles.
Fair enough?
Nussiminen
What you wrote is basically true. However, the question which needs to be asked if Americans are capable of changing anything. How many of them believe the nonsense presented to them by the MSM ? Probably 50 %, if not more.
B.F.
Americans are, for all practical intents and purposes, in such an abysmal state as a people as to be superfluous eaters outright. Exceptional and indispensable specimina gorging on imperialist mayhem, murder, and lawlessness. Morally bankrupt all along the line.
No one should ever believe that Americans – or any other people – are so thoroughly enslaved that they could not free themselves if they wished.
“Every tyranny must necessarily be grounded upon general popular acceptance. In short, the bulk of the people themselves, for whatever reason, acquiesce in their own subjection….If we led our lives according to the ways intended by nature and the lessons taught by her, we should be intuitively obedient to our parents; later we should adopt reason as our guide and become slaves to nobody”.
– Etienne De La Boetie, “The Politics of Obedience” (1552)
“Nothing appears more surprising to those, who consider human affairs with a philosophical eye, than the easiness with which the many are governed by the few; and the implicit submission, with which men resign their own sentiments and passions to those of their rulers. When we enquire by what means this wonder is effected, we shall find, that, as Force is always on the side of the governed, the governors have nothing to support them but opinion. It is therefore, on opinion only that government is founded; and this maxim extends to the most despotic and most military governments, as well as to the most free and most popular”.
– David Hume, “Essays, Moral, Political, and Literary. Essay 4 : Of The First Principles of Government” (1753-4 approx)
Moscow Not Planning to Have Any Contacts With Venezuela’s Guaido – Kremlin
https://sputniknews.com/world/201901281071880665-russia-contacts-venezuela-guaido/
Yes, the moves were TOO fast and too open this time.
No, neither Colombia nor brazil will try a meaningful form of military interference.
They have no means enough for it, and in brazilian case the logistics requirements are a nightmare of up 2.500 to 3000 km distances of jungles and rivers cover. Forget.
It was Chavez and maduro govts who gave the poorer 9 million venezuelas the social up grading chances with their OIL revenues correct destination – for the 1st time in their history.
I expect a daily long hawkish news manipulation and further faking numbers but so does the poor side of Venezuelan people.
Sure that this stage has failed. Sure they will double down.
it s up to maduro to slowly but firmly change his economic policies.
Has anyone noted the irony of Bolton’s typo? Instead of calling their Venezuelan puppet “Guaidó”, he wrote in his tweet “Guiado”, which means “guided”.
Nicely observed, Paulo! That really is funny.
Almost as funny as the British UN ambassador claiming that Senor Maduro won the elction last year by “stuffing ballot boxes”, when Venezuela doesn’t use paper voting slips and indeed relies on a state-of-the-art British electronic voting system.
Abby Martin on Venezuela
(warnings, adult language and I don’t blame her, not Trump friendly)
She gives some background on Juan Guaidó, the violence in perspective, the elections, the recent attempts at coup, sanctions, the Monroe doctrine, the new appointments and some discussion from Jimmy Dore on the “Bad Guy” propaganda.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=VMplqEpfGhs
Why now…?
Trump’s Wall — end of story.
He needs mass distraction; fear, uncertainty and doubt; an excuse to wield in the military to build the wall (with their spare change budgets); and a reason to activate Executive Orders etc; and possibly a speech to the Nation in place of the State of the Union waffle to the House etc.
Nothing needs to succeed in Venezuela as long as there is chaos in the Latin American winds or the cusp of it in the southern wings.
If said plan ‘fails’ (and it smells like it will) then Gwaido and his gang will find refuge in the USA (Btw, where is old Yats these days?) – probably in Florida with the expat Cuban mafia – and dream for a couple of generations about what could have been, … along with the Shah of Iran’s little brood of wannabe’s.
The script may have worked in 9/11, 1973 in Chile — but the world has changed and social media makes it far more difficult to exploit the information/news cycle.
The only thing I have against Maduro is he’s not, alas, Chavez.
Where’s the “seat of sulfur” genius and humor?
Anyway, business as usual by the criminal suspects in charge: Make America Grate Again…
Yats is probably in Ottawa, Canada, guest of Christia Freeland.
Check up on her background via Chomiak.
“Yats is probably in Ottawa…”
Or, just possibly, pioneering the explanation of some exciting sea or lake bottom. Without oxygen.
Please, when criticizing the “left,” please note there is a world of difference between the psuedo pro-Zionist “left” and the true anti-Zionist left. The pro-Zionist “left” is also anti-socialist and Pro-capitalist imperialist empire. The anti-Zionist left is socialist and anti-imperialist and are the true heirs of Marx. The Bolivarian revolution in Venezuela only went halfway and did not empower the working class of full ownership and control of the means of production. This and the drop in oil prices plus the US sanctions wrecked Venuzuela’s economy, and not because socialism has failed. True socialists defend all nation of any size against the threats of imperialism from the capitalist empire.
‘The underground war between Venezuela and the big US oil cartel confirmed through WikiLeaks;
https://failedevolution.blogspot.com/2017/08/the-underground-war-between-venezuela.html
Dr. Maria Páez Victor: ‘The US has opposed, destabilized, overthrown or assassinated every progressive reformer that has appeared on the political scene in the region for more than a century’;
https://ahtribune.com/world/americas/2264-maria-paez-victor.html
Venezuela – the hidden agenda – A must see;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=11&v=f1zl-k6QQj0
Some people think that Hugo Chavez sealed his own fate and that of his Country, by speaking out in support of the Palestinian people. ‘The enemies of peace’ (the zionists) never forgave him for this. The zionist world wide criminal network have made Venezuela into an evil Country that has to be ‘liberated’
Here is Chavez speaking truth about US and Israel;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGf47o5Ov40&feature=player_embedded
“I ask for support, I ask for the help of Venezuelan intellectuals, thinkers,
artists, I ask for the help of the Latin American and Caribbean intellectuals
so that they come to support Venezuela in the formulation of the economic
response that allows us to give it a thrashing, a beating, a defnitive defeat
to this economic warfare. Undoubtedly, that would be the greatest victory
of the Bolivarian Venezuela, which would broaden the horizons to stabilize
this beautiful project that has taken up the banners of Bolivar bequeathed
by Commander Chavez. ”
Nicolás Maduro Moros
President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
TV show Nº 72, En Contacto con Maduro (In Touch with Maduro)
Well, Guaido violated Venezuelan election law. Automatic fail.
http://www.cne.gov.ve/web/sala_prensa/noticia_detallada.php?id=3776
This is one of the most interesting coup scenarios I’ve seen. It looks to be an attempt to bring together the highly fractured National Security State to bring disparate political forces into alliance on a particular issues. It is critical to these people to succeed here because “the Americas” are crucial to the US imperial agenda and we’ve seen, since Obama, a concerted effort to bring these society’s under control after a gradual movement to the left in much of Latin America. This has been successfully reversed in several countries, particularly Brazil so there is some reason to believe they will destroy the Bolivarian democracy and turn the country into a richer version of Honduras.
There is just one little problem with all this, and I don’t mean the Venezuelan people would revolt which would certainly be true but won’t make much difference to the planners–that little problem is that the US National Security State in all its splendor may be to corrupt and incompetent to function as desired. The tight alliance between the Deep State and Obama is also not the case between Trump and the Deep State. It’s there to some extent and Venezuela is the issue where all the elements of the Deep State can come together, Republicans, Democrats, the usual martinets, “Canada”, some of the European vassals who snap to attention every-time Washington barks and the other usual slime-balls the US has been able to bribe to go along with whatever Washington seeks to do.
Whatever happens here, if the coup fails this means big-trouble for the Empire.
”To the average American that is supporting this overt and barefaced attempt to take over and control another country, you cannot further support the thinking that your current administration is fighting globalism. These are your globalists, the Pompous Pompeo’s and Brutal Boltons and Pious Pences, with Mr Trump twittering the threat chants like a cheer leader. The appointments mentioned above, the Dream Team, is a team from the Democratic party. What’s all the more inflammatory is the flagrant illegality of Washington’s actions.”
The Average American listens, lets the above words sink in, and then cheers with authentic, overwhelming joy:
— Hell yes, globalism and Trump are making America great again! To hell with national sovereignty! Globalism forever!
The utter imbecility of this putrid propaganda stunt should have the Pindos feeling flattered accordingly.
Well, our Saker writer here is leading the pack with Gweedo. On Crosstalk today at about 6:17, the Gweedo issue is front and center.
https://www.rt.com/shows/crosstalk/449933-venezuela-maduro-regime-change/
“the man’s name is Juan Guaidó”
Bolton referred to him as ‘Guiado’ – which means ‘guided, led, managed’. A rare moment of truth from Notlob.
Haha, suits Juan Guano right. But I wouldn’t put it past him taking pride in Bolton’s most poignant rendition of his name.
Mi primer comentario es de forma: Cuando yo fui al colegio, el nombre de Américalatina no se conocía. Leo los diarios del mundo desde finales de la Segunda Guerra Mundial y a veces encontraba la expresión “América Morena para esta parte del mundo. Comencé a leer a Arciniegas cuando tenía 12 años y capté en toda la profundidad la expresión de Monroe “América para los americanos”. América en su verdadero significado y americanos como los únicos propietarios del continente. Cuando nacieron las Naciones Unidas en San Francisco, los estadounidenses buscaron una forma de salvar la institución. Pensaron en sus “latin lovers” como Rodolfo Valentino y en Al Capone con toda su mafia italiana, para designar esa parte de América. Pero no pensaron, o no sabían que el Imperio Latino de Occidente había terminado como 500 años antes del viaje de Colón y el Imperio Latino de Oriente había finalizado en las mismas décadas del viaje del genovés. Como un pueblo mayoritariamente inculto, a pesar de los grandes intelectos que han cruzado su existencia, tampoco sabían que en la propia Biblioteca del Congreso guardaban una copia del planisferio donde este querido continente fue bautizado por Martin Waldseemüller como América y en el que no figuraba colonia anglosajona alguna en la nominación. Tampoco es culto suponer la formación de un nuevo continente, no conociéndose hasta ahora alguna fragmentación de la placas europeas y africanas para formar en su centro, en una escisión del Latio, un nuevo continente con ese nombre. Pero alguien puede justificar la elección por razones idiomáticas. Pero nuestro vocabulario, así como el vocabulario del actual inglés, son ambos herencia, a lo menos , de un 70 % del Latín en cualquiera de sus cinco niveles conocidos en los finales del Imperio Latino de Occidente. Muchos anglosajones no saben que el Latín se hablaba en Britania hasta el muro de Adriano. Por la vertiente que se elija, la elección de ese nombre es atentatoria a la verdadera cultura latina que todo el mundo heredó de un imperio que brindó la escritura, las leyes, las artes y tantas cosas por las que todas las naciones del mundo deben sentirse identificadas con “lo latino”.
Seré más breve para el fondo: También era niño cuando me devoraba las noticias sobre el Presidente Jacobo Árbenz, así como cuando los mercenarios encabezados por el embajador estadounidense, entraron en la capital de Guatemala. A partir de allí, todas mis lecturas que tocan al imperio del mal, como leit motiv, acusan alguna intervención e injerencia del imperio en los gobiernos de las repúblicas americanas. El peor de todo, al menos para mí, como chileno, fue el abominable acto terrorista del 11 de septiembre de 1973. Un crimen que costó la vida a más de 3.000 chilenos muertos torturados y lanzados con rieles al mar cuando todavía vivían. Y el terrorista Nixon murió con funerales de Estado. Su cómplice en el atentado, todavía vive y es propietario de una empresa del crimen, al estilo USAno.
Muy buen comentario el suyo, lástima que por aquí muchos no lo van a entender, al menos en su totalidad, debido al desconocimiento de la lengua española. Y son ciertas las cosas que usted menciona. Sospecho que usted esta sumamente avergonzado por lo que está haciendo su gobierno (Piñera). No está solo, yo tambien me siento avergonzado por lo que esta haciendo el mío. (Macri)
With apologies to our Brother Eduardo for my poor machine assisted translation of his final sentence>
“The worst of all, at least for me, as a Chilean, was the abominable terrorist act of September 11, 1973. A crime that cost the lives of more than 3,000 dead Chileans tortured and thrown with rails into the sea while they still lived. And the terrorist Nixon died with state funerals. His accomplice in the attack, still lives and owns a crime company, USAno style.” https://tinyurl.com/y84xwnty
As regards the Imperium, I myself am minded of Daniel > ” MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN”
The absurd dog and pony show at the UN surely proves that they have been weighed and found wanting…
Te felicito, Eduardo Goffard. Carajo. Me subió la moral leer de un chileno que se expresa con esa claridad, a favor de lo justo y en contra de lo criminal. Hermosa reflexión. Gracias y adelante!
———————-
Google translate from Mod:
I congratulate you, Eduardo Goffard. Fuck. It raised the moral reading of a Chilean who expresses himself with that clarity, in favor of the just and against the criminal. Beautiful reflection. Thanks and go!
https://www.rt.com/usa/449982-john-bolton-oil-venezuela/
The oil is a smokescreen for the mountains of gold the West intends to steal
Looks like the Bank of England has decided to steal Venezuelan gold
CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela’s gold holdings in the Bank of England have jumped after it closed out a gold swap deal with Deutsche Bank, according to two sources, as Britain remains reluctant to release gold held for the troubled OPEC nation.
The government of Nicolas Maduro has since last year been seeking to repatriate about $550 million in gold from the Bank of England on fears it could be caught up in international sanctions on the country.
Its holdings at the bank more than doubled in December to 31 tonnes, or around $1.3 billion, after Venezuela returned funds it had borrowed from Deutsche Bank AG (DBKGn.DE) through a financing arrangement that uses gold as collateral, known as a swap, one of the sources said.
Under the deal struck with Deutsche Bank in 2015, Venezuela put up 17 tonnes of gold in exchange for a loan, according to one of the sources who asked not to be identified because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the issue […]
Full article:
https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-gold-idUKKCN1PF1Z8
The economic war on Venezuela is relentless, amazing. Read this thread. Then go and blame Venezuela’s troubles on the “evils of socialism”
https://twitter.com/fcn_84/status/1087482013114863616
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jan/28/venezuela-coup-trump-juan-guaido
First article in years on theguardian website worth reading at all and it is in support of Maduro.
Cuba Slams US For Meddling Accusation On Venezuela
Published on January 28, 2019
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez rejected US accusations that his country is “meddling”
in Venezuela, and accused Washington of trying to “orchestrate” a coup to overthrow President
Nicolas Maduro.
https://www.veteranstoday.com/2019/01/28/cuba-slams-us-for-meddling-accusation-on-venezuela/
So what we have is a classic resource grab playing off between large powers in a distant oil rich country.
Not so different to what is happening in Southern Africa, except in the latter case the local governments are selling off the local mineral assets to foreign interests from underneath the local farmers in advance. Both places have gold. China has opened several police stations in South Africa and Russia just entered the region with its trade, investment and military deals in Zimbabwe. There are still Western mining interests in Southern Africa. The question is – have they abondoned these interests?
Why are angry street protestors in France bad, but in Venezuela very good?
Protests in France and Venezuela – Spot the Difference
https://geopolitics.co/2019/01/27/protests-in-france-and-venezuela-spot-the-difference/
Sergey Mikheev
The United States threatens Venezuela with military intervention. Inciting civil war
Published on January 25, 2019
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfJTKh6uqpg
You can change the subtitles to English
Al-Masdar News
Breaking: US warns ‘all options’ on the table in Venezuela
By News Desk – 2019-01-28
BEIRUT, LEBANON (11:30 P.M.) – The White House issued a statement on Monday warning that
“all options” were on the table in regards to Venezuela, the AFP News Agency reported.
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/breaking-us-warns-all-options-on-the-table-in-venezuela/
Trump Floated “Military Option” in Venezuela with Sen. Graham
Military option on the table — that’s what Axios reporter Jonathan Swan was told when discussing
the Venezuela crisis with Sen. Lindsey Graham.
https://www.globalresearch.ca/trump-floated-military-option-in-venezuela-with-sen-graham/5666771
Venezuela is the subject of a grand theft operation
U.S. unveils sanctions on Venezuelan oil giant, projects $7 billion hit
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-unveils-sanctions-on-venezuelan-oil-giant-projects-7-billion-hit-2019-01-28
and this
https://twitter.com/fcn_84/status/1087482013114863616
If History and logos may guide, Empire will use direct violence against Maduro. Actually it is “shall”, not “will”.
the logic for this is:
Historical Time is non linear…so do not hold your breath…but follow this> a new word first: “Sporangious” > the quality of a system to follow the instructions of it’s seed germ under variable epigenetic circumstance. For example an organization of pirates may grow and change but only as a piratical organization, or an Imperial System that grows and adapts, but can not depart from it’s seed germ, it’s spore. The alternative quality is stochastically, which describes a system as arising from random and without design. All Empires arise as sporangious phenomena. They are influenced by circumstance within their germ capacity, ergo epigenetic.
In the present time it is interesting to observe that this capacity for adaptive change seems to be exhausted, exceeded, and frozen. Zero options other than force. This describes the end of this and also any Empire.
G. Seldes is credited with this quote “Definition of the alternatives is the supreme instrument of power”.
Follow that logic and it’s clear, there is one alternative…
Marx said much the same thing, (more or less) “so long as the system remains they’ll find people to run it”. That system is defined by it’s “spore”.
parrhesiastes
I enjoyed your clean bio-geneticas. So this means the old spore of patriarchal empire is collapsing, in favor of a new spore, surely? If so would this imply a solution to the issue of the dying of the old spore? Isn’t that how the genetics works?
Thank you, but alas, no. Spores are dormant until circumstance triggers them into life. Then they devour whatever they can, and resume dormancy. My Comrade Dima gives a talk indicating a deep misunderstanding of what Ru faces.
One minion and I have discussed this idea in Cafe, where thre’s a lengthy dialogue in re.
see “parrhesiastes on January 28, 2019 · at 5:47 pm EST/EDT ” @ Cafe /moveable-feast-cafe-2019-01-27/#comments
Gweedo who reminds me of a trained monkey is nowhere to be found. The planning here is absent. The Empire is collapsing and will be over soon.
I think you are right. We are witnessing the death throes of empire.
Does no one in the United States State Department understand the consequences of what they are doing?
The world is de-dollarizing and what does the United States do? They give Venezuela’s (US held) assets to a US puppet so the US can take control of Venezuela’s resources. Why don’t they just hang a banner from the State Department saying:
“Hey, World, get your money out of the US and out of the US dollars as fast as you possibly can before we grab it.”
I can’t believe the rank stupidity of it all.
The real problem is not addressed in this article. Chris Hedges does it justice by pointing out that America is now in the grip of Christian fascists:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/50991.htm
That is why it has such an aggressive foreign policy.
I just read that article.
Pretty strong stuff.
But I do see what he describes – infrastructure collapsing, the traditional media not even making a pretense of reporting news anymore, a citizenry ravaged by drugs and alcohol, wanton mass shootings (often for no apparent purpose at all), an out of touch pampered elite with more money than they could spend if they tried to – and so on and so on and so on.
You really have to wonder how much longer this system can survive.
New oil embargo against Venezuela – accounts blocked and assets frozen. Also includes notes on Citgo. This asset grab happened in the past with Libya, Iraq and with Iran.
https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/14268
And be aware this is not a reliable source or has not been reported as far as I can see, but seemingly what is on the table (or on Bolton’s note pad), is 5,000 troops to Colombia.
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-01-28/5000-troops-colombia-quell-venezuela-crisis-john-bolton-flashes-notepad-contents
Here is some background on what Chavez and Maduro actually accomplished in terms of poverty.
“This short background of living and real democracy within Venezuela is essential to understanding what is unfolding there today. Chavez and his United Socialist Party inherited a country where 43% of the population lived in poverty and 17% suffered from extreme poverty in 1999. A truly disgraceful state of affairs in a country so rich in natural oil reserves. Only 6 million children attended school and illiteracy was prevalent within the poorer areas of the country.
By 2018 poverty had been reduced from 43% to 26%, on a par with the poverty levels in Scotland and across England and Wales. Extreme poverty had been halved from 17% to less than 7%. The number of children attending school more than doubled from 6 million to 13 million. Illiteracy was eradicated with over 1.5 million being taught to read and write. College attendance increased fourfold while infant mortality was slashed by 50% through radically improved health care.”
https://sputniknews.com/columnists/201901281071875410-venezuela-us-crisis/
Good information linked from Sputniknews. Thanks.
The article indicates the currency was manipulated to created the crisis of inflation.
However, oil revenues were in the currency of US dollars (petrodollars). So, the vast majority of government funds was stable, though there were several years of low oil prices. That affected every oil producing nation.
Venezuela was the only country that did not cope.
Again, if you look at their industry, they have 6000 gas stations and other facilities in the US (CITGO). They sold 41% of their output to the US. They were in more than sale of crude oil. They were gasoline distributors in the best market in the world.
Also, during the last three years, there are plenty of stories about the Chinese “suggesting” their economic and oil industry and mining experts be brought in to solve the crisis.
Russia, also, more recently, has tried to provide expertise.
Venezuela is a tragedy. Now the people really suffer, and the sovereignty of this very rich nation is in doubt.
The Hegemon is determined to possess the natural resources of Venezuela.
One reason Bashir Assad is still in power and has won the war foisted against his nation is he listened to Putin and the Russian Generals. He swallowed his pride and conformed to what had to be done.
We can only hope that Maduro follows that pattern and it is not too late for Venezuela to be saved from the Hegemon’s grasp and greed.
What I dont get is,
why do the Venezuelans keep voting for Muduro ? He clearly has no idea how to run a country and I doubt that he will learn in the near future. He is not a Putin or even a Gaddafi.
As much as I hate to see the US with a “win” the Venezuelan people need a break and they will not be getting one until they get another. The bar has not been set too high to find someone better.
With all that Venezuela has going for it (up until today the sanctions have only been minor) is it possible that someone could do a worse job?
Yes. One needs to understand the Chavista mindset. These people are actually working together and Maduro is carrying out what the people want. Its different.
Dear BobHNZ,
Who told you Maduro runs the country by himself? This is the U.S. implanted mindset they want you to sport. Just another banana republic run on a tyrants whim. It’s patently false.
Do you want to know a banana country run by a narcotraffiker tyrant’s whim? Try Honduras. The brother of the narco president has just recently been arrested for traffiking cocaine and laundering billions by the DEA and is now facing justice at South District NY.
And still the U.S. praises the narcotraffiker dictator it has imposed upon Hondurans.
No, Venezuela is not run by Maduro. It is run by a group of loyal Venezuelans from all sorts of professional fields who come together at asambleas to lay out the blueprints of what they wish their nation to be, politically guided by the ideals of Simón Bolivar as expressed by the Bolivarian revolution.
So if they deemed that the peoples of their nation needed to be healed and housed first, that is what they did.
In the last 5 years of the Maduro administration:
Social Investment by the Bolivarian government has risen 74%.
2 million families have been properly housed.
100 thousand medical practices and 400 new hospitals have opened, medical surgeries have gone up 600%
7 million Venezuelan children now study and are properly fed at schools.
100% of all pensions are paid to seniors.
60% employment.
etc.
All while under sever economic, political and diplomatic attack since 2002.
How could have Venezuela developed all this time without all the sanctions and bullshit against her by the U.S.?
Now we’ll never know.
But I would not call that ‘not knowing how to run a country’.
I call it ‘trying to find your way while Uncle Sam tries to destroy you’.
Most esteemed Larchmonter,
Whenever there is a great article I always come looking for comments to hopefully check out your contributions, as well as those of the good Auslander. I really appreciate your very thoughtful perception and analysis of things.
In the case of Venezuela, myself being born in Honduras, I can tell you that the suffering of the Venezuelan people is not that bad as you make it sound. They have suffered much worse in the past. In 1989, at the last Caracazo, around 5,000 poor Venezuelans were horribly assassinated in the streets of their capital city Caracas by their cruel oppressors. And up until Hugo Chávez they were suffering untold misery and hunger.
I would say they have not suffered nearly half of what present day Hondurans are suffering right now. As you may have seen in news, Hondurans, from a country of 8 million people, are escaping their country at a rate of 300 to 500 persons per night, meaning around 10,000 monthly, running away from hunger, misery and violence, truly refugees of the so called ‘war on drugs’ artificially created by the hegemon.
The worst suffering to the human soul, especially collectively applied, comes from the loss of nation, land, dignity and hope for the future. Despair for the future of your children. Coming from one of the most underdeveloped and abused countries of the world… I know. Venezuelans have not lost that. Or rather, they had lost it until Hugo Chávez and the Bolivarians brought it back for them. Hondurans, on the other hand, have completley lost it, and thus they are running away.
As for lack of toilet paper and tbones, I think Cubans have shown that it is indeed painful, but what it does not kill you makes you stronger.
Salute you, good sir.
I see the same playbook being used as in maidan and Syria. Already, ‘accidents’ happen. Yesterday an ‘explosion’ of mysterious pedigree hit the LNG terminal and halted operations. Last night draconian sanctions were announced against various government and business entities in Venezuela. The currency is in process of being destroyed. Oil exports will be halted. Look for a gold mine or two having a catastrophic accident. Refineries will catch fire. Gold in uk is being ‘held for the people’, IOW Venezuela will never see their gold.
Next will be the snipers of dubious parentage shooting ‘peaceful’ demonstrators in the streets and of course the government will be blamed. The shelves in food stores are being swept clean as the citizens stock up.
Solemn meetings will commence at UN Circus with speakers of heavy gravitas pontificating about the need for troops to be sent in to save the citizens from the depredations of the government.
Rinse and repeat for the next country Foggy Bottom casts an eye upon.
Venezuela is in US’s back yard, ergo not a thing can be done to stop this outright theft coming to fruition. There will be screams, hand wringing, complaints etc etc etc but Foggy Bottom will get what it wants this time. At least remember, there was failure in orcland, there was failure in Donbas, there was failure in Krimea, there was failure in Syria, Irak is a running sore and Afghan is the grave of empires. Deep State, which is not so ‘deep’, will win this one unless Mother parks half the Black Sea Fleet in Caracas Harbor.
Auslander
How long will the decent, law-abiding peoples of the world put up with this banditry? When will a campaign of the type you describe hit the USA itself?
Tom, it already is. There is an ongoing and now successful coup from DoJ, CIA and FBI. Antifa are treated with kid gloves while the conservative resistance is arrested time and time again. Antifa shows all the signs of very well trained, and well paid, Soros ‘regime change’ cadre, witness maidan, the attempt in Krimu in Simferopol, certain demonstrations in Russia, UK, some of the ‘yellow vest’ operatives in France and now Venezuela.
Auslander
You are, I think, probably correct. However there are always secondary after-effects and indirect consequences, particularly when violence is employed.
These cannot be reliably predicted, and today we see Bolton’s note pad on RT indicating 5000 soldiers to Columbia. That’s either a rump division or a very heavy brigade…probably it means a full division is planned. It means that “they” see their coup is failing and must be “helped”… It is desperation, but may work.
Empire crossed the Rubicon and cast the die at the UN, and cannot be seen to retreat. Similarly without violence Empire cannot subdue the target. It has deliberately mousetrapped itself.
One reasonably expected outcome lies within the collective “mind” of the Kremlin, where, it seems, there are deep misunderstandings. These may be corrected as the gentlemen witness the Caribbean Crises 2.0.
see /moveable-feast-cafe-2019-01-27/#comments about these misunderstandings.
This morning there are indications that the Maduro Governments will resist…it’s a very sloppy coup, and accidents can happen to, ah, anybody, not just to enemies of Imperial Lust.
If, by vast good fortune, the coup fails, it will present Empire with a new circumstance…a critical defeat. Salamis.
I don’t know about half the fleet…but our Comrade VVP may see opportunity, depending upon the vagaries of fortune. It is big county with not so many airfields…
Above posted Abby Martin videos are indeed worth listening to…
Best to you in Krim, amigo.
Thank you, parrhesiastes, for your concern. We are fine at this time, VCo is happy, ‘two leg’ children tucked far away are doing top honors in their studies, the other three are still serving and quite happy, ‘four leg’ children are in winter mode, snoring 23.5 hours a day and happy as can be.
Bolton’s now infamous ‘note pad’ was a red herring, no one with his training and experience would do such a thing unless he did it deliberately, in other words y’all been had.
Question. Where is Uncle Sugar going to get two brigades with the equipment, logistics and experience to go in to the wild, so to speak? All the Kampuchea, Vietnam, Honduras and Nikaraugua veterans are long gone from service and no one, except for a very very few ‘contractors’, read mercenaries, have any experience resembling what any regular army force will need if shoved in to Venezuela. On the job training? That is very expensive in body bags sent back to Dover or N’Oleans or Dallas, and the US populace will have none of that.
It doesn’t matter who wins the first battle, it only matters who wins the last battle.
Auslander
Author
Never The Last One https://saker.community/product/never-the-last-one-a-novel-by-r-h-auslander-pdf-ed/ A deep look in to Russia, her culture and her Armed Forces, in essence a look at the emergence of Russian Federation.
An Incident On Simonka https://saker.community/product/an-incident-on-simonka-a-novel-by-r-h-auslander-pdf-ed/ March 2014. NATO Is Invited To Leave Sevastopol, One Way Or The Other.
A
“but Foggy Bottom will get what it wants this time.”
Well, I am not so ready to write off the people of Venezuela out of hand. It is that sort of defeatist thinking that is what the zionazi-gay psywar is intended to create. The odds are against them, given the size of the zpc/nwo and Venezuela’s isolation and close proximity to israel’s pindo colony, but they were against Syria and Cuba, also.
vot tak
I am far, very far, from ‘defeatist’, but I also think this blatant take over of yet another sovereign country by Foggy Bottom will succeed, and I’ll qualify that with ‘at first’. However, Venezuela is not Syria, or orcland, or Gruzya, it will more resemble Vietnam, and who lost in Vietnam? Hint. When they are shooting at you when you leave, you lost.
Auslander
A
“However, Venezuela is not Syria, or orcland, or Gruzya, it will more resemble Vietnam”
Vietnam, a full scale war with pindo troops on the ground in their 10s of 1000s or more? That seems doubtful. I think they will instead rerun a variation of the contra terror strategy they used against Nicaragua. Or try to.
Vot Tak
‘The Nam’ did not start that way, it was but a few ‘advisers’ sent by, if memory serves, Ike. It just kinda grew in to a huge black wall with 75,000 names either on it or should be on it. Yeah, I know the official version for the wall but I also know the real version that should be on that wall.
A
“‘The Nam’ did not start that way, it was but a few ‘advisers’ sent by, if memory serves, Ike.”
It began at least 2 decades before Eisenhower sent “advisors”. Unofficially, americans were already heavily involved in 1945 trying to prevent Vietnam gaining independence from France.
“The most scary scenario (very unlikely at present) would be that NATO Troops may be called in via Colombia”.
In that eventuality, it is relevant that half of Colombia’s coast is on the Pacific side – and that the whole of Colombia, as well as Venezuela – is within easy range of cruise missiles that could be fired by surface ships or submarines from the Pacific.
“Judging from the comments in the UNSC just yesterday, we may see the Monroe Doctrine being seriously challenged”.
There is actually nothing to “challenge” about the Monroe Doctrine. It was never anything but a piece of unilateral bluff by Washington.
A government that tramples over every form of law – from the UN Charter and Nuremberg Principles to its own Constitution – with equal disregard has no right whatsoever to dictate to other governments what they shall and shall not do within the law.
And a government that has systematically interfered with the fundamental operation of almost every other government in the world since 1945 and before has no right to ask for its own wishes to be respected.
One comment is enough after all those explanations of ‘what is happening’. Just watch! US shows how to become a Mafia Nation destroying all it touches.
Second, US administration officials often speak in favour of intra-Venezuelan dialogue but on each occasion they set forth patently unacceptable terms, such as “Maduro must go.” This is the traditional approach in US relations with sovereign states if the Americans don’t like somet hing. Another condition is the demand that Venezuela stop cooperating with Cuba and certain other countries. Assistance for Venezuela may only be rendered by the “right” allies. This is what US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said again recently in the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research. This approach, in which one side is always to blame and the other is always right, is not only unconstructive but also self-defeating. The US continually tries to derail any constructive move in the right direction as the Venezuelan sides try to meet each other halfway and look for compromise. Their efforts are immediately sidetracked.