Turmoil in Venezuela

[Hervé]

According to the Mexican press, it's all Trump's fault:

From Jim Stone (http://82.221.129.208/.xs2.html):

THERE IS A VERY IMPORTANT NEWS REPORT BY MEX MEDIA POSTED BELOW. TO SUM IT UP, THEY GAVE TRUMP FULL CREDIT FOR OUSTING MADURO.

You won't hear this the way Mex media reported it on American media, Mex media made Trump look GREAT. Amazing report!


UPDATE TO BELOW:
The following is not about whether or not I agree with America messing around with other people's countries, (I called Maduro's replacement a stooge) the post is instead about how Mexico covered Trump with this, giving him credit for the revolution, and if you go into the comments, Venezuela does not want to become a refugee nation, they want to "Make Venezuela great again" and see Trump as an inspiration. There's no chance America's MSM is going to report this, which is why the following post needs to be spread far and wide.

THE STORY BELOW HIT A NERVE WITH THE LIBERAL "ELITE". IT IS VERY IMPORTANT. I WANT AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE TO FORWARD IT TO ALEX JONES AND HAVE HIM WATCH THE NEWS REPORT THAT IS AT THIS LINK: https://noticieros.televisa.com/programas/en-punto-con-denise-maerker/ (https://noticieros.televisa.com/programas/en-punto-con-denise-maerker/) BEFORE IT GETS REPLACED AT 11:59 PM on the 24th.

Make sure you send along what my summary of that report says below.With the way trolls and Trump's opposition responded to this, which amounted to an outright attempt to destroy how Mex media reported this (they made Trump a hero) it is very important for this to receive widespread exposure in America and Alex would be just the guy to do it. If the Latino community gets ahold of this, it is ADIOS DEMS.


--------------------------------------


BOOOOM! Mex media gave Trump 100 percent credit for today's overthrow of Venezuela's president Maduro

Fat chance you'll hear this on America's MSM -

Here's the story, as reported by Diez En Punto (A very popular Mex MSM news program) They said that Trump successfully got a message to the people of Venezuela that there is proof that Maduro stole the election and was not Venezuela's legitimate president. They then stated in clear terms that immediately after this statement from Trump was widely spread, people took to the streets and rioted.

Trump was credited 100 percent for this, with no other cause or reason for Maduro's sudden ouster.
Why did I not hear about this Trump victory until the Mex MSM said it? Very odd . . . . .

Unfortunately, the Mex media also reported that the people of Venezuela then listened to the U.N. and appointed a U.N. stooge as a temporary president until elections are held . . . . they did not use the word "stooge", but, you know . . . . .

This is highly probably Trump's statement that Diez En Punto stated directly caused the uprising (https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DxnXBzPU0AEzDEW.jpg:large)
To be VERY CLEAR: Diez En Punto flatly stated there was no other cause for Maduro's sudden ouster than that statement from Trump, and that when the Venezuelan people saw it, they snapped because life is CRAP there and they suddenly FLIPPED OUT. Total chaos.

If you have not heard about the recent rebellion in Venezuela, it is because the news is too fresh. It kicked off FULL SCALE this evening. It (may) be headlines in the U.S. tomorrow but you can bet Trump causing this won't be mentioned in America's MSM.


https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DxnXBzPU0AEzDEW.jpg:large (https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DxnXBzPU0AEzDEW.jpg:large)

[5th]

Well, Maduro is still in power and commands the military so it's not over yet. I think we need to wait a few days to see how this actually pans out as it's still unclear but as far as we can tell, Venezuela has two presidents!

The other problem is that Russia and China support Maduro and say Juan Guaido is the illegal one.

I have a Venezuelan girlfriend with relatives still in the country so we have literally inside information...

[Hervé]

For some background from Global Research:


The Coup in Venezuela Must be Resisted (https://www.globalresearch.ca/the-coup-in-venezuela-must-be-resisted/5666420)

By Craig Murray (https://www.globalresearch.ca/author/craig-murray) Global Research,

January 24, 2019Craig Murray (https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2019/01/the-coup-in-venezuela-must-be-resisted/)


https://www.globalresearch.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/170727_4b9zf_rci-venezuela-maduro_sn635-400x225.jpg


Venezuela has elections. Juan Guaido has never even been a Presidential candidate. Despite massive CIA opposition funding and interference over years as Big Oil tries to regain control of the World’s largest oil reserves, Nicolas Maduro was democratically re-elected in 2018 as President of Venezuela.

The coup now under way is illegitimate. I opposed Maduro’s move to replace the elected National Assembly. Sometimes I read back things I wrote in the past and decide I was wrong. Sometimes I think the article was right, but a bit of a potboiler. Occasionally I am proud, and I am proud of my analysis on Venezuela written on 3 August 2017. I believe it is still valid.
Hugo Chavez’ revolutionary politics were founded on two very simple tenets:
1) People ought not to be starving in dreadful slums in the world’s most oil rich state
2) The CIA ought not to control Venezuela
Over the years, Chavez racked up real achievements in improving living standards for the poor and in providing health and education facilities. He was widely popular and both he and his successor, Nicolas Maduro, also racked up very genuine election victories. Maduro remains the democratically elected President.

But the dream went sour. In particular it fell foul of the tendency of centrally planned economies to fail to get the commodities people want onto shop shelves, and to the corruption that goes with centralisation. The latter was certainly not worse than the right wing corruption it replaced, but that does not diminish its existence.

Every revolution will always displace an existing elite who are by definition the best educated and most articulate section of the population, with most access to resources including media – and to CIA secret backing, which has continued throughout at an increasing rate. Chavez did not solve this problem in the way Robespierre, Stalin, Trotsky or Mao would have done. He embraced democracy, let them be – and largely left their private offshore billions, and thus their power, untouched.

Inevitably the day came when economic and administrative failings cracked the solidity of support from the poor for the revolution. The right then stepped up their opposition with a campaign led by corrupt billionaires, which the western media has failed to acknowledge has been throughout murderously violent.

The problem with revolutionary millenarianism is that its failure to achieve utopia is viewed as disaster by its proponents. Maduro ought to have accepted that it is the nature of life that political tides ebb and flow, ceded power to the opposition gains in parliament, maintained the principles of democracy, and waited for the tide to turn back his way – taking the risk that the CIA might not give him the chance. Instead he has resorted to a constitutional fix which dilutes democracy, a precedent which will delight the right who in the long term have most to fear from the populace. Given the extreme violence of the opposition, I am less inclined to view arrests as unquestionably a straightforward human rights matter, than are some pro-western alleged human rights groups. But that Maduro has stepped off the democratic path I fear is true. He has, bluntly, gone wrong, however difficult the circumstances. I condemn both the departures from human rights best practice and the attempt to use a part indirectly elected body to subvert the elected parliament.

But, even today, Venezuela is still vastly more of a democracy than Saudi Arabia, and a far greater respecter of human rights than Israel in its dreadful repression of the Palestinians. Yet support for Israel and for Saudi Arabia are keystones of the foreign policy of those who today are incessant in their demands that we on the “left” condemn Venezuela. The BBC has given massively more news coverage to human rights abuse in Venezuela this last month than in a score of much worse countries I could name – than a score put together.

Human rights abuse should be condemned everywhere. But it only hits the headlines when practised by a country which is on the wrong side of the neo-con agenda.
Anybody who believes that a country’s internal democracy is the determining factor in whether the West decides to move for violent regime change in that country, is a complete idiot. Any journalist or politician who makes that claim is more likely to be a complete charlatan than a complete idiot. In recent years, possession of hydrocarbon reserves is very obviously a major factor in western regime change actions.

In Latin America over the last century, the presence of internal democracy has been much more likely to lead to external regime change than its absence, as maintenance of US imperialist hegemony has been the defining factor. That combines with oil reserves to make the current move a double whammy.

It is disheartening to see the Western “democracies” so universally supporting the coup in Venezuela. The EU in particular has leapt in to support Donald Trump in the quite ludicrous act of recognising corrupt Big Oil puppet Guaido as “President”. The change of the EU into full neo-con mode -so starkly represented in its bold support for Francoist violence in Catalonia – is what led me to reconcile with Brexit and a Norway style relationship.

When I was in the FCO, the rule on recognition was very plain and very openly stated – the UK recognised (http://www.ila-hq.org/images/ILA/DraftReports/DraftReport_Recognition.pdf) the government which had “effective control of the territory”, whatever the attributes of that government. This is a very well established principle of international law. There were very rare exceptions involving continuing to support ousted governments. The pre-1939 Polish government in exile was the most obvious example, though once Nazism was defeated Britain moved to recognise the Communist government actually in charge, to the fury of exiled Poles. I was involved in the question of the continued recognition of President Kabbah of Sierra Leone during the period in which he was ousted by military coup.

But I can think of no precedent at all for recognising a President who does not have and has never had control of the country – and has never been a candidate for President. This idea of the West simply trying to impose a suitably corrupt and biddable leader is really a very startling development. It is astonishing the MSM commentariat and political class appear to see no problem with it. It is a quite extraordinary precedent, and doubtless will lead to many new imperialist adventures.

One final thought. The right wing Government of Ecuador has been one of the first and most vocal in doing the West’s bidding. The Ecuadorean government has been colluding with the United States over the efforts to imprison Julian Assange, and at this very time has arranged for FBI and CIA personnel in Quito to take false and malicious statements manufactured by the Ecuador government in collaboration with the CIA, about Julian Assange’s activities in the Embassy in London.

Ecuadorean government documents had already been produced (https://original.antiwar.com/porter/2018/11/27/uk-and-ecuador-conspire-to-deliver-julian-assange-to-us-authorities/) out of Quito, and shown to MI6 and CIA outlets like the Guardian and New York Times, purporting to show the diplomatic appointment of Julian Assange to Moscow in December 2017. I have believed throughout that these fake documents were most likely produced by Ecuador’s new CIA influenced government itself.

Today Ecuador, once a key part of the Bolivarian revolution, is simply a puppet of the CIA, voicing support for a US coup in Venezuela and working to produce fake testimony against Assange. I warn you firmly against giving credence to Luke Harding’s next “scoop” (https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2018/11/assange-never-met-manafort-luke-harding-and-the-guardian-publish-still-more-blatant-mi6-lies/) which will doubtless shortly emerge from this process.

*

The original source of this article is Craig Murray (https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2019/01/the-coup-in-venezuela-must-be-resisted/)
Copyright © Craig Murray (https://www.globalresearch.ca/author/craig-murray), Craig Murray (https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2019/01/the-coup-in-venezuela-must-be-resisted/), 2019



Related:

Maduro Assassination Attempt in Caracas. Bolton Denial: “There Was No US Government Involvement” (https://www.globalresearch.ca/maduro-assassination-attempt-in-caracas-bolton-denial-there-was-no-us-government-involvment/5649720)

[5th]

Yes, Juan Guaido is not a legal president but the situation is Venezuela is so dire that almost any change to oust Maduro is a good thing. Over 3 million have fled the country, there's food and medicine shortages, people die every day on the streets because of desperation causing violence and inflation is beyond belief (millions of percent?). Whatever, life is unbearable and Maduro is greatly responsible for the country going down the drain.

It's debatable whether Maduro really got democratically elected because corruption is rife and he has no qualms about killing anyone who gets in his way (they use live bullets on peaceful demonstrators) .

Something has to change.

[Hervé]

UK government comes out in support of Venezuela's Juan Guaido, after attempted coup - UPDATES (https://www.rt.com/uk/449608-may-venezuela-opposition-guaido/)

RT (https://www.rt.com/uk/449608-may-venezuela-opposition-guaido/)
Thu, 24 Jan 2019 14:48 UTC


https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507235/large/5Juan_Guaido_President_of_Vene.jpg (https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507235/full/5Juan_Guaido_President_of_Vene.jpg)

Juan Guaido, President of Venezuela's National Assembly, gestures to supporters. © REUTERS/CARLOS GARCIA RAWLINS


The UK government, led by Prime Minister Theresa May has come out in support of Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido as the head of the democratically elected National Assembly, in response to the attempted coup.

A spokesperson for the prime minister said that the 2018 presidential poll was neither free nor fair, stating that the UK fully backed Guaido, Reuters reports. May's spokesperson said:
"The 2018 presidential election in Venezuela was neither free nor fair, so the regime's basis for power is deeply flawed. We fully support the democratically elected National Assembly with Juan Guaido as its president. In relation to the US, we think it is totally unacceptable for Venezuela to cut off diplomatic ties. The solution to this crisis lies in working to find a peaceful and diplomatic solution, not in expulsions." On Wednesday Guaido declared himself acting president after calls for a regime change from Washington. Both he and President Nicolas Maduro, who was sworn in for his second term earlier in January, have many supporters in the country, which is now apparently balancing on the brink of total chaos.


3eEUF_2HKKs

The UK joins a whole host of nations who have come out in support of the opposition leader, including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and the US. Russia, China and NATO member Turkey are among the nations, which have rejected the attempted coup.

SOTT Comment (https://www.sott.net/article/405700-UK-government-comes-out-in-support-of-Venezuelas-Juan-Guaido-after-attempted-coup-UPDATES): The events in Venezuela have taken a dramatic turn with countries around the world choosing sides.

UPDATE RT (https://www.sott.net/article/www.rt.com/news/449626-britain-claims-maduro-not-legitimate/), 1/24/2019: Britain claims Maduro 'not legitimate leader' of Venezuela


UPDATE RT (https://www.rt.com/news/449553-moscow-reaction-venezuela-sovereignty/), 1/24/2019: 'So much for non-meddling': Russian FM spokeswoman slams West for 'handpicking' Venezuela govt
Recognition of the rebel president in Venezuela is a prime example of Western disrespect for international law and sovereignty, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

"The example of events in Venezuela shows clearly how the progressive Western community actually treats international law, sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs of states - by handpicking the government there," Zakharova said (https://www.facebook.com/maria.zakharova.167/posts/10218726349019536) on Facebook.

Maduro responded [to US recognition of opposition leader Juan Guaido] by severing diplomatic ties with the US and ordering all American diplomats to leave the country within 72 hours. Venezuela's army has backed the government. UPDATE RT (https://www.rt.com/news/449555-pompeo-us-diplomats-venezuela/), 1/24/2019: US refuses to withdraw diplomats from Venezuela after Maduro breaks ties
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has refused to pull diplomats from Caracas, arguing the government that severed diplomatic ties with the US is not legitimate and threatening 'appropriate actions' if anyone is endangered.

"We call on the Venezuelan military and security forces to continue protecting the welfare and well-being of all Venezuelan citizens, as well as US and other foreign citizens in Venezuela," Pompeo said in a statement on Wednesday evening, adding the US "will take appropriate action to hold accountable anyone who endangers the safety and security of our mission and its personnel."




https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1014454396522934273/w_96hmja_bigger.jpg Secretary Pompeo‏Verified account @SecPompeo (https://twitter.com/SecPompeo)

U.S. will conduct diplomatic relations with #Venezuela (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Venezuela?src=hash) through the government of interim President Guaido. U.S. does not recognize the #Maduro (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Maduro?src=hash) regime. U.S. does not consider former president Maduro to have the legal authority to break diplomatic relations. https://go.usa.gov/xEBU3 (https://t.co/DBS4GiGEWI)


https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dxo3LzYX0AAmkOo.jpg
5:14 PM - 23 Jan 2019
1,100 replies 9,232 retweets 15,507 likes
Cuba and Bolivia have expressed support for Maduro, while Mexico has said it would continue to recognize Maduro's legitimacy "for now." UPDATE RT, (https://www.rt.com/news/449556-venezuela-civil-war-threat/) 1/24/2019: 'Maduro won't roll over': US-backed coup could lead to civil war
Calling the presidency of Nicolas Maduro a "disastrous dictatorship," the US State Department urged (https://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2019/01/288542.htm) the country' "military and security forces" to revolt against the democratically elected president. While the Venezuelan army refused to violate their allegiance, according to the defense minister, the society remains divided, standing over the abyss of a possible internal conflict.

Mr. Maduro will not just roll over and accept this. The question now is: who is going to be on his side and who is going to be on Mr. Guaido's side and how ugly will things get...

"There is a great danger that this could lead to a civil war," former US diplomat Jim Jatras told RT. "If the military splits, or the police, we could have very serious violence in this country. Millions of Venezuelans rose out of poverty during the Bolivarian revolution. They are not going to accept the imposition of the US-chosen new president," Brian Becker from the anti-war ANSWER Coalition told RT, warning that if civil war erupts it will be a "bloodbath."

Venezuela's pro-Washington neighbors might be used to fuel the coup in Caracas.

"If the US is now recognizing a fake leader of Guaido, then US courts will try to expropriate the oil reserves of Citgo, the properties of Citgo, which is owned by Venezuela in the United States," La Riva told RT.

"Maduro will try to protect what he sees as a legitimate constitutional authority. There will be a confrontation. There will be violence," Jatras noted. "And I would not be at all surprised if covert assets will be used to try to raise the temperature of that violence so then Maduro can be accused of 'killing innocent peaceful protesters.' That would warrant even stronger steps taking against Venezuela." UPDATE RT (https://www.rt.com/news/449585-international-reaction-venezuela-coup/), 1/24/2019: Venezuela divide: Turkey, Russia, China stand against Washington, its Latin America allies
Russia supported Maduro as expected, saying it will continue working with his government. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov warned the US against trying to topple Maduro by force - a scenario that Washington has been reportedly deliberating for quite some time.

"We believe it would be disastrous and would damage the foundations of the model of development preferred in Latin America," he said. "As you know, one of the slogans, the conceptual elements of self-identification of the many closely connected nations in Latin America is unity in diversity."

China voiced support for the Maduro government's effort to overcome the instability in Venezuela. When asked whether Beijing still considered him the president of the country, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said China was among the many nations and international organizations which sent its representatives to Maduro's inauguration ceremony on January 10. "I want to emphasize that outside sanctions or interference usually make the situation more complicated and are not helpful to resolving the actual problems," she said.

Turkey criticized the US for its continued interference with Venezuela's domestic affairs. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu called Guaido's self-appointment "very strange" while President Recep Tayyip Erdogan voiced solidarity with Maduro, saying (https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/erdogan-voices-support-for-venezuelan-president-maduro/1373130) "Maduro brother, stand tall".

Iran is another nation, which sided with Maduro's government and criticized Washington for its involvement there. Tehran supports Caracas and the people of Venezuela "in the face of any foreign intervention in the country's internal affairs or any illegal or anti-popular actions, such as attempts to stage coups," Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said in a statement.

But some nations in the eastern hemisphere are taking the side of the US over Venezuela. Georgia and Ukraine both declared they too were recognizing Guaido as the acting president and no longer considered Maduro the head of the country.


"Millions of Venezuelans said 'No to Maduro, no to populism'," declared Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko, who himself became head of state after a US-backed armed coup in Kiev toppled the elected president of the country. UPDATE RT (https://www.rt.com/news/449583-verified-accounts-maduro-guaido/), 1/24/2019: Facebook's 'verified account' tick used to interfere in Venezuela

https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507217/large/1maduro_guaido_blueinstagrams.jpg (https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507217/full/1maduro_guaido_blueinstagrams.jpg)© instagram


The head of the Russian State Duma has blasted US tech giant Facebook for giving the Venezuelan opposition leader's accounts a blue verification badge while denying it to its elected president.

"It's quite surprising when such big social networks, which claim to be independent, act in this way, playing to the tune of Washington," Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the Lower Chamber in the Russian Parliament, told journalists on Thursday. He added that Facebook was serving as a tool of US foreign policy.


Facebook said the 'unverification' claim is not accurate. It did not take away the blue badge form Maduro's accounts as they were never verified in the first place, the tech giant explained (https://verne.elpais.com/verne/2019/01/24/mexico/1548299413_261743.html?id_externo_rsoc=TW_AM_CM) in response to online outrage. Guaido got the blue tick on Instagram in November last year and recently on Facebook. UPDATE RT (https://www.rt.com/news/449572-caracas-steet-violence-venezuela/), 1/24/2019: Gunshots, molotovs: Skirmishes in Caracas as Venezuela upheaval escalates UPDATE RT: (https://www.rt.com/news/449596-lavrov-remarks-venezuela-coup/) 1/24/2019: Lavrov: US interfering in Venezuela? No need to ask Mueller to determine that
Russia accused the US of hypocrisy over its instigation of a coup in Venezuela, saying such actions are in sharp contrast to the outrage which Americans express over alleged interference in their own domestic political affairs. The Russian minister said the speed of the developments on Wednesday indicated that the opposition's move was likely orchestrated by foreign actors.

Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for the Kremlin, said that Moscow considered Maduro the legitimate head of state in Venezuela and rejected the suggestion that Russia may extend political asylum to him.

Responding to questions from the media, Peskov said Caracas has not asked for Russia's help to deal with the political crisis. At the moment Moscow considers the situation in the country to be an internal matter and does not plan to intervene diplomatically or in any other way, he said. UPDATE RT (https://www.rt.com/news/449630-putin-foreign-interference-in-venezuela/), 1/24/2019: Putin: Foreign interference in Venezuela's internal affairs grossly violates international law


https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507231/large/5Opposition_supporters_rally_V.jpg (https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507231/full/5Opposition_supporters_rally_V.jpg)

Opposition supporters' rally • Russian President Vladimir Putin © Reuters/Isaac Urrutia/Global Look Press/Kremlin Pool


Russia's president pledged his support for the elected government of Venezuela during a phone call with President Nicolas Maduro. He also criticized the "destructive external meddling" to which the country has been exposed.

The Russian president has expressed his support to the legitimate authorities of Venezuela in this time of political crisis which he said was caused by a "destructive external interference that grossly violates the most basic norms of the international law."

Putin and Maduro also agreed to continue cooperation between the countries "in various fields."

France and Britain joined the chorus on Thursday. London claimed that Maduro is "not a legitimate leader" of Venezuela while Paris said that Maduro's election was "illegal" and "Europe supports the restoration of democracy."

[Bill Ryan]

A local note here from Ecuador. There are now tens of thousands of Venezuelans fleeing here in desperation, standing on street corners with placards begging for money or work.

It's becoming quite an issue, and the Ecuadorian government is being pressured to find some way of controlling the migrants.

[Dennis Leahy]

Abby Martin went to Venezuela. Here's her report (actially, it is an interview by Jimmy Dore) of what is going on in Venezuela.

lMeli0BA3UA

[Flash]

A local note here from Ecuador. There are now tens of thousands of Venezuelans fleeing here in desperation, standing on street corners with placards begging for money or work.

It's becoming quite an issue, and the Ecuadorian government is being pressured to find some way of controlling the migrants.

I sat beside some newly arrived Venezuelians yesterday in Montreal bus. The man offered me his seat (wow, feel old) which Canadian never do?!! Anyhow, they spoke Spanish together so I started chatting with them and they told me they were so grateful to Canada to receive them, and how difficult it was over there. They added "nuestros hijos estan allegre y en seguridad aqui" our children are happy and secure here.

I just imagine what the neighboring countries to Venezuela must be taking in.

This was an entirely created famine, not from natural disaster, but from policies of rich countries.

And now the same rich countries would have saved Venezuela from their new dictator like president, pushed there by them, please, give me a break.

=====

a note to myself: my Spanish still need some work and polishing for recuperating what has not been practiced for 30 years, chatting was rather slow, me still looking for words (they come back slowly). But, I understand almost everything. A month or two south would probably make it.

[5th]

Abby Martin went to Venezuela. Here's her report (actually, it is an interview by Jimmy Dore) of what is going on in Venezuela.

I'm a fan of Abby Martin but I'm not sure everything she says here is true. If the US really wanted to overthrow Maduro and steal Venezuelan oil they would have sent in the Jackals and removed him. This is not like Iran, Afghanistan or Syria because Venezuela already has a Rothschild banking system.

As John Perkins said, he was the Economic Hitman that attempted to bring Chavas down and put Venezuela in debt and US control. But the US doesn't need to do that with Maduro, other than the fact that Maduro is rightly against the CIA.

There's no doubt that Maduro is an unfit president. Every year it gets worse. He was just a worker on the underground alongside my girlfriend's father (who escaped here to the Canary Islands)! He is supported by Russia mainly because he is anti US.

OK, as an edit I will expand on this complicated situation.

In July 2017 Maduro changed the constitution to 'give power' to thousands of local area constituents including a percentage of indigenous people. This is why he is popular among the poor - because they think they have some power. At the time, his government claimed that this would end the problems and begin economic recovery.

Unfortunately, poor Venezuelans are not politically wise (to put it politely) and easily duped into supporting any president who gives them a voice. As we've seen, this major change in policy did nothing to make things better and the country has spiralled into world record inflation where the currency is literally worthless (it was revalued by knocking off a handful of zeros last year). Sanctions don't mean much if no importers want Venezuelan currency.

Then Maduro attempted to overcome the weak currency by introducing the 'Petro' crytocurrency based on the price of a barrel of oil! Needless to say, no foreign country wanted to accept payment in this (it was outlawed in the US) and few locals adopted it. The man is a clueless subway worker who has no economic or political skills but he is able to fool a lot of people...

[Justplain]

I can say that from this peanut gallery vantage, that this situation looks like this to me:

1) The US has meddled in Venezuelan affairs in an unethical, probably criminal way. And it is none of their business.

2) Maduro appears to be incompetent.

3) This is likely not going to end well.

If Maduro, and his supporters, really want to save their country from continued disaster, they need to use their allies to stabilize the supply of essential goods and services for their people. This should be accomplishable given their oil wealth. After stabilization, then they can undertake market reforms that allow some level of private enterprise to restart a frozen economy.

In any case, I hope that the current regime survives and reforms under a workable socialist model (northern Europe has numerous successful socialist government models that embrace democracy, for instance).

[perolator]

Mr. Hervé,

I am Venezuelan. I, as many fellow citizens, had to leave my country. I am shocked and utterly surprised by your baloney post. Juan Guaidó is a young man with a big responsibility, he is not “a stooge” as you say. If America messes with other countries, I don’t care. But, if they help my country, it is not your concern. France for instance, conquered a lot of countries in the past. Some of those countries are very poor... but I don’t want to speak about History, there are plenty of information about it.

The “Mex media” you’re referring to is not telling the whole truth. Maduro is being removed from office using legal mechanisms available in the 1999 venezuelan constitution. Juan Guaidó had to gather some of the best lawyers, economists and politicians in order to take the oath as incumbent president. The mission of those people is stabilize the country, remove Maduro and his people, bring humanitarian aid to the country, help to restore law and order and bring the country to the point new democratic elections elect president and cabinet.

We venezuelans love our country. Before chavistas came, it was a place with defects and shortcomings (as most of Latin American countries are) but a good place to live. Fidel Castro wanted to control the country since the 60’s. Right now, Cuba runs the country. Maduro is a puppet of the cubans, as Chavez was before him. The damage this people made is of immense proportions.

If you want to understand what happened in Venezuela on January the 23rd, please ask people who know. Mexico is not Venezuela.

Unfortunately, I don’t have time to edit my post and quote all the misinformation. The truth will be known someday.

[Dennis Leahy]

Mr. Hervé,

I am Venezuelan. I, as many fellow citizens, had to leave my country. I am shocked and utterly surprised by your baloney post. Juan Guaidó is a young man with a big responsibility, he is not “a stooge” as you say. If America messes with other countries, I don’t care. But, if they help my country, it is not your concern. France for instance, conquered a lot of countries in the past. Some of those countries are very poor... but I don’t want to speak about History, there are plenty of information about it.

The “Mex media” you’re referring to is not telling the whole truth. Maduro is being removed from office using legal mechanisms available in the 1999 venezuelan constitution. Juan Guaidó had to gather some of the best lawyers, economists and politicians in order to take the oath as incumbent president. The mission of those people is stabilize the country, remove Maduro and his people, bring humanitarian aid to the country, help to restore law and order and bring the country to the point new democratic elections elect president and cabinet.

We venezuelans love our country. Before chavistas came, it was a place with defects and shortcomings (as most of Latin American countries are) but a good place to live. Fidel Castro wanted to control the country since the 60’s. Right now, Cuba runs the country. Maduro is a puppet of the cubans. The damage this people made is of immense proportions.

If you want to understand what happened in Venezuela on January the 23rd, please ask people who know. Mexico is not Venezuela.

Hi perolator,

Doesn't it disturb you greatly that a big bully nation has covertly manipulated markets to destroy Venezuela's economy, and overtly applied sanctions that directly affect every Venezualan? You must be aware that the USA, INC. doesn't actually "help" other nations, right? The USA helps itself to other nations. Do you have any idea how many Yemeni people are being starved to death right now, that the USA is not just 100% completely aware of but actually participating in a naval blockade with saudi arabia, to starve the Yemenis? Do you realize you are asking for help from sociopathic monsters that pick other nations out of their teeth?

Do you think that the USA, INC. respects, has compassion for, and will help Venezuelan citizens but not the Yemenis?

The USA doesn't need to steal your oil, but they want to at least control the "valves" (control the oil production to market), and are probably fine with leaving it as USA strategic reserves for now. The USA (and the globalist-deep state forces controlling it) have already taken possession of Venezuela's oil - you guys just don't know it yet. Just be aware that, whether Venezuelans in general really are asking for the USA's help or not, the USA is "coming to help." You've been manipulated and targeted for decades, and you are looking really weak now, the smell of blood in the water, and the Great White Shark, Los Estados Unidos, is circling for the kill. I wish I knew what to tell you to really help you, but I have a terrible feeling that Venezuela is just about to get turned into a full USA vassal state with a USA selected puppet as ceremonial head of state.

Suddenly and miraculously, the flour and oil (cartel-controlled food products) will very quickly reappear, and sanctions will be lifted and you'll get a few new military bases, and your lawmakers will "decide" to privatize the oil. The USA is like a gigantic wrecking ball on the downswing, and sadly, you Venezuelan's couldn't dodge it if you tried.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUYWrPiUeWY
(I found the Venezuelan economist interviewed to be honest and forthright)

[guayabal]

Doesn't it disturb you greatly that a big bully nation has covertly manipulated markets to destroy Venezuela's economy, and overtly applied sanctions that directly affect every Venezualan? You must be aware that the USA, INC. doesn't actually "help" other nations, right? The USA helps itself to other nations. Do you have any idea how many Yemeni people are being starved to death right now, that the USA is not just 100% completely aware of but actually participating in a naval blockade with saudi arabia, to starve the Yemenis? Do you realize you are asking for help from sociopathic monsters that pick other nations out of their teeth?


I think that boxing the USA as a bully is a weak argument, you can apply it to every situation in the world and be happy that USA never intervenes anywhere where help is needed, where people are dying of starvation. Doesn't it disturb you even more to be paying taxes to fund such a "bully"? ;-)

[5th]

We all know that the US practices economic colonisation of other countries through the CIA but this not not what is happening in Venezuela. Sadly, Abby Martin is presenting the Russia Today viewpoint and the MSN has their own (US) agenda. Propaganda.

People here should stop swallowing the BS and listen to to perolator who is Venezuelan and knows the truth. It is Maduro who is causing the food shortages and inflation, not the US. Elections are rigged (the person in charge of elections had cancer and is given hospital treatment if she does what she is told). It is a complicated situation and I will post later in full detail what is really happening (I know Venezuelans here in the Canary Islands). For example, food gets stopped at Military checkpoints and destroyed or confiscated (we know drivers) under the direction of Maduro. Officials get appointed if they support Maduro and then they get food, Farmers can't farm unless they support Maduro or they get no water.

It's complicated...

[5th]

We all know that the mainstream media cannot always be believed and almost never when it comes to wars, revolutions and regime changes. The same applies inside Venezuela where pictures of demonstrations and government supporters are routinely doctored. Russia has an agenda in supporting Maduro (against the US) and very little of what has been reported in other countries and in this post is true.

How do I know this? Because my girlfriend in Venezuelan, her mother worked for the government and is still in Venezuela and her father was a friend of Chavas and worked alongside Maduro before he came to power. Fortunately, we have the Internet and social media to give the truth as reported by people living in the country.

Originally the government in Venezuela was a Military Government and Maduro still runs it as such. Talk of legitimate elections and legal process is nonsense as corruption rules the day. The president actually does not have ultimate power as there is the National Assembly and some Legal Tribunal of Lawers (I forget the exact name) both of which have to pass laws and directives.

However, because corruption means only those who support Maduro get food and medicine, up until now things have gone Maduro’s way. Real support for Maduro is very limited. In the last year, conditions have got so bad people are beginning not to care about their lives any more and are openly turning against the government from grass roots to people within the government.

As perolator said, Juan Guido was put into power legally by the National Assembly so we now have a real power struggle and the first chance for real change in Venezuela. The idea that the US is controlling food and causing hyper inflation is propaganda nonsense. The situation is a result of measures put in place by Maduro to keep power. He fools the ignorant poor by blaming the US but now even the poor are turning against him.

As I posted before, Maduro is totally incompetent and ridiculously introduced the Petro cryptocurreny tied to the price of a barrel of oil in an effort to have a stable currency. He made it a law that banks had to accept payment in Petros! It’s like Teresa May introducing the FnC crypto tied to the price of Fish and Chips and insisting that UK banks accept it!

With prices doubling every week, inflation has now reached record levels and a small bag of beans costs half a month’s salary so why would supermarkets stock up on food almost nobody can afford? That’s the problem – suppliers don’t supply anything because they know people can’t afford to buy whatever it is. Nothing to do with sanctions or the US!

Too many people here are posting stuff they know nothing about and believing the propaganda.

[Hervé]

Not long ago, I read this article by a former Venezuelan prepper who managed to get out of the country:

Defending A Venezuelan Homestead: "Eventually People Will Come For What You Have" (https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-01-16/defending-venezuelan-homestead-eventually-people-will-come-what-you-have)

https://zh-prod-1cc738ca-7d3b-4a72-b792-20bd8d8fa069.storage.googleapis.com/s3fs-public/styles/thumbnail/public/pictures/picture-5.jpg?itok=LY4e264- (https://www.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden) by Tyler Durden (https://www.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden)
Wed, 01/16/2019 - 19:05

Authored by JG Martinez D. via The Organic Prepper blog, (https://www.theorganicprepper.com/defending-homestead-venezuela/)

My cousins there in the open country of Venezuela tell me that nights are dark. The government cut the power, and hungry people use this to go to the farms and see what they can steal.


https://zh-prod-1cc738ca-7d3b-4a72-b792-20bd8d8fa069.storage.googleapis.com/s3fs-public/inline-images/140221223012-01-venezuela-0221-horizontal-large-gallery.jpg

[...]

About Jose
Jose is an upper middle class professional. He is a former worker of the oil state company with a Bachelor’s degree from one of the best national Universities. He has a small 4 members family, plus two cats and a dog. An old but in good shape SUV, a good 150 square meters house in a nice neighborhood, in a small but (formerly) prosperous city with two middle size malls. Jose is a prepper and shares his eyewitness accounts and survival stories from the collapse of his beloved Venezuela. Thanks to your help Jose has gotten his family out of Venezuela. They are currently setting up a new life in another country.

[perolator]

Doesn't it disturb you greatly that a big bully nation has covertly manipulated markets to destroy Venezuela's economy, and overtly applied sanctions that directly affect every Venezuelan? You must be aware that the USA, INC. doesn't actually "help" other nations, right? The USA helps itself to other nations. Do you have any idea how many Yemeni people are being starved to death right now, that the USA is not just 100% completely aware of but actually participating in a naval blockade with saudi arabia, to starve the Yemenis? Do you realize you are asking for help from sociopathic monsters that pick other nations out of their teeth?


Mr. Leahy,

It is completely fine that the "big bully nation" where you live in, by the way, takes care of its own interests, or "helps itself". This is the way a country must be, i.e. protect their citizens, ensure their people enjoys a reasonable good way of living. Au contraire, The venezuelan government is not helping their people. They divert a large amount of national resources to their beloved Cuba, despite massive shortages in Venezuela. Incredibly and treacherous as it seems, the venezuelan government is helping itself to achieve their goal of keep power forever.

Regarding the sanctions that affect every venezuelan: The bulk of sanctions are targeted to individuals of the chavista regime. Some of those sanctions affects the country directly as you say, to diminish the flow of money the government has to their disposal, to put in their endless pockets. The sanctions prohibits dealings in new debt and equity issued by the government of Venezuela and its state oil company. It also prohibits dealings in certain existing bonds owned by the Venezuelan public sector, as well as dividend payments to the government of Venezuela. This criminal government acquired so much debt that the once rich South American country is in ashes.

Venezuela is one of the largest illegal drug distribution hubs of the planet. The government officials and the military have getting so much money in the process they are developing ways to invest their newly acquired multi-millionaire status all over the world. All of them have made huge investments in the U.S. and Europe via bogus companies and third parties. The money laundering scheme is so big and broad, that prompted the U.S. to impose sanctions to protect its currency.



Do you think that the USA, INC. respects, has compassion for, and will help Venezuelan citizens but not the Yemenis?

I do not know about the Yemeni situation, so I cannot comment about it. Sincerely, I don't care about the issues in other countries. I care about my family, my homeland and the country I am living in.

[Baby Steps]

The acid test is the oil

We are at the fork in the road.

Venezuela’s future is bright in any case, things have to get better

In scenario A the local politicians sell out to international oil interests, and the big boys reap most of the financial gains for themselves. These interests do throw a bone to the locals to keep up the impression of benefit.

Under scenario B which the Chavistas are holding out for, a publicly owned oil industry provides the financial benefits to the people via the government. This is how it is in Norway. This is the correct and just solution. This is the scenario that international capital and their US government. Stooges seek to avoid at all costs.

[perolator]

The acid test is the oil

The oil is just part of the problem. It is far from the big picture.




We are at the fork in the road.

Venezuela’s future is bright in any case, things have to get better

In scenario A the local politicians sell out to international oil interests, and the big boys reap most of the financial gains for themselves. These interests do throw a bone to the locals to keep up the impression of benefit.

In any case, It is not just the oil.


It is the gold uncontrolled extraction (causing criminal ecological damage) and smuggling.
The illegal drug machine (full fledged worldwide distribution).
International Terrorist (Hezbollah) training camps and safe zone.
Colombian guerrilla safe zone.
Diamonds, Coltan, Aluminium, Iron, Bauxite.
Iranian trade, circumventing U.S. sanctions.
Uranium distribution to Iran.


Venezuelans want a stable country, a safe country with a strong economy. That's it. If it means "being given a bone" it's okay.



Under scenario B which the Chavistas are holding out for, a publicly owned oil industry provides the financial benefits to the people via the government. This is how it is in Norway. This is the correct and just solution. This is the scenario that international capital and their US government. Stooges seek to avoid at all costs.

It is so hard to understand chavistas are ruthless criminals with no idea whatsoever how to run a country? They have 20 years with all the power at their disposal. They got enough money to fund 20 Marshall plans and despite that fact they ruined the country. The Norwegian government is no point of comparison to the Venezuelan government. Is like comparing an elephant to an ant.

[Hervé]

US Regime Change in Venezuela: The Documented Evidence (https://www.globalresearch.ca/us-regime-change-venezuela-documented-evidence/5666500)

By Tony Cartalucci (https://www.globalresearch.ca/author/tony-cartalucci) Global Research,
January 25, 2019


https://www.globalresearch.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/CIAUIZQ7MAI6TJ2ZFOCUDO56EA-400x268.jpg


The Latin American nation of Venezuela faces dangerous destabilization with the United States and its allies having recognized opposition figure Juan Guaido as “president” and declaring actual Venezuelan president – Nicolas Maduro – no longer recognized.

In response, President Maduro has demanded US diplomatic personnel to leave the country.

Protests and counter-protests have reportedly taken to the streets as both sides attempt to seize the psychological and political initiative.

Why Venezuela?
According to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo – the impetus for Washington’s sudden interest in Venezuela is the suffering of the Venezuelan people.

Reuters in their article titled, “Pompeo calls on Venezuela’s Maduro to step down, urges support from military (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics-pompeo/pompeo-calls-on-venezuelas-maduro-to-step-down-urges-support-from-military-idUSKCN1PH2HI),” would claim:
In a statement, Pompeo said Washington would support opposition leader Juan Guaido as he establishes a transitional government and prepares the country for elections.

“The Venezuelan people have suffered long enough under Nicolas Maduro’s disastrous dictatorship,” Pompeo said. “We call on Maduro to step aside in favor of a legitimate leader reflecting the will of the Venezuelan people.”
In truth, Washington’s motivation is the fact that according to The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) (https://www.opec.org/opec_web/en/data_graphs/330.htm) – Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves on Earth – more than Saudi Arabia and accounting for nearly a quarter of all OPEC production.


https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l-4oY2exofw/XEqbz39hG4I/AAAAAAAARuc/N-eNkTyFS3snhWwHXz57C2Vw52yXXdYIACLcBGAs/s640/OPEC_VZ_oilNumberOne.jpg (https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l-4oY2exofw/XEqbz39hG4I/AAAAAAAARuc/N-eNkTyFS3snhWwHXz57C2Vw52yXXdYIACLcBGAs/s1600/OPEC_VZ_oilNumberOne.jpg)


The US doesn’t necessarily need this oil in terms of energy – but in terms of maintaining a US-led unipolar international order – controlling or crippling nations with large amounts of hydrocarbons prevents the emergence of a multipolar world nations across the developing world seek, led by reemerging global power – Russia – and newly emerging global power – China.

A Venezuela governed by a stable political order able to produce wealth from its massive oil reserves – and dedicated to a multipolar alternative to Washington’s current international order is intolerable for Wall Street and Washington and explains the vast amount of time, energy, money, and resources the US has invested in destabilizing and overthrowing first President Hugo Chavez – with a coup attempt in 2002 – and now President Maduro.

US Meddling in Venezuela
Even the Western media has admitted that the US has long meddled in Venezuela’s internal affairs by funding the opposition.


https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2iBY0VtbRTk/XEqg7eMlYFI/AAAAAAAARvA/0PC3Mm7sgg4Qh46oe6hFA41njpfYn0yCACLcBGAs/s640/NEDcorporateInterests_1.jpg (https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2iBY0VtbRTk/XEqg7eMlYFI/AAAAAAAARvA/0PC3Mm7sgg4Qh46oe6hFA41njpfYn0yCACLcBGAs/s1600/NEDcorporateInterests_1.jpg)


The UK Independent in a recent article titled, “Venezuela military chief declares loyalty to Maduro and warns US not to intervene (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/venezuela-maduro-us-coup-trump-juan-guaido-armed-forces-latest-a8745286.html),” would admit (emphasis added):
The US has a long history of interfering with democratically elected governments in Latin America and in Venezuela it has sought to weaken the elected governments of both Mr Maduro and Mr Chavez.
Some of the effort has been in distributing funds to opposition groups through organisations such as the National Endowment for Democracy, while some has been in the form of simple propaganda.
Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Centre for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, said that for the past 20 years it had been US policy to seek a change of government in Caracas. Mr Trump’s recognition of Mr Guaido was the most obvious effort to undermine the government.
The US National Endowment for Democracy’s (NED) own current webpage (https://www.ned.org/region/latin-america-and-caribbean/venezuela-2017/) admits to extensively interfering in every imaginable aspect of Venezuela’s internal political affairs with funds directed at:


Building Strategic Capacity for Local Democratic Actors
Cohesive Strategic Communications
Defending Human Rights Victims
Developing Tools for Agile Communication
Empowering Citizens through Local and National Policy Dialogue
Facilitating Humanitarian Aid Relief
Formulating a Comprehensive Public Policy Reform Package
Fostering Scenario Planning and Strategic Analysis
Fostering Small Business Enterprise in Defense of Democracy and Free Markets
Improving Democratic Governance in Venezuela
Improving Local Democratic Governance
Leadership Empowerment and Socio-Political Participation
Monitoring Human Rights Conditions
Monitoring the Human Rights Situation
Promoting Access to Justice and Public Services
Promoting Checks and Balances
Promoting Citizen Journalism
Promoting Citizen Participation and Freedom of Expression
Promoting Democratic Governance
Promoting Democratic Values
Promoting Dialogue and Reconciliation
Promoting Freedom of Association
Promoting Freedom of Expression and Access to Information
Promoting Human Rights
Promoting Independent Journalism
Promoting Political Engagement and Advocacy
Promoting the Rule of Law

It is clear that the US is funding virtually every aspect of opposition operations – from media (https://nacla.org/article/full-disclosure-buying-venezuela%E2%80%99s-press-us-tax-dollars) and legal affairs, to indoctrination and political planning, to interference in the economy and the leveraging of “human rights” to shield US-funded agitators from any attempt to arrest them.

At one point during US regime change efforts, NED-funded front, Sumate, would even organize a recall referendum against President Chavez – which he won. The Washington Post in a 2006 article titled, “Chavez Government Probes U.S. Funding (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/26/AR2006082600292.html?noredirect=on),” would admit:
[Sumate] organized a recall referendum in 2004 that Chavez won and also is a vociferous critic of the government and the electoral system.
The article also admits that:
USAID which hired the Maryland-based company Development Alternatives Inc. to administer the grants has declined to identify many Venezuelan recipients, saying they could be intimidated or prosecuted.
While the nature of the US government’s extensive meddling in Venezuela remains intentionally covert – admissions surrounding Sumate’s activities illustrate how even entire referendums are organized through the use of US money and guided by US directives.


https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9u6LQ2tfRkc/XEqkWGXlw5I/AAAAAAAARvY/j148lmGVSwQG6tF5ulGIwbsP6uZ989mYQCLcBGAs/s640/Maria_Corina_Machado_%2528Sumate%2529_meets_George_W._Bush_%25282002%2529.jpg


Maria Corina Machado, founder of Sumate, an alleged Venezuelan election monitoring group, funded by the US National Endowment for Democracy (NED), meeting with US President George Bush who presided over the failed 2002 coup attempt seeking to oust President Hugo Chavez.

NED and other organizations operating in parallel – including convicted financial criminal (https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/14/business/worldbusiness/14iht-soros.1974397.html) George Soros’ Open Society Foundations (https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/press-releases/venezuelans-campaign-public-access-information) – seek to entirely overwrite Venezuelan institutions, governance, and law, replacing it with an obedient US-sponsored client regime and system of administration.

US support is not confined to broad efforts to build up the opposition – but also specific efforts to aid senior opposition leaders.

A leaked 2004 US State Department document titled, “Status of Capriles and Sumate Cases (https://www.scribd.com/document/109310143/Ven-Us-State-Dept-138014),” made it clear that NED funding was ongoing even then, and that the US State Department was required to provide aid to NED-funded front Sumate being prosecuted for the very obvious treason they were engaged in. It also illustrated US State Department support for senior opposition leader Henrique Capriles Radonski.
Capriles – along with Leopoldo Lopez – served as mentors to current opposition leader Juan Guaido who is now openly being offered some $20 million by the US State Department in aid.

US Efforts to Cripple Venezuela’s Economy
Reuters in an article titled, “Pompeo urges regional bloc to support Venezuela’s Guaido (https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/24/pompeo-urges-regional-bloc-to-support-venezuelas-guaido.html),” would claim:
[Pompeo] pledged $20 million towards humanitarian aid for Venezuela, where economic collapse, hyperinflation, and food and medicine shortages have sparked an exodus of millions of people.
The paradoxical nature of this supposed aid is that the United States had deliberately caused this economic collapse, hyperinflation, and food and medicine shortages in the first place – specifically to undermine and destabilize first President Chavez’ government and now Maduro’s.

The US Treasury Department aimed sanctions specifically at (PDF) (https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/Documents/13808.pdf) Venezuela’s central bank and Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PdVSA) – Venezuela’s state-owned oil and gas company to restrict financing and to block transfers – while the US and allied OPEC members acted in concert to lower global oil prices – not only to cripple Venezuela’s oil-based economy – but those of other US adversaries including Iran and Russia.


https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rYzox0aBZJ8/XEqgS4t25LI/AAAAAAAARu0/saFaGv6A1LElV9LYr3WEddsEsvtBP-cIACLcBGAs/s640/MW-FK259_citgo0_20170411174012_ZH.jpg (https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rYzox0aBZJ8/XEqgS4t25LI/AAAAAAAARu0/saFaGv6A1LElV9LYr3WEddsEsvtBP-cIACLcBGAs/s1600/MW-FK259_citgo0_20170411174012_ZH.jpg)


While the Western media repeatedly claims US sanctions have been reserved for Venezuelan officials only, the Washington Post itself would admit in an article titled, “Venezuela’s oil gives Maduro little leverage against the United States (https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/01/24/venezeula-has-two-options-hit-back-us-oil-people/?utm_term=.21a75cbd523d),” that (emphasis added):
“Seventy-five percent of cash-generating oil exports are coming here,” said Scott Modell, the managing director of Rapidan Energy and a former CIA officer in Latin America. Though Venezuela exports considerable amounts of crude oil to major diplomatic allies like Russia and China, almost all of the profits are used to service preexisting debts. “They don’t get cash for that, and they are desperate for cash,” Modell said.
The article also stated:
Citgo’s ownership has long been a source of tension between the United States and Venezuela. In August 2017, the Trump administration signed an executive order that blocked the repatriation of dividends, and sanctions on Venezuelan officials have placed Citgo in an increasingly fraught position.

Just under half of PDVSA’s shares in the company were used as collateral for a $1.5 billion loan the Venezuelan government took out from Russian energy giant Rosneft in 2016. Foreign creditors have suggested they may try to acquire parts of Citgo to service their debts.

Modell said that there is debate in the United States about whether the U.S. government could seize the company itself. Some opposed this, arguing that Citgo should be an asset available for a post-Maduro Venezuela that could help provide a “petroeconomic recovery” for the ailing country.
It is clear that significant efforts have been made to cripple Venezuela’s ability to profit from its oil with even the US media and those it interviews admitting the US is unsure of just how far to go – realizing that once the damaging sanctions are reversed, remaining, intact infrastructure will allow Venezuela to “provide a “petroeconomic recover” for the ailing country.”

In other instances of economic warfare, large sums of Venezuelan gold have been withheld in the UK which refuses to return it to the Venezuelan government, The Times reports (https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/maduro-scrambles-to-bring-venezuela-s-gold-back-from-the-uk-0p29xp99w).

Efforts within Venezuela through US-funded opposition groups, focus on hording certain essential goods creating artificial shortages while armed gangs hired by wealthy business and land owners ravage state-backed farmers and industries to further exasperate prices, supply, and demand.

A Washington Post article titled, “Venezuela’s paradox: People are hungry, but farmers can’t feed them (https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/venezuelas-paradox-people-are-hungry-but-farmers-cant-feed-them/2017/05/21/ce460726-3987-11e7-a59b-26e0451a96fd_story.html?utm_term=.c7de61919a61),” refers to the armed gangs merely as “criminals” but links to Venezuela Analysis which gives a fuller but contradictory version of events.

Venezuela Analysis’ article, “Venezuelan Farmers on Disputed Land Say They Have No Intention of Vacating (https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/10772),” depicts efforts by farmers to use land reclaimed from wealthy owners to produce agricultural goods, but who are targeted by hired mercenaries, attacked and driven off. In other cases, wealthy oligarchs are able to secure concessions from courts to consolidate control over farmlands used to produce food.

The Venezuelan government has been increasingly resorting to price controls (https://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/10169) and emergency measures to compensate in the face of overwhelming economic warfare but with varied success.


https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E0XtYgf9ZC8/XEqhHsKnNMI/AAAAAAAARvI/cQdSpK75OLI0xaxA0KyyzC190KbL0p2sgCLcBGAs/s640/yamil.jpg (https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E0XtYgf9ZC8/XEqhHsKnNMI/AAAAAAAARvI/cQdSpK75OLI0xaxA0KyyzC190KbL0p2sgCLcBGAs/s1600/yamil.jpg)


Economic destabilization is a key component in US regime change efforts – witnessed in all of Washington’s past and current confrontations including against Iraq, Libya, Syria, Iran, North Korea, and Russia for an array of alleged offenses centered around “human rights” and fabricated threats to US national security.

Conversely – nations like Saudi Arabia whom even former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton admitted (https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/3774) is “providing clandestine financial and logistic support to ISIL and other radical Sunni groups in the region,” and undeniably among the worst human rights abusers on Earth – has escaped not only sanctions, but even the most basic condemnation for its serial violations of international law and rights abuses.

This stark contrast helps illustrate the true, politically-motivated nature of US sanctions arrayed against targeted nations with but the thinnest rhetorical veneer applied to obtain public support.

Where even powerful nations like Russia and China must work for years to create alternatives to US-dollar domination across global finances – a nation like Venezuela already destabilized from decades of US-fomented chaos stands to suffer greatly in the face of sanctions and economic warfare – now coupled with another overt US-backed coup attempt.

Imperialism, Not “Socialism”
Venezuela sits on an ocean of proven oil reserves. It has been openly slated for regime change by the US and has been for years with documented evidence proving the current opposition vying for power is funded by Washington, for Washington’s, not Venezuela’s benefit.

Sanctions and economic warfare have been aimed at Venezuela just as the US has done with the numerous other nations it has overthrown, invaded, and otherwise destroyed – or those that it is trying to overthrow and destroy.

There is no missing puzzle piece that makes Venezuela an exception to what is another textbook case of US-backed regime change.

Attempts to claim Venezuela’s crisis was precipitated by “socialism” – even if one is able to ignore the voluminous amounts of evidence proving US subversion has instead – still doesn’t add up.

China is also socialist – communist in fact – with a high degree of central planning and nationalized industry. It possesses the largest high-speed rail network on Earth, has a space program with the ability to launch people into orbit, and has the world’s second largest economy.

Conversely, the US hasn’t a single mile of high-speed rail, currently pays the Russian Federation to launch its astronauts into orbit, and has thoroughly squandered its place as largest global economy in pursuit of aspirations toward unrealized global domination.

There is clearly more that contributes to a nation’s success or failure than being “socialist” or “capitalist” – whatever either term even really means. For Venezuela, its failures are a direct and clear result of US imperialism. And only through exposing and rolling back US meddling, can Venezuela’s fortunes be reversed.



This article was originally published on the author’s blog site: Land Destroyer Report (https://landdestroyer.blogspot.com/2019/01/us-regime-change-in-venezuela.html).



Tony Cartalucci is Bangkok-based geopolitical researcher and writer, especially for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook” (https://journal-neo.org/2019/01/19/us-withdrawal-from-nato-would-benefit-americans-most-of-all/) where this article was originally published. He is a frequent contributor to Global Research.


All images in this article are from the author unless otherwise stated

Related:
US Regime Change in Venezuela: The Truth Is Easy if You Follow the Money Trail. The Opposition is Pro-Washington, Not “Pro-Democracy” (https://www.globalresearch.ca/us-regime-change-in-venezuela-the-truth-is-easy-if-you-follow-the-money-trail-the-opposition-is-pro-washington-not-pro-democracy/5601933)

[perolator]

Mr. Hervé,

I was laughing all the way reading this:


For some background from Global Research:

The Coup in Venezuela Must be Resisted (https://www.globalresearch.ca/the-coup-in-venezuela-must-be-resisted/5666420)

By Craig Murray (https://www.globalresearch.ca/author/craig-murray) Global Research,

January 24, 2019 Craig Murray (https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2019/01/the-coup-in-venezuela-must-be-resisted/)

Venezuela has elections. Juan Guaido has never even been a Presidential candidate. Despite massive CIA opposition funding and interference over years as Big Oil tries to regain control of the World’s largest oil reserves, Nicolas Maduro was democratically re-elected in 2018 as President of Venezuela.


The Venezuelan 2018 elections were a farce. Less than 10% people voted. There were 2 government hand-picked "adversaries" to give the appearance of "fair" elections. Anyway, the election process was, as the chavista way dictates, heavily rigged.



The coup now under way is illegitimate. I opposed Maduro’s move to replace the elected National Assembly. Sometimes I read back things I wrote in the past and decide I was wrong. Sometimes I think the article was right, but a bit of a potboiler. Occasionally I am proud, and I am proud of my analysis on Venezuela written on 3 August 2017...


It is not a coup. The military executes coups. Venezuelan upper ranks of the military supports Maduro, they are actually a political party. Guaidó and his team are civilians. Maduro is illegitimate all the way from 2013. I am sick of "journalists" like Craig Murray.

I think I am wasting time reading and answering this post.

[Carmody]

It may also be that there is a new method, waiting in the wings, to more effectively (financially) remove the oil from the deposits. From small technological advances and new thinking-- big things can come.

Thus to control this huge reserve and be able to do it at an effective cost, and thus control world oil pricing and thus stabilize and move forward 'world control' with a strong, stable arm --of oil power. Being able to directly wrangle the middle east to the ground, economically, is a very big deal. This can only be enacted with oil power. Every other method has been tried, and failed.

Thus, attack Venezuela, and destabilize the bolivarian initiative, all at the same time, along with the drug business black ops (destabilizing countries, secret programs, etc) re-empowerment scheme (double down).

China can take a direct hit in this as would Venezuela as, something akin to South America under the us umbrella.. can and probably would be used to whip the Chinese economy around. Plus, it's cheap, inexpensive to pursue Venezuela. All the boxes are ticked and functional. Some of the best low hanging inexpensive effective fruit on the globe, it is. It simply can't be anything but squarely in the US empire's crosshairs.


I note that the chart supplied does not mention Canada at all, with a proven 166 billion barrels of oil in the western canadian tar sands. And there are more reserves elsewhere. Any improved method of removing oil from the Venezuela reserves might work for the tar sands, or vice versa.

[perolator]

...Thus, attack Venezuela, and destabilize the bolivarian initiative, all at the same time, along with the drug business black ops (destabilizing countries, secret programs, etc) re-empowerment scheme (double down).

The bolivarian initiative? Go to Venezuela and enjoy it. But try to do it with minimum wage. Be my guest.

Please quit watching spy movies.

The propaganda machine is well-oiled. (pun intended).

[Savannah]

Perolator

I Love your avatar picture :waving:

[Carmody]

...Thus, attack Venezuela, and destabilize the bolivarian initiative, all at the same time, along with the drug business black ops (destabilizing countries, secret programs, etc) re-empowerment scheme (double down).

The bolivarian initiative? Go to Venezuela and enjoy it. But try to do it with minimum wage. Be my guest.

Please quit watching spy movies.

The propaganda machine is well-oiled. (pun intended).


I just spoke with a friend on the phone, who is highly intelligent and does considerable research into all he speaks on, and is a historian by trade/education.

We spoke about integrity in elections and how they were monitored by various groups, concerning Venezuela, and he says your line about the elections only having 10% participation, is a pile of utter dog crap.

Exactly who's propaganda are we dealing with, here?

Those Koch brothers really are a human stain.....

[perolator]

...Thus, attack Venezuela, and destabilize the bolivarian initiative, all at the same time, along with the drug business black ops (destabilizing countries, secret programs, etc) re-empowerment scheme (double down).

The bolivarian initiative? Go to Venezuela and enjoy it. But try to do it with minimum wage. Be my guest.

Please quit watching spy movies.

The propaganda machine is well-oiled. (pun intended).

I just spoke with a friend on the phone, who is highly intelligent and does considerable research into all he speaks on, and is a historian by trade/education.

We spoke about integrity in elections and how they were monitored by various groups, concerning Venezuela, and he says your line about the elections only having 10% participation, is a pile of utter dog crap.

I take that as a compliment. I was giving 10% as a maximum possibility, being optimistic.

Tell your friend thanks on my behalf, and also tell him no matter how he manages his information, most Venezuelans know what happened that day. That's why the "bolivarian initiative" will be kicked out of my country, sooner or later.

And Chavez is dead, by the way.

[Carmody]

Ok, so your avatar says you are in Venezuela and the participating groups of election monitoring says the elections had far far more participation than your claimed 10%.

You have a cutesy avatar, but the words are, what, well, we're not sure.

But we do know that to disarm initiatives before they begin, or stabilize into something, they can be distracted into not forming or being retarded or delayed, with a few words spoken at the right time and place. Disinformation, well couched, and well placed, is key.

So, a critical point becomes, this 'speaking of', or 'statement of' this...10% participation thing. all while having a cute avatar and looking like you are in -or are in- Venezuela.


Avalon can be an important forum, in some ways. Polite discussion goes a long way in helping inform people who count. So a civilized forum can be far more important than it looks at first glance.

[Hervé]

[...]
We spoke about integrity in elections and how they were monitored by various groups, concerning Venezuela...
[...]
Somewhere in this video (~ 13:15 mark), Abby Martin explains the strategy used by the "empire" to undermine the election results since they couldn't win up front with any of the opposition candidates:


lMeli0BA3UA

[perolator]

Ok, so your avatar says you are in Venezuela and the participating groups of election monitoring says the elections had far far more participation than your claimed 10%.

You have a cutesy avatar, but the words are, what, well, we're not sure.


If you read my first post in this thread, You'll know I clearly stated I left my homeland. I am keeping my avatar for two reasons:
To protect myself and my family in venezuela. I am making heavy statements against the Venezuelan government, and if I were in my country, I may be "suicided". There are people in jail there for less. Do you remember Venezuela has a dictatorship, do you?
Because I will return someday, all my family is still there. I said above I love my country.




But we do know that to disarm initiatives before they begin, or stabilize into something, they can be distracted into not forming or being retarded or delayed, with a few words spoken at the right time and place. Disinformation, well couched, and well placed, is key.


Wholeheartedly agree.



So, a critical point becomes, this 'speaking of', or 'statement of' this...10% participation thing. all while having a cute avatar and looking like you are in -or are in- Venezuela.

Avalon can be an important forum, in some ways. Polite discussion goes a long way in helping inform people who count. So a civilized forum can be far more important than it looks at first glance.

Fair enough. One of the points of the forum is exchange information and points of view. I cannot be more uncivilized because my mother taught me to be polite, no matter how hard the situation is. You said my opinion is crap, and used a single source of information to back up your claims, via phone call.

Have a nice day.

[Flash]

It may also be that there is a new method, waiting in the wings, to more effectively (financially) remove the oil from the deposits. From small technological advances and new thinking-- big things can come.

Thus to control this huge reserve and be able to do it at an effective cost, and thus control world oil pricing and thus stabilize and move forward 'world control' with a strong, stable arm --of oil power. Being able to directly wrangle the middle east to the ground, economically, is a very big deal. This can only be enacted with oil power. Every other method has been tried, and failed.

Thus, attack Venezuela, and destabilize the bolivarian initiative, all at the same time, along with the drug business black ops (destabilizing countries, secret programs, etc) re-empowerment scheme (double down).

China can take a direct hit in this as would Venezuela as, something akin to South America under the us umbrella.. can and probably would be used to whip the Chinese economy around. Plus, it's cheap, inexpensive to pursue Venezuela. All the boxes are ticked and functional. Some of the best low hanging inexpensive effective fruit on the globe, it is. It simply can't be anything but squarely in the US empire's crosshairs.


I note that the chart supplied does not mention Canada at all, with a proven 166 billion barrels of oil in the western canadian tar sands. And there are more reserves elsewhere. Any improved method of removing oil from the Venezuela reserves might work for the tar sands, or vice versa.

This is a very sensible analysis, when looking at worldwide picture.

Plus, I have very rarely, if not never, seen the US government intervening in a country because its people are suffering. All I have seen is the US government intevening to protect their interest or to further them forwards in a global chess game. Completely heartless.

But, don't worry, China and Russia are doing exactly the same - primitive world we have.

The US supporting anybody to the presidency of a country is of significance for the future of the US. And more to the point, for the future of the world oligarchy, nobody else (not even the US citizens).

I am a Canadian. We have oil, minerals to the tons, land, sea, and the north pole, annnnd the know how, education to manage it, everything everyone wants to grab. China is buying our land to the billions, Russia is quiet but we do share the north pole with them, and the US has always been taking for very cheap about everything Canadian, under the cover of free trade (no, you are not in trade deficit, USA, even your dirty milk is pushed on us right now, full of products not allowed in Canada, one of the reason we are still a tiny bit thinner).

We, Canadian, are used to the one sided propaganda. Believe me, Venezuela is in for exploitation to the core.

Starve the people, than feed the people so that they welcome us, while we win on the international chessboard. But make sure the people is fed much below their previous good standards, to keep the fear going.

Make of it a plaque tournante of the drug cartels, to make sure every single family has drug problems to deal with (if not autism). Happening in the oil and minerals rich Mexico too.

And no, I do not watch spy movies, I have seen it pretty directly - ex: when the US or its oligarchy wanted to put down the extraordinarily good Canadian communication industry (we were about 20 years ahead of US) - have an American president named at the head of its main Canadian company and make sure he puts it down while raking millions for himself. I have seen it hundreds of times. At the corporate levels as well as at the government levels. No kidding.

Personally, I am truly sorry for the people, the suffering people. And wonder when are we going to become humanly evolved.

------ as an aside: at least Target could not take hold in Canada, I hope the same will happen with the US milk and food industries. We do not want nor need the US food crap, nor the Chinese one (which has invaded our markets as well).

[5th]

Well done to Herve for starting this post but just putting Main Stream Media clips here is a bit of a joke considering all of us in Avalon know that the MSN is not to be trusted.

And yet people here seem to be believing it over what perolator is saying and what I know to be true about the situation...

Are we to believe what Global Reasearch says? Such an independent source of unbiased truth?

As for Abby Martin, she is just repeating the Russia Today viewpoint and after a few words with a few locals doesn't really know what she is talking about.

I guess people believe the MSN when it suits them.

[Hervé]

Well, what about some verifiable data, then?

[Bubu]

Plus, I have very rarely, if not never, seen the US government intervening in a country because its people are suffering. All I have seen is the US government intevening to protect their interest or to further them forwards in a global chess game. Completely heartless.

But, don't worry, China and Russia are doing exactly the same - primitive world we have.

.

You mean China and Russia also has 800 military bases around the world? You mean China and Russia also been in the front line of all the wars in the world?
Protecting interest is one thing killing people to do that is another thing.

[perolator]

Well done to Herve for starting this post but just putting Main Stream Media clips here is a bit of a joke considering all of us in Avalon know that the MSN is not to be trusted.


I also thank Hervé for starting the thread. I have a friend who told me to check out this thread and felt compelled to post some thoughts.



And yet people here seem to be believing it over what perolator is saying and what I know to be true about the situation...

Are we to believe what Global Reasearch says? Such an independent source of unbiased truth?

As for Abby Martin, she is just repeating the Russia Today viewpoint and after a few words with a few locals doesn't really know what she is talking about.

I guess people believe the MSN when it suits them.

I am not commenting about Abby because her opinion as the opinion of a large amount of people, may be biased but without all the information at her disposal, she is not able to give a fair opinion. I also mistrust RT, and some journalists from The Guardian are backing Maduro's regime (!). That propaganda machine is well-oiled, as I said before. My intention is not to compete with this people. It is impossible.

[Flash]

Plus, I have very rarely, if not never, seen the US government intervening in a country because its people are suffering. All I have seen is the US government intevening to protect their interest or to further them forwards in a global chess game. Completely heartless.

But, don't worry, China and Russia are doing exactly the same - primitive world we have.

.

You mean China and Russia also has 800 military bases around the world? You mean China and Russia also been in the front line of all the wars in the world?
Protecting interest is one thing killing people to do that is another thing.

this is not Carmody's text, Bubu, this is mine.

No, I do not mean they have all the military bases all over the world, but I mean that economically, they are all over too. This is the pulling the blanket to oneself game. Of course USA has lots of military power, which in fact is descriptive too. They spend about half of their --- produit national brut (someone help for translation) - on the military. Take that money to change the world for the better, there will be no more need for military.

[Bubu]

Fact: wherever oil is, there would be US gov. meddling.

What are the possibilities of them playing the two factions like they did in US politics and to so many medllings?

[5th]

Well, what about some verifiable data, then?

Verifiable from what source? The only data you've supplied is 'verified' by the MSN. It's impossible for anyone to provide real verification and so we can only go on what is coming out of Venezuela itself from people who've seen what is happening rather than what the media is reporting.

[perolator]

Well, what about some verifiable data, then?

Verifiable from what source? The only data you've supplied is 'verified' by the MSN. It's impossible for anyone to provide real verification and so we can only go on what is coming out of Venezuela itself from people who've seen what is happening rather than what the media is reporting.

I am a high-ranked employee of the Koch Brothers. :ROFL:

Here is one of my favorite quotes ever:
You take the blue pill—the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill—you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.

I live in a free world. I hope my people can also say the same.

[Justplain]

Unfortunately the Venezuelan people are suffering so badly, and the maduro government is apparently so corrupt and incompetent, that it becomes obfuscated how the cia has caused this situation in the first place. Although I don't know the details, this smells similar to the 'populist' uprising in the Ukraine, in which a democraticly elected leader was ousted by a bunch of fringe neo-fascists. As Mr. Leahy mentions, after reviewing Perkins' 'Confessions of an Economic Hitman' you can see the trademarks of a covertly sponsored coup in the Venezuelan situation. The cia would be strenuously involved because of the big oil money. The cia gets involved with overturning regimes for much less money.

It is very sad that Venezuelans are suffering so badly from this situation. Chavas and Maduro had a real opportunity to improve the paradigm in their country, but appear to have fallen for power politics and money instead of being primarily concerned about the welfare of their people.

I know that Maduro is 'the devil that you know', and the one you want to get rid of, but don't expect the replacement to be much better. If maduro is overthrown, the people are best off appealing to someone other than the USA. I am not sure who to appeal to, but not the usa, nor the EU, nor the IMF, nor the world Bank, not NATO, but perhaps there is someone out there who can help.

[Hervé]

Washington orchestrates coup in Venezuela, incites civil war, in name of 'democracy' (https://www.rt.com/op-ed/449627-venezuela-democracy-coup-us/)

RT (https://www.rt.com/op-ed/449627-venezuela-democracy-coup-us/)
Finian Cunningham
Fri, 25 Jan 2019 17:51 UTC


https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507368/large/5c49e198dda4c8c5058b45f3.jpg (https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507368/full/5c49e198dda4c8c5058b45f3.jpg)
A rally in support of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela October 5, 2018 © REUTERS/Marco Bello


The dramatic events in Venezuela have "US-orchestrated coup d'état" written all over them. Washington is also giving itself license for military intervention which could spark a proxy war involving Russia.

The sequencing leaves no doubt the US has upped the ante for regime change in the South American country.

This week, Vice President Mike Pence issued a call to arms with a deft video (https://www.voanews.com/a/us-vice-president-tells-venezuelan-opposition-we-are-with-you-/4754229.html) address to the "people of Venezuela" to take to the streets against the elected government. Pence also urged the country's security forces to back the protests, adding, "we [the US] are with you."

Next day, the opposition figure Juan Guaido holds a major rally in the capital Caracas and declares himself "interim president of Venezuela" while denouncing incumbent Nicolas Maduro as "a usurper."

Within minutes, US President Trump announces (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/venezuela-president-trump-juan-guaido-nicolas-maduro-protests-dead-a8743311.html) he is recognizing Guaido as the legitimate authority in Venezuela. Trump's imprimatur is swiftly followed by Canada and several right-wing South American governments allied with Washington. French President Emmanuel Macron says (https://www.rt.com/news/449622-france-venezuela-coup-support/) he supports "the restoration of democracy" in Venezuela and salutes "the courage of the hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans marching for their freedom". [while sending riot police against the "Yellow Vests" (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?88469---a-Chauffe-&p=1271500&viewfull=1#post1271500)]

President Maduro responds by cutting off diplomatic ties with the US and orders American diplomats to leave within 72 hours.

Then, following the script, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warns - with classic Alice-in-Wonderland logic - that since Maduro is no longer the legitimate president he has no authority to sever diplomatic ties with Washington.

More sinisterly, Trump and Pompeo make the time-dishonored threat that "all options are on the table" - meaning military action - "if US personnel are endangered."

That means the Maduro government is forbidden from sanctioning US diplomatic properties and officials. Any move to expel American personnel could be construed as "endangering" their safety, which in Washington's logic means a license to "respond" militarily.

Washington's self-declared license to protect its interests in Venezuela extends to the anti-Maduro opposition groups. Trump warned he would hold Maduro responsible for any acts of violence against protesters.

This amounts to incitement for more violence (https://www.rt.com/news/449572-caracas-steet-violence-venezuela/) on the streets of Caracas. Venezuela's armed forces - who so far remain loyal (https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Venezuelan-Armed-Forces-Recognize-Maduro-as-President-20190123-0029.html) to Maduro - have also been accused of using excessive lethal force. The situation is therefore primed by Washington for escalation into a civil war.

Russia has condemned (https://sputniknews.com/world/201901241071772085-russia-venezuela-support/) the interference by the US in Venezuela's internal affairs, saying that President Maduro is the legitimate head of state. Moscow has also warned the US not to deploy military force to the country which Russia describes as "our ally."

Right-wing governments in the region such as Colombia and the newly elected Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, as well as Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Peru, have backed Washington's stance on delegitimizing Maduro's administration. Colombia and Brazil have also shown preparedness to support US military intervention.

In addition to Russia's condemnation of US interference, China, Bolivia, Cuba, Turkey and Iran, among others, have given their support for the Maduro government, denouncing Washington's policy of regime change.

Thus, the Trump administration is not only igniting a firestorm within Venezuela, it is setting the stage for an international proxy war, not unlike the war which Washington and its allies engineered in Syria.

An American-induced war in Venezuela has been a long time in the making. Ever since the South American oil giant opted for a socialist government more than 20 years ago - first under Hugo Chavez then under his successor Nicolas Maduro - Venezuela has been in Washington's cross-hairs for regime change.

The GW Bush administration triggered a coup in 2002 against Chavez, which failed. Then Obama tightened the screws with economic sanctions on Venezuela's vital oil industry which precipitated the country's current social crisis and discontent. Several waves of streets protests have occurred all with the signs that Washington has been a crucial instigating player.

At the end of last year, the Trump administration slated the Maduro government as a national security threat, and hinted it was considering military action against Venezuela. There were even White House claims that Caracas was agitating the regime caravans through Central America, which have become a bane of Trump's fears about immigrants "invading" the US.

But what triggered the latest push from Washington may have been Russia's more open alliance with Caracas. Last month, President Maduro was hosted in Moscow by Russia's Vladimir Putin, when the two countries signed (https://www.rt.com/business/445768-russia-venezuela-investments-oil/) multi-billion-dollar partnerships for oil exploration, mining, agricultural and other trade ties.

Within days of Maduro's visit to the Kremlin, the "strategic alliance" was given a decisive military underpinning when two Russian Tupolev Tu-160 (https://www.rt.com/news/446320-russia-tu-160-venezuela-force-projection/) nuclear-capable bombers flew 10,000 kilometers to Venezuela in an apparent show of Moscow's support for the beleaguered country.

Washington's reaction to the Russian bombers landing in Caracas was apoplectic.

Maduro was elected for the second time back in May 2018 with nearly 67 per cent of the vote. Admittedly, the turnout for the election was low at around 46 per cent. The large abstention was partly due to the ongoing economic crisis and unrest in the country, which Washington's sanctions have played a large part in fomenting.

Nevertheless, more than 9 million Venezuelans voted for Maduro and his socialist policies. The elections were documented as free and fair by international observers. They were also verified by Venezuela's National Electoral Commission.

Earlier this month, on January 10, Maduro was officially inaugurated for a second term that runs until 2025.

Given his consolidation of authority and the important alliance with Russia taking on international prominence, it seems that Washington decided to renew its efforts for regime change in Caracas.

Vice President Mike Pence reportedly held phone calls with opposition figure Juan Guaido. Evidently, with Pence's follow-up public comments backing the overthrow of Maduro, the coup was set in motion.

What happens next is a high-wire act. Washington could ramp up the economic blockade of Venezuela by freezing financial assets of the country's oil company in the US. The US could even impose a naval blockade. And if the violence escalates in Venezuela, Washington has already set the precedent for military intervention.

How Russia and Venezuela's regional allies respond to that is a potential detonator of wider conflict.

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" and the minor congressional body he controls have been declared in contempt of the constitution by Venezuela's supreme court.

Juan Guaido therefore has no mandate or legitimacy to appoint himself as the country's leader. His "authority" is decreed by Washington.

The absurd irony of Trump and Macron, among others, backing an unconstitutional, self-declared president in Venezuela is staggering. Half the population of the US and France despise their supposed leaders. Trump is barred by opposition lawmakers from making the annual State of the Union speech for the first time in US history, while Macron is beset by nationwide protests and requires heavy police protection wherever he goes.

And yet here we have Trump, Trudeau and other discredited Western figures, declaring who should rule Venezuela.

[perolator]

Cuba Out of Venezuela – The Wall Street Journal

link to article (https://www.wsj.com/articles/cuba-out-of-venezuela-11548376414)

Cristian Hernandez/Zuma Press
International support for a return to democracy in Venezuela has been growing since Juan Guaidó took the oath of interim president on Wednesday. The crucial but underreported question now is whether dictator Nicolás Maduro’s protectors in Cuba and Russia will intervene to stop this democratic uprising.

The Venezuelan military holds the key to whether Mr. Maduro will step down peacefully. Common sense and reporting in the country suggest that a good part of the army is ready to side with the Venezuelan people. The rank and file have families who are also suffering the privation caused by nearly two decades of socialist rule.

Yet Cuba controls Mr. Maduro’s personal security detail and has built a counterintelligence network around the high command. Venezuela’s 1,000 or so flag officers operate in silos and are spied on by minders. An officer who sides with the opposition is putting his life and perhaps his family at risk. The head of the armed forces expressed support for Mr. Maduro on Thursday, but the real test may come if soldiers are ordered to fire on protesters or Venezuelans trying to protect Mr. Guaidó.

Nations that want better for Venezuela should focus as much on Havana as Caracas. If civilized countries want to end the starvation and mass migration of Venezuelans, they have to convince the Cuban regime to back off. That means targeting Havana with diplomatic pressure, as well as sanctions such as travel restrictions and frozen bank accounts.

The Kremlin is also backing Mr. Maduro. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Thursday that if the U.S. didn’t stay out of Venezuela there “would be a catastrophic scenario that would shake the foundations of the development model we see in the Latin American region.”

But Cuba is the imperial power in Caracas, not the U.S., and the only recent “development” in Venezuela has been malnutrition. Russia certainly wouldn’t mind a Syrian-style civil war in Venezuela that spread more chaos in the Americas and more opportunity to undermine democratic governments.

The U.S. must also protect its diplomatic personnel in Caracas. Mr. Maduro on Wednesday ordered Americans to leave the country within 72 hours, but Secretary of State Mike Pompeo replied that the U.S. now recognizes Mr. Guaidó as interim president and will not comply. The U.S. needs to make clear that if Mr. Maduro or his paramilitaries act against Americans, the Administration will hold Cuba responsible. Now that Venezuelans are risking their lives for democracy, free nations owe them support.

[ripple]

It will be interesting to see how Uncle Volodya handles matters if Madura is forced out by the Oil grabbing and grubby Americans
Russia has a lot to lose if Nicolas Maduro’s government collapses. In recent years, Russian state-owned Rosneft has ramped up its investment in Venezuela by participating in a multitude of joint ventures with its Venezuelan counterpart PDVSA.
In 2017 alone, total oil production from those projects was estimated to be around 8 million tonnes, or 161,000 barrels per day.
On known form Uncle is 4/5 versus the Bolton Bully Boys at 11/8 to win the end game .

[Bubu]

[SIZE="2"] Now that Venezuelans are risking their lives for [B]democracy, free nations owe them support.

Not interesting at all.

If anything I see this as a bait for Russia and China to engage in WWIII.

[5th]

Frankly I'm shocked and disappointed how people here just unquestioningly believe the Mainstream News Media both from Russia and the US/Canada (when it suits).

Several people here have made up their minds what is happening when they don't have a clue.

And we have Herve quoting the Russia Today propaganda machine! Yes I know the Russia view is often more truthful than the US but in this case, Russia has billions invested in Maduro who is on friendly terms with Putin.

Incredible how brainwashed you all are - Avalon, I thought you were better...

[perolator]

Frankly I'm shocked and disappointed how people here just unquestioningly believe the Mainstream News Media both from Russia and the US/Canada (when it suits).

I was, that's why I posted my favorite Morpheus quote above. People believe what they want to believe.



Several people here have made up their minds what is happening when they don't have a clue.

And we have Herve quoting the Russia Today Pravda propaganda machine! Yes I know the Russia view is often more truthful than the US but in this case, Russia has billions invested in Maduro who is on friendly terms with Putin.

Incredible how brainwashed you all are - Avalon, I thought you were better...

I am also surprised people were not interested in Venezuela at all for years and... They did not know Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Turkey, Bolivia, Nicaragua (among others) were taking advantage of dealing with criminals while the country went to the drain for 20 years. Now, The U.S., Brasil and Colombia started to support Venezuela and wannabe leftists started to argue "U.S. is ousting a legitimate president" yelling "Yankee Go Home" to the skies.

That's gruesome aversion to all that the U.S. represents. While people in my country struggle daily to get food and basic services, experiencing power outages daily... People said nothing about it.

That is an hypocrite stance. Fight for socialism, communism or whatever in your own countries.

[Dennis Leahy]

Doesn't it disturb you greatly that a big bully nation has covertly manipulated markets to destroy Venezuela's economy, and overtly applied sanctions that directly affect every Venezuelan? You must be aware that the USA, INC. doesn't actually "help" other nations, right? The USA helps itself to other nations. Do you have any idea how many Yemeni people are being starved to death right now, that the USA is not just 100% completely aware of but actually participating in a naval blockade with saudi arabia, to starve the Yemenis? Do you realize you are asking for help from sociopathic monsters that pick other nations out of their teeth?
Mr. Leahy,

It is completely fine that the "big bully nation" where you live in, by the way, takes care of its own interests, or "helps itself". No, not "helps itself", you need the whole phrase: "helps itself to." It's in bold. And italics. It includes the word "to" that completely changes the meaning to "predatory."


They divert a large amount of national resources to their beloved Cuba...Wow! That could be an interesting piece to the puzzle. By "divert", do you mean "give?" Give me some source material to read up about this. It simply makes no sense that Venezuela would be giving away valuable resources during its own crisis, so it should be interesting to find out if this is so.


Regarding the sanctions that affect every venezuelan: The bulk of sanctions are targeted to individuals of the chavista regime.

No, that's not how sanctions work. All the inhabitants of the country are affected by sanctions. It does (deliberately) put the highest pressure first onto the most vulnerable sector: the poor. But, the bigger picture is, why would an altruistic country place any form of economic sanctions on another country, that is, target the poor, and especially when the other country was already in economic trouble? Go back and listen again to John Perkins explain this tactic. It is warfare. Economic warfare. Try to get the poor people to revolt and overthrow the guy that "American interests" wants overthrown.

This isn't rocket surgery. What is happening in Venezuela is a 100% textbook globalist overthrow of Venezuela, by exactly the methods exposed by John Perkins (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSdx4NS2Xq4).



Venezuela is one of the largest illegal drug distribution hubs of the planet. The government officials and the military have getting so much money in the process they are getting ways to invest their acquired multi-millionaire status all over the world. All of them have made huge investments in the U.S. and Europe via bogus companies and third parties.
Again, it would be very interesting to see details on this allegation, but I'd guess it is at least partially true - there are always grifters and embezzlers and bribe-takers in any large organization/government, but how much corruption is honestly the direct actions of or the direct fault of Maduro, I have no real idea. (You don't either.) He may not be the right person for the job simply because he is not savvy enough to deal with a powerful, predatory nation, like the USA. He certainly didn't prepare for the contingency of oil prices dropping drastically in the world market (engineered, or not) and had far too much dependence on oil revenue, and what the USA so easily has done to them already. (Once Venezuelan oil is fully secured by the globalists, look for world prices on oil to double or triple. -my prediction)

I'm not trying to tell you (or Venezuela) how to run Venezuela; I'm warning you not to acquiesce to USA, INC. globalist interests telling Venezuelans how to run Venezuela, and telling Venezuelans who will preside over the government of Venezuela. (They are already dictating to Venezuelans who Venezuelans can and cannot trade with.)

Part of the mandate of the globalists that own and control the USA is to stomp out socialism. Shall I name a few examples in Central America? So, it's not JUST about the oil. This is a "two-fer", a slam-dunk cause for the neocon and neoliberal mobsters in the US government to support: stomp out Socialism in Venezuela, AND take control of Venezuelan oil - at the very least by taking a "cut", a percentage off the top, and controlling the release onto the world market of Venezuelan oil.


The money laundering scheme is so big and broad, that prompted the U.S. to impose sanctions to protect its currency.
I think it's to force the trade of that big blob of oil to be in US dollars - petrodollars, really, but now just called US dollars. It's not protecting the currency it is protecting the skim off the top flow of currency. The "take." Ya gotta see the USA, INC. gang as mobsters, or you'll misunderestimate the malevolence, and become a willing victim.




Do you think that the USA, INC. respects, has compassion for, and will help Venezuelan citizens but not the Yemenis?
I do not know about the Yemeni situation, so I cannot comment about it. Sincerely, I don't care about the issues in other countries.Well, my example of the people of Yemen was to show a modern, even current, example of the USA, INC. sociopathy whitewashed as "compassion", versus actual compassion.

Venezuela is 51% Mestizo. Do you care about those Venezuelans, who are more than half your country? What if the majority of Venezuelans want some form of Socialism, and believe that Venezuelan oil is owned by all Venezuelans? Are you against Socialism and Maduro, or just Maduro? Would it be better for Venezuela to heavily tax the oil, leasing the drilling to private oil companies, like Norway does? There are certainly better solutions for Venezuela that can come from the heart of the Venezuelan people than to invite globalists to take over (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSdx4NS2Xq4) Venezuela. Besides, you know that the reason that I mentioned the dire situation of millions of Yemeni lives and the sociopathic/psychopathic response of the US government was to warn you that the people that control the USA government are sociopathic, greed-and-power-driven globalist mobsters and not to be trusted. Ignore that advice at your peril.

[5th]

This isn't rocket surgery. What is happening in Venezuela is a 100% textbook globalist overthrow of Venezuela, by exactly the methods exposed by John Perkins (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSdx4NS2Xq4).



It may appear to be but you make this statement not knowing what you are talking about. Of course there is US backing of the Maduro opposition and of course Maduro is backed by Russia (400 Russian Mercanaries according to Zero Hedge) but this is certainly not a textbook globalist overthrow of Venezuela. That partially happened a long time ago as John Perkins regrets.

The difference here is that Maduro has already brought the country to its knees without US help. The average person spends his entire wages on one day's food. This isn't helped by sanctions but is not a direct result. there is food in the country but as I posted earlier there are two reasons it doesn't reach the supermarkets. The first is that people can't afford to buy it (so why would suppliers send it?) and the second is the delivery trucks are prevented from getting there by the Military who back Maduro.


Unlike the 'textbook overthrows' that we have seen, Maduro has almost no support from the people, kills or imprisons any who oppose him and maintains power illegally. Over three million Venezuelans have fled the country (that's 10% of the population!). The news that other countries see coming out of Venezuela is heavily doctored and the rest of the world doesn't know the truth unless they have personal contacts inside the country (like me).

You know, sometimes there just can be an evil dictator who bleeds his country to death and actually needs to be overthrown.

Yes, I know how the US operates but you need to know more about what is really going on in Venezuela before jumping to the obvious conclusion.

[onawah]

I think you should keep in mind that Avalon is not a forum that focuses primarily on political issues.
There are plenty of other venues for that, but not a lot that delve into ET/UFO/paranormal conspiracies.
I think Avalonians are generally more interested in what goes on WAY,WAY behind the scenes and how that affects current and future affairs, subjects that most forums simply consider to be far too 'woo-woo" (and which is why they very rarely have a REAL clue as to what is going on and why).


Frankly I'm shocked and disappointed how people here just unquestioningly believe the Mainstream News Media both from Russia and the US/Canada (when it suits).

Several people here have made up their minds what is happening when they don't have a clue.

And we have Herve quoting the Russia Today propaganda machine! Yes I know the Russia view is often more truthful than the US but in this case, Russia has billions invested in Maduro who is on friendly terms with Putin.

Incredible how brainwashed you all are - Avalon, I thought you were better...

[RunningDeer]

Frankly I'm shocked and disappointed how people here just unquestioningly believe the Mainstream News Media both from Russia and the US/Canada (when it suits).
Several people here have made up their minds what is happening when they don't have a clue.
And we have Herve quoting the Russia Today propaganda machine!
Incredible how brainwashed you all are - Avalon, I thought you were better...


https://i.imgur.com/sCuMUTU.jpg

[Flash]

Frankly I'm shocked and disappointed how people here just unquestioningly believe the Mainstream News Media both from Russia and the US/Canada (when it suits).
Several people here have made up their minds what is happening when they don't have a clue.
And we have Herve quoting the Russia Today propaganda machine!
Incredible how brainwashed you all are - Avalon, I thought you were better...


https://i.imgur.com/sCuMUTU.jpg

Yes, Russia propaganda machine may be as well oiled (pun intended) as the American or European ones, Chinese surpassing all of them for their own people.
But, having some information from propaganda, mostly when it comes to seemingly opposite sides, may give us an idea of what is planned or at a minimum what each proponent want us to believe.

I do sometimes read the propaganda machine of Turkey because it is another point of view as well, different from Russia or USA.

Your comment does not depict the why we bring those mass media once in a while. Listen, compare, and have critical analysis abilities, from all side including the sometimes quite f k ed up alternative media (and sometimes spot on). I think this suits more to Avalon members than anything else.

[Flash]

For Cuba:

i went in Cuba for vacation. Even in the deemed "rich" sector of Cuba, it is so dam poor that they cannot even repair their hotels. One day you have beer, the second day there aren't any beer, but you have let say gin, then third day gin is gone and you have beer again. I haven't seen any tourism sector, world wide, functioning like this. They are dam poor. Pipes are repaired as it goes with about nothing, sliding doors which do not slide anymore won't ever again because they do not have the grease needed, etc etc.

It is very hard to believe that all the Venezuelan wealth is going to Cuba. Very hard. And if it is, Cuba does a very poor job of using it, very poor job. Unless we are talking here of the oligarch of one country selling to the oligarch of the other country, people in both countries getting nothing out of it.

However, one day, only one day, there was beer from Venezuela. Cuba produces its own petrol, maybe they import a bit from Venezuela, being cut off from all other sources. if so, this was happening way before any change of Venezuela government.

Anyhow, supply us with some proof, I would be ready to change my mind.

Oh... and yes I speak Spanish fluently enough to be able to chat with people.

[Flash]

Frankly I'm shocked and disappointed how people here just unquestioningly believe the Mainstream News Media both from Russia and the US/Canada (when it suits).

I was, that's why I posted my favorite Morpheus quote above. People believe what they want to believe.



Several people here have made up their minds what is happening when they don't have a clue.

And we have Herve quoting the Russia Today Pravda propaganda machine! Yes I know the Russia view is often more truthful than the US but in this case, Russia has billions invested in Maduro who is on friendly terms with Putin.

Incredible how brainwashed you all are - Avalon, I thought you were better...

I am also surprised people were not interested in Venezuela at all for years and... They did not know Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Turkey, Bolivia, Nicaragua (among others) were taking advantage of dealing with criminals while the country went to the drain for 20 years. Now, The U.S., Brasil and Colombia started to support Venezuela and wannabe leftists started to argue "U.S. is ousting a legitimate president" yelling "Yankee Go Home" to the skies.

That's gruesome aversion to all that the U.S. represents. While people in my country struggle daily to get food and basic services, experiencing power outages daily... People said nothing about it.

That is an hypocrite stance. Fight for socialism, communism or whatever in your own countries.

Broaden your view, please.


Turkey itself is governed by criminals. Those were criminals (Turkish, Russian, etc) doing business with other criminals (Venezuelan). Nothing else. It is call world economics, or better the New World Order.

[guayabal]

Broaden your view, please.

You should be more specific here... from what I see, it is you that needs to broaden the view.

[Flash]

Broaden your view, please.

You should be more specific here... from what I see, it is you that needs to broaden the view.

I presume that you have lived in South America somewhere, have been many times to Cuba, have lived in North America, have lived in the Middle East, have traveled widely in Europe, speak many languages (not just 2) and read from all over the world. I also presumed you have work in NGOs and in turn with hundred of corporations as well.

I also presume that you are quite educated.

Since you are much better than me.

I did not want to insult, but yes, to understand the underpinning of misery, wherever in the world, including Venezuela and Cuba, or Columbia, one has to have broad views covering history, really far back, and the whole planet.

[guayabal]

Anyhow, supply us with some proof, I would be ready to change my mind.


It doesn't take too much to find after googling something like:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkIjpBz2DnY

There is a beautiful but sad commentary from "el llanero" on this youtube vid, for those who speak spanish:
"Luz para afuera y tinieblas para adentro, legado del comandante eterno."

[Flash]

I can tell you that the mattress that are being carried in the background are NOT ending up in Cuban's hotel. I have rarely seen so bad used up mattresses in hotels.

He is saying that they are continuing relationships that date back and that they are solidarly with the Cuban people. Not many are buying from Venezuela. It may be the last a bit worthwhile commerce that Venezuela has. But be assured that the Cuban people do not see much of anything in terms of wealth. No more than the Venezuelans. What I heard was talks about commerce, and little commerce, nothing major.

Now, tell me, what are the underlying factor internationally that brought Venezuela to its knees? What were the international factor that bought Columbia, years ago, to its knees as well?

Dig deeper.

[Hervé]

Is President Maduro ‘Illegitimate’? 10 Facts to Counter the Lies (https://www.fort-russ.com/2019/01/is-president-maduro-illegitimate-10-facts-to-counter-the-lies/)

By Guest Author (https://www.fort-russ.com/author/guestauthor/) Pascualina Curcio

Last updated Jan 26, 2019


https://www.fort-russ.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/maduro-mayo998-750x430.jpg

Editor’s Note – the following from 15yUltimo indeed delivers the facts straight. It’s important for those still sharing the ‘democracy = elections’ dream not to wind up in error on the subject of Venezuela – the last election that saw Maduro defeat his opponents was clean, transparent, and fair by the liberal, western standards of late modernity. FRN is not of the view that legitimacy and sovereignty are determined by the specific mechanics of what a particular time and place considers ‘democratic’, or that ‘democratic = legitimate’. This is a larger historical, theoretical, and philosophical question which, however, has deep ramifications if one wants to be consistent. Venezuela is a sovereign state because it asserts itself as such through its actions. Maduro is the legitimate leader of Venezuela for reasons beyond the scope of the below. Still, the Empire has decided that their attack on Venezuela will use, as an opening, a debate over whether specific and somewhat fetishized technical practices occurred or did not occur in the last election. All states are dictatorships – the immediate question even at the surface revolves around the degree of social and economic justice in that society, or in short – in whose interests is the dictatorship wielded? – J. Flores

*
Have those who state that Nicolás Maduro is a dictator, a usurper, and that the 2019-2025 presidential period lacks legitimacy, asked themselves why he is illegitimate? Or do they just repeat what they hear?

This opinion was first advanced by the 12 Latin American countries that make up the Lima Group. Their statement reads: “The electoral process carried out in Venezuela on 20th May 2018 lacks legitimacy in that it didn’t have the participation of all Venezuelan political actors, nor the presence of independent international observers, nor the international guarantees and standards needed for it to be a free, just, and transparent process.”

The leaders of the Venezuelan opposition, the non-democratic ones, repeat ceaselessly, and without arguments, that Maduro is a usurper.

In a desperate act, the United States Vice-President Mike Pence, having had to call personally for the opposition march on January 23 due to the incompetence of the opposition’s leaders, insisted and repeated that President Nicolás Maduro is a dictator, usurper, and illegitimate.

The strategy is clear: repeat the lie a thousand times to turn it into truth. Let’s dismantle this lie.

***
1.
There was a presidential election. It was carried out on May 20, 2018, months before January 10, when according to articles 230 and 231 of the Constitution, the 2013-2019 presidential period runs out. The Constitution would have been contravened if the election was carried out after January 10 — or never held.

2.
It was the Venezuelan opposition that requested an early election. It was held in May rather than December, as is tradition, because the opposition asked, during a dialogue with the government held in the Dominican Republic, for it to be conducted in the first term of 2018.

3.
In Venezuela voting is a right, but not compulsory. Those who freely, although influenced by undemocratic political organisations that called for abstention, decided not to vote had every right to do so. But in no way does this delegitimise the electoral process, especially when this would imply disregarding the 9,389,056 people who decided to vote and exercised democratically their right to suffrage.

4.
Sixteen political parties participated in the electoral contest, including governing PSUV and the MSV, Tupamaro, UPV, Podemos, PPT, ORA, MPAC, MEP, PCV, AP, MAS, Copei, Esperanza por el Cambio, and UPP89.

In Venezuela it is not compulsory that all political parties participate in electoral processes. It is their right to choose whether to participate or not. That’s exactly why our system is democratic. The fact that three parties (AD, VP, and PJ) decided freely not to participate does not delegitimise the electoral process.

5.
Six candidates competed for presidency: Nicolás Maduro, Henri Falcón, Javier Bertucci, Reinaldo Quijada, Francisco Visconti Osorio and Luis Alejandro Ratti (the last two later decided to withdraw.)

6.
Maduro won by a wide margin, obtaining 6,248,864 votes, that is 67.84%; followed by Henri Falcón with 1,927,958, or 20.93%; Javier Bertucci with 1,015,895, 10.82%; and Reinaldo Quijada, who obtained 36,246 votes, or 0.39% of the total. The difference between Maduro and Falcón was of 46.91 percentage points.

7.
The electoral process was observed by about 150 people, including 14 electoral commissions from eight countries; two technical electoral missions; 18 journalists from different parts of the world; one member of the European Parliament, and one technical-electoral delegation from the Russian Electoral Centre.

8.
This election was carried out with the same electoral system used in the election for Venezuela’s National Assembly in December 2015, in which the Venezuelan opposition won. This system is automated, and audited before, during, and after the elections. The system guarantees the principle of “one voter, one vote” because only fingerprints enable the voting machine, as well as guaranteeing secrecy of vote.

9.
Eighteen audits were carried out on the automated system. The representatives of Henri Falcón participated in all 18 and signed the minutes in which they state their conformity with the voting system.

The audits are public and broadcast live by the National Election Council’s TV channel. Once the audits are done, the system locks, and the only way of accessing it again is by introducing simultaneously the passwords that each political organisation has.

10.
None of the candidates that participated in the electoral process contested the results. There is no proof of fraud; no evidence or concrete reports of fraud have been presented. The presidential elections of May 20, 2018 were free, transparent, reliable, secure, and conforming with the Constitution and the law, despite the anti-democratic calls to abstention from a sector of the opposition.

***

It is others who aspire to usurp the presidency. They argue there is a supposed absent power, which is not contemplated in our Constitution, and seek to establish a “transition government”, a concept that does not exist in the Constitution either. Furthermore, they aspire to exercise power outside our borders, in violation of article 18, which defines Caracas as the location for the public office.

In view of all this, it is clear that it is not Maduro but others who are the usurpers, illegitimate and anti-democratic.

The fact that some sectors of the opposition intend to assert themselves, with the support of foreign imperialist governments, to exercise an authority that neither the people nor the Constitution gives them is clearly illegitimate and an attempt to usurp.
Let’s repeat this truth a thousand times.

*

[Pascualina Curcio is an economist based at the Simon Bolivar University in Caracas, Venezuela. Translated by Pedro Alvarez from 15yUltimo (http://www.15yultimo.com/2019/01/23/ilegitimo-por-que-pasqualina-curcio-comentario-de-jose-g-pina/) and appeared first on GreenLeft Weekly]

[perolator]

It is very hard to believe that all the Venezuelan wealth is going to Cuba. Very hard. And if it is, Cuba does a very poor job of using it, very poor job. Unless we are talking here of the oligarch of one country selling to the oligarch of the other country, people in both countries getting nothing out of it.

@Flash: I believe you have a view broadened enough to... believe.

This link (in spanish) (http://www.embajadacuba.com.ve/cuba-venezuela/convenio-colaboracion/) describes the 15-year "convenio" between Cuba and Venezuela. They (cubans) wisely removed the "anexos" from their webpage, the worst part for Venezuela, the conditions of the "trade". But in this link (also in spanish) (http://futurodecuba.org/Convenio%20Cuba%20Venezuela.htm) The "anexos" are included. There were yearly revisions of that "convenio", thus, it was spiced with addenda. In any country, a contract like this may be considered as an act of high treason. In this link (in spanish) (http://eltiempolatino.com/news/2018/jul/09/convenio-cuba-venezuela-subsidio-enmascarado-bajo-/?page=3) the "convenio" is described in detail.

Sorry, Mr. Leahy, no translation. When I can find the equivalent to those links in English, I will let you know.



However, one day, only one day, there was beer from Venezuela. Cuba produces its own petrol, maybe they import a bit from Venezuela, being cut off from all other sources. if so, this was happening way before any change of Venezuela government.

Anyhow, supply us with some proof, I would be ready to change my mind.

Oh... and yes I speak Spanish fluently enough to be able to chat with people.

No señor, Cuba does not produce its own petrol. Venezuela subsidized the Cienfuegos oil plant or at least tried. Fortunately, this article in English (https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/Why-Is-Venezuela-Still-Sending-Subsidized-Oil-To-Cuba.html) will allow you to understand I am not exaggerating a bit the Venezuela situation.

From the article:

Venezuela continues to supply Cuba with around 55,00 barrels of oil per day, costing the nation around $1.2 billion per year, an unthinkable generosity when 9 million Venezuelans are reporting that they can only afford to eat once a day.

The quantity is not right, by the way. It is 55,000 barrels/day. More than half that oil is re-sold. 19 years of uninterrupted oil supply, my friend.

No, it is not just the oil.

[Flash]

It is very hard to believe that all the Venezuelan wealth is going to Cuba. Very hard. And if it is, Cuba does a very poor job of using it, very poor job. Unless we are talking here of the oligarch of one country selling to the oligarch of the other country, people in both countries getting nothing out of it.

@Flash: I believe you have a view broadened enough to... believe.

This link (in spanish) (http://www.embajadacuba.com.ve/cuba-venezuela/convenio-colaboracion/) describes the 15-year "convenio" between Cuba and Venezuela. They (cubans) wisely removed the "anexos" from their webpage, the worst part for Venezuela, the conditions of the "trade". But in this link (also in spanish) (http://futurodecuba.org/Convenio%20Cuba%20Venezuela.htm) The "anexos" are included. There were yearly revisions of that "convenio", thus, it was spiced with addenda. In any country, a contract like this may be considered as an act of high treason. In this link (in spanish) (http://eltiempolatino.com/news/2018/jul/09/convenio-cuba-venezuela-subsidio-enmascarado-bajo-/?page=3) the "convenio" is described in detail.

Sorry, Mr. Leahy, no translation. When I can find the equivalent to those links in English, I will let you know.



However, one day, only one day, there was beer from Venezuela. Cuba produces its own petrol, maybe they import a bit from Venezuela, being cut off from all other sources. if so, this was happening way before any change of Venezuela government.

Anyhow, supply us with some proof, I would be ready to change my mind.

Oh... and yes I speak Spanish fluently enough to be able to chat with people.

No señor, Cuba does not produce its own petrol. Venezuela subsidized the Cienfuegos oil plant or at least tried. Fortunately, this article in English (https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/Why-Is-Venezuela-Still-Sending-Subsidized-Oil-To-Cuba.html) will allow you to understand I am not exaggerating a bit the Venezuela situation.

From the article:

Venezuela continues to supply Cuba with around 55,00 barrels of oil per day, costing the nation around $1.2 billion per year, an unthinkable generosity when 9 million Venezuelans are reporting that they can only afford to eat once a day.

The quantity is not right, by the way. It is 55,000 barrels/day. More than half that oil is re-sold. 19 years of uninterrupted oil supply, my friend.

No, it is not just the oil.

Interesting. Cienfuegos is subsidized by Venezuela!! I did not know this.

The anexos you presented seem to be describing what Cuba offered to Venezuela in the agreement (agriculture, tourism, medical equipement and training, doctors sent in Venezuela, etc).

I have not read it carefully yet, (it is late and my whole body is in pain, I felt on icy sidewalk today, hurting elbow, shoulder, hips, name it), but I do not seem to find the anexo where the Venezuela services to Cuba are written. If I am right and these are absent, is there a way to find it?

One thing for sure, Chavez was hated by the USA, it is obvious why. He was really going towards communist countries (not only socialists).

Thank you for bringing new information on the topic.

[perolator]

Pasqualina Curcio is an economist based at the Simon Bolivar University in Caracas, Venezuela.
GreenLeft Weekly


Pasqualina Curcio Curcio is an Economist, Full Professor (Universidad Simón Bolívar) and holds a Doctorate in Political Science.
Impressive.

She is also an active chavista operative. Even more impressive. How she has time to teach, to manage a very active blog, to write for aporrea.org (a known chavista webpage) and independent leftist media?

I am an average Joe. I will have to become chavista to boost my productivity.

[perolator]

@Flash, I wish you a prompt recovery. Thank you for taking the time to read my post.

This link (http://futurodecuba.org/Convenio%20Cuba%20Venezuela.htm) includes the (funny) anexos. Those are from the first, non-revised "convenio". I copied a small part of the text below:


Dado en Caracas, a los 30 días del mes de octubre del año 2.000
Anexo I
Seguidamente se relaciones la lista de los servicios y productos que ofrece la República de Cuba a la República Bolivariana de Venezuela.
1. Agroindustria Azucarera y sus derivados
Cuba ofrece a Venezuela su aval de experiencias y toda la asesoría técnica que solicite, con el propósito de contribuir a la recuperación, modernización y desarrollo del sistema productivo agroindustrial azucarero y sus derivados.
1.1 Asistencia técnica para la operación técnico-productiva de los centrales azucareros que defina la parte venezolana en las siguientes especialidades:
-Superintendencia de Fábrica
-Maquinaria Industrial
- Termonenergética
- Fabricación de Azúcar
- Laboratorio
- Agricultura Cañera

Most of those "services" are not quantifiable, i.e. no way to get hourly or monthly compensation for the offerings.

I dare to say funny because services as shown below were offered:


8.2 Envío de salas de video educaciones fabricadas en Cuba, en la cantidad que se solicite y transmisión de la tecnología para producirlas en Venezuela, Asimismo se comunicarán las experiencias cubanas en el uso social de tales salas de video.

A Cuban-made "educational video room" may be technologically better than any Japanese, American, Taiwanese or Korean offer? No, of course. What cubans did was re-sell assets like these, two times the price. Big business for them, big business for the venezuelan counterparts.

Medical/Tech personnel (including sports trainers) is the crown jewel for Cuba, this table below (from the detailed explanation link) summarizes the monthly payment for each of the "highly trained" assets:

39763

Neither Cuban Pesos nor weak Bs., Greenbacks. No altruism, Socialism was not in sight. Payment is in U.S. dollars. Hard currency.

[Hervé]

Russian authorities have a 'two-punch plan' to help the Venezuelan people (https://www.fort-russ.com/2019/01/guns-butter-heres-russias-two-punch-plan-to-help-the-venezuelan-people/)

Joaquin Flores Fort Russ (https://www.fort-russ.com/2019/01/guns-butter-heres-russias-two-punch-plan-to-help-the-venezuelan-people/)
Sat, 26 Jan 2019 12:07 UTC


https://www.sott.net/image/s25/505053/large/1046167646.jpg (https://www.sott.net/image/s25/505053/full/1046167646.jpg)
© Sputnik / Aleksey Nikolskyi


Russian authorities have rolled out a two part plan to help its strategic partner, Venezuela out of the deep crisis. The first is aimed immediately at security stability, and involves the use of Kremlin approved Russian mercenaries from the Wagner corp. Reuters reported earlier today: "Private military contractors who do secret missions for Russia flew into Venezuela in the past few days to beef up security for President Nicolas Maduro in the face of U.S.-backed opposition protests, according to two people close to them."

A third source close to the Russian contractors also told Reuters there was a contingent of them in Venezuela, but could not say when they arrived or what their role was.

Russia, which has backed Maduro's socialist government to the tune of billions of dollars, this week promised to stand by him after opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself president with Washington's endorsement.

It was the latest international crisis to split the global superpowers, with the United States and Europe backing Guaido, and Russia and China urging non-interference."

As a note of correction, the EU recognizes that Maduro is president of Venezuela, despite unofficial or personal statements expressed by various EU or European leaders, and the Reuters report here is in serious error.

In connection with this, is the previous December 6th 2018 weapons agreement. Venezuela and Russia had signed several multi-billion dollar contracts during the visit of the Venezuelan delegation led by President Nicolas Maduro to Moscow.

"Today, the contracts have been signed to guarantee investments exceeding $5 billion with our Russian partners in joint ventures to ramp up crude oil production," he said. "In addition, we are guaranteeing an investment of over $1 billion for the mining sector, mostly in gold production."

The Venezuelan President also said that a deal on supplies of Russian wheat to the South American country has been signed during his visit to Moscow along with a contract on the maintenance of weapons.

"We... have signed a contract to ensure supplies of 600,000 tonnes of wheat for Venezuelan people," he stated, pointing out that the supplies are guaranteed for "2019 and onwards." "Furthermore, a contract has been signed to provide assistance, maintenance and repair of weapons of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela."

Also, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said that same December 6th that the Venezuelan Armed Forces are interested in the modernization of land-based anti-air systems previously supplied by Russia.

These are generally understood as a reference to the S-300 and S-400 system, which Venezuela will need to obtain - more urgently so now that the U.S will likely soon be threatening 'targeted precision strikes' on 'government and military targets' to 'hasten Maduro's stepping down'.

The second part of the plan involves a four point economic revision.

According to the Russian publication the Bell (https://thebell.io/rossiya-predlozhila-plan-spaseniya-ekonomiki-venesuely/?utm_source=telegram.me&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=rossiya-pridumala--kak-spasti-ekonomiku-v), citing sources in Russian government, Venezuela's economy is in collapse and inflation reached about 1,300,000% last year.

There are four main points in the proposed package of measures.

First, Russian economists offer to introduce a basic income for Venezuelan households. They claim a basic income is a more effective measure to combat poverty than fuel subsidies that the government intended to introduce beginning January 1, 2019. "Real money can be spent both on fuel and the household necessities," said an interlocutor familiar with the proposals.

Second, Russian officials propose to stop funding the budget deficit with new currency. In August last year, Maduro removed five zeroes from the currency and reissued it as the "sovereign bolivar," but without any actions to reduce the budget deficit, the currency soon lost 95% of its value against the dollar.

Third, Russian economists proposed that Venezuela implement tax reforms, following the example of Russia, moving to indirect taxation instead of direct taxes.

The fourth measure proposed by Russia involves an increase in oil production and maximum export diversification.

It is not known if the Venezuelan government is ready to implement the recommendations of Russian officials, the news outlet reports. However, they got the important things they needed from Russia after the meeting with Maduro in early December. As a result of the talks, Maduro stated, Russia is investing over $5 billion into Venezuela's oil industry and over $1 billion into the mining industry. Russia will also supply 600,000 tons of grain to the country.

From 2006, the Russian government and Russian oil giant Rosneft provided at least $17 billion in loans to Caracas.

SOTT Comment (https://www.sott.net/article/405808-Russian-authorities-have-a-two-punch-plan-to-help-the-Venezuelan-people): ZeroHedge reports that Russian military contractors are now on the scene in Venezuela, ensuring that the country doesn't become another Syria:
Maduro - now backed by Russian military contractors, has urged his supporters to take to the streets to defend the legitimacy of his government. The Venezuelan leader has vowed that his country won't turn into a "Syria or Libya" situation, and that the Venezuelan military must prepare for an invasion. [...]

As the international community splits along governments who continue to back embattled Venezuelan ruler Nicolas Maduro and governments, led by the US, who have officially recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country's legitimate head of state, Reuters reported that a group of Russian mercenaries with ties to the Kremlin have been sent to Venezuela to provide security for Maduro as he struggles with the biggest threat to his rule in his six years in power.

The contractors are believed to be from the Wagner Group, a group of private contractors who have performed secret missions on behalf of the government, including fighting in Syria and the Ukraine (which brings to mind this incident from last February when US-backed forces killed 100 Russian mercenaries (https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-02-13/us-strikes-kill-100-russian-soldiers-syria) in what was the closest thing to a direct proxy conflict between Russia and the US in Syria). It's unclear when the contractors arrived, or when they intend to leave. Russia has offered to mediate the conflict between Maduro and Guaido, while joining with China to criticize the US for interfering in Venezuelan affairs. (https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-01-24/china-joins-russia-slamming-us-interference-venezuela)

Russia, which has invested billions of dollars in the Maduro regime, pledged to stand by the embattled socialist leader this week. Yevgeny Shabayev, leader of a local chapter of a paramilitary group told Reuters he had heard the number of security contractors in Venezuela is roughly 400. Russia's defense ministry and Venezuela's information ministry haven't responded to requests for comment. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said we have "no such information" when asked about the contractors. Russia Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has commented (https://www.rferl.org/a/reuters-reports-russian-military-contractors-operating-in-venezuela/29731838.html) on the work of the Wagner Group recently, stating that they have 'nothing to do with state bodies'.

Related:

Trump betrays MAGA over Venezuela (https://www.sott.net/article/405793-Trump-betrays-MAGA-over-Venezuela)



Washington orchestrates coup in Venezuela, incites civil war, in name of 'democracy' (https://www.sott.net/article/405768-Washington-orchestrates-coup-in-Venezuela-incites-civil-war-in-name-of-democracy)



Act of gangsterism against Venezuela: Trump, Pence, Pompeo star in the Pirates of the Caribbean (https://www.sott.net/article/405769-Act-of-gangsterism-against-Venezuela-Trump-Pence-Pompeo-star-in-the-Pirates-of-the-Caribbean)

====================================================

Remember the two TU-160 Russian bombers which landed in Venezuela after an uninterrupted 10,000 Km trip and turned Pompeo and the MIC into a whiter shade of livid?


http://ritualtoviv.ru/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/06a16f3f150f1930d18b875179e5799b.jpg

[Hervé]

Then, further down South:


Argentina – Is the IMF Intervention helped by HAARP? (http://thesaker.is/argentina-is-the-imf-intervention-helped-by-haarp/)

By Peter Koenig for The Saker Blog
January 25, 2019

HAARP – the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program – was initiated as an ionospheric research program, established in 1993 in Gakona, Alaska and operated by the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. It was and is funded by the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy, the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Its alleged purpose “was to analyze the ionosphere and investigate the potential for developing ionospheric enhancement technology for radio communications and surveillance. HAARP is a high-power, high-frequency transmitter used for study of the ionosphere.”

That is the official version. HAARP was supposed to be shut down in May 2014, but then it was decided that the facility would be transferred to the University of Alaska. In reality, this sophisticated research project, owned by the military, and most probably with CIA hands in it, is continuing in some secret location, working on “ionospheric enhancement technologies”, to be used to influence weather patterns – in fact, to weaponize weather.

The first known occasion when the US air force used high power, high frequency transmitters, was to influence the intensity and duration of the monsoon during the Vietnam war in the 1960s. The idea was to render the transition of the Vietcong from North to South Vietnam on their jungle paths more difficult or impossible through extended heavy rains. To what extent this attempt was successful is not known.

However, since then, research has evolved and it is now possible to influence weather patterns throughout the world. In other words, to create droughts, floods, storm, hurricanes – wherever such weather phenomena are convenient for the purposes of empire and its vassals. Talk about man-made climate change. Imagine the amount of money that can be generated by such unsuspicious weather modifications – let alone the amount of human suffering, famine, despair – chaos, economic collapse – eventually entire segments of populations can be wiped out. And all will be attributed to ‘climate change’, which are claimed to be man-made due to our civilization’s excessive CO2 emissions. Man-made – indeed!

—–

Extensive and prolonged changes in weather patterns can have devastating economic impacts. The Pampas, stretching over some 750,000 km2, is one of South America’s most fertile region, covering Argentina’s norther tier from the Atlantic to the Andes and also all of Uruguay and part of southern Brazil. The area was struck in 2017 / 2018 by one of the harshest droughts in the last 10 years, severely curtailing Argentina’s main staple – wheat, corn, soybean and beef. Argentina is the world’s third largest exporter of soybean and corn.

Argentina was counting on record agricultural yields that would contribute significantly to the expected 3.5% GDP growth in 2018. Instead, 2018 agricultural exports are expected to be reduced by some US$ 3.5 billion. This is expected to result in a cut of GDP growth by at least 1% to 1.5%, not counting agriculture related industries that will suffer losses, many of which may have to close and thereby also increasing unemployment – and human misery.

The neoliberal Mauricio Macri, who came to power in December 2015 as an implant by Washington, has already devastated the country by drastic austerity programs, combined with severe tariff increases for public and social services, i.e. transportation, electricity fuel, water supply, as well as health and education. The country is in shambles with an unemployment rate, officially hovering around 10%, but in reality, it is more like 20% to 25%. The poverty rate increased under Macri’s dictatorship to about 35%, from about 15% in November 2015, before Macri came to power. Strikes and social protests abound. There is not one week without social unrest – which drives the country further into the ground. Like the Yellow Vest in France who want to oust President Macron, Argentinians want to get rid of Macri.

In comes the IMF which has recently published a devastating report about Argentina’s state of the economy. It predicts a grim scenario with rising interest rates on Argentina’s mostly dollar denominated debt, triggering local money production and a predicted inflation of 40% – a continuous loss of purchasing power, hurting especially the poor and average income earners, prompting more social unrest – a vicious downward spiral.

In June 2018, the IMF, invited by Macri to the rescue, followed its usual recipe of more debt and more austerity. The scenario looks pretty similar to what happened in 2010 / 2011 and forward in Greece, just on a much larger scale, at least by a factor of 5 over a 3-year period. In Argentina, the IMF “agreed” to a standby credit of US$ 50 billion – the largest in the IMF’s history – with a tranche of US$ 15 billion to be drawn immediately. However, in September 2018, the peso crashed under the burden of debt and inflation and Argentina faced insolvency. No problem. The IMF came to the rescue with an additional US$ 13.4 billion bringing the total for 2018 to US$ 28.3 billion (Greece’s first ‘bailout’ tranche in 2010 which was €20 billion (US$22.6 billion at today’s exchange rate).

That the IMF repeats Greek “mistake” in Argentina, is, of course, a joke. This is not a mistake. This is calculated greed, administered to the people of Argentina, usurpation at its worst. Argentina is a much larger and richer country. Much more, almost infinitely more, can be extracted from her economy than from Greece’s. And Argentina has been primed by a complacent president, put in place by those financial oligarchs, intent to milk Argentina to the bones.

Would it therefore be surprising, if the Argentine economic disaster, and consequently the IMF “rescue action” was helped a bit by “climate change” à la HAARP?
Peter Koenig is an economist and geopolitical analyst. He is also a water resources and environmental specialist. He worked for over 30 years with the World Bank and the World Health Organization around the world in the fields of environment and water. He lectures at universities in the US, Europe and South America. He writes regularly for Global Research; ICH; RT; Sputnik; PressTV; The 21st Century; TeleSUR; The Vineyard of The Saker Blog, the New Eastern Outlook (NEO); and other internet sites. He is the author of Implosion – An Economic Thriller about War, Environmental Destruction and Corporate Greed (http://www.amazon.com/Implosion-Economic-Environmental-Destruction-Corporate/dp/059545349X)– fiction based on facts and on 30 years of World Bank experience around the globe. He is also a co-author of The World Order and Revolution! – Essays from the Resistance (http://www.amazon.com/World-Order-Revolution-Essays-Resistance/dp/6027005874).
14 Comments (http://thesaker.is/argentina-is-the-imf-intervention-helped-by-haarp/#comments)

[Hervé]

There we go... the pack of coyotes howling to the baguette held by the not-so-hidden hand of the orchestra conductor:


France, Germany & Spain issue ‘identical’ threats to recognize Venezuela’s self-appointed president (https://www.rt.com/news/449832-venezuela-europe-identical-ultimatums/)

RT
Published time: 26 Jan, 2019 13:26
Edited time: 26 Jan, 2019 14:08
Get short URL (https://on.rt.com/9n3c)


https://cdni.rt.com/files/2019.01/xxs/5c4c5e1edda4c8461c8b4601.JPG
Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido seen in Caracas, Venezuela on January 25, 2019. © Reuters / Carlos Barria


Warnings from Germany, France and Spain to recognize the self-proclaimed president of Venezuela unless new elections are held came at the same time and were even similarly worded, Russia’s FM spokesperson noted.
“The statements are not simply identical but they are even made simultaneously,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, wrote on Facebook.
Earlier on Saturday, Paris, Berlin and Madrid announced their readiness to recognize the self-proclaimed “interim president” of Venezuela, Juan Guaido, unless the country holds snap presidential elections within eight days.

The messages appeared to be well-coordinated indeed.
“The government of Spain gives Nicolas Maduro eight days to call free, transparent and democratic elections,” Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in statement.

“If that doesn't happen, Spain will recognize Juan Guaido as interim president in charge of calling these elections.”
The ultimatum was almost instantly echoed by French President Emmanuel Macron, who took to Twitter issuing a similar threat in French and Spanish – to get the message through, apparently.



https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1074960836005908480/7-1gAjdP_normal.jpg (https://twitter.com/EmmanuelMacron) Emmanuel Macron ✔ @EmmanuelMacron
(https://twitter.com/EmmanuelMacron)
El pueblo venezolano debe poder decidir libremente su futuro. Sin elecciones anunciadas en 8 días, podriamos reconocer a @jguaido (https://twitter.com/jguaido) como « Presidente encargado » de Venezuela para implementar dicho proceso político. Trabajamos conjuntamente con nuestros aliados europeos.
Emmanuel Macron ✔ @EmmanuelMacron

Le peuple vénézuélien doit pouvoir décider librement de son avenir. Sans élections annoncées d’ici 8 jours, nous serons prêts à reconnaître @jguaido comme « Président en charge » du Venezuela pour enclencher un processus politique. Nous y travaillons entre partenaires européens.

(https://twitter.com/EmmanuelMacron/status/1089119700250959872) 6,977 (https://twitter.com/intent/like?tweet_id=1089120054447427585)
1:17 PM - Jan 26, 2019 (https://twitter.com/EmmanuelMacron/status/1089120054447427585)

“The Venezuelan people must be able to freely decide their future. Without elections announced in 8 days, we could recognize [Guaido] as ‘interim president’ of Venezuela to launch this political process,” Macron said, adding that he was working with “European partners.”
Exactly the same message (https://twitter.com/m_fietz/status/1089124879025217536) was posted on Twitter by the deputy spokeswoman of the German government.

Guaido proclaimed himself “interim president” of Venezuela on Wednesday, swiftly receiving strong support from abroad. The US was the first to recognize the unelected “president,” and over a dozen countries – including almost all the South American states – have followed suit.

Russia, China, Turkey, Cuba and other states, however, vowed support to the elected president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, condemning the externally-fueled coup attempt. Maduro, on his part, did not take Washington's actions lightly, and severed diplomatic ties with the US.

Over the past few days, the country has seen massive anti-government protests, as well as counter-protests staged by supporters of the legitimate authorities.

Venezuelan military and state officials have also vowed their support to the president. On Friday, Maduro announced massive military drills to be held in early February, which are supposed to warn any potential adversaries from staging open aggression against the country.

On Saturday, Russia, China, South Africa, and Equatorial Guinea blocked the US push for a UN Security Council statement expressing support for the Guaido-led National Assembly as the “only democratically-elected institution,” of Venezuela. The move came ahead of the UNSC meeting, requested by the US, in which the Venezuelan crisis is set be discussed.


Related:
‘Guido’? Pompeo mangles name of US-backed Venezuelan ‘president’ (https://www.rt.com/news/449758-pompeo-guaido-guido-venezuela/)

=====================================================

I guess the "It's Putin's missile!" type of campaign is bearing its load of propaganda rotten fruits... and by the time Maduro is demonstrated as the actual legitimate office holder, Venezuela will already be in the midst of a civil war... for skyrocketing corporate profits, no matter who gets to end as the top dog... sigh...

[Hervé]

The "demonstrators":


The Vultures of Caracas (https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2019/01/the-vultures-of-caracas/) 43 (https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2019/01/the-vultures-of-caracas/#tc-comment-title)

by Craig Murray (https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/author/craigm/)
26 Jan, 2019 (https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2019/01/26/)

We are frequently told that people in Venezuela have no food, clothing or toilet paper, and that popular discontent with the left wing government is driven by real hunger. There are elements of truth in this story, though the causes of economic dislocation are far more complex than the media would have us believe.

But I ask you to look at this photo of supporters of CIA poster-boy, the West’s puppet (https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2019/01/the-coup-in-venezuela-must-be-resisted/) unelected “President” Juan Guaido, taken at a Guaido rally in Caracas two days ago and published yesterday (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/25/venezuela-juan-guaido-maduro-news-latest-protests-russia-china-support) in security services house journal The Guardian. Please take a really close look at the photo. Blow it up as big as you can. Scan individual people in the crowd, one by one.


https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/richbastards.jpg (https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/richbastards.jpg)
(click on picture for larger version)


These are not the poor and most certainly not the starving. As it chances I have a great deal of life experience working amongst seriously deprived, hungry and despairing people. I know the gaunt face of want and the desperate glance of need.

Look at these Guaido supporters, one by one by one. This designer spectacled, well-coiffed, elegantly dressed, sleekly jowled group does not know hunger. This group does not know want. This is a proper right wing gathering, a gathering of the nicely off section of society. This is a group of those who have corruptly been siphoning Venezuela’s great wealth for decades and who want to make sure the gravy train flows properly in their direction again. It is, in short, a group of exactly the kind of people you would expect to support a CIA coup.

Those manicured hands raised in the air will never throw rocks, or get involved in violence unless against a peasant strapped to a chair for them. It is not this crowd which will suffer as public disorder is manipulated and directed by the CIA. These wealthy ones are immune, just as Davos serves as nothing but an annual reminder of how very poorly God aims avalanches.

There is real suffering in Venezuela. The CIA is working hard to stoke violence, and the genuine poor will soon start to die, both in those egged on to riot and in the security services. But do not get taken in by the complete nonsense that this is a popular, democratic revolution. It is not. It is yet another barefaced CIA regime change coup.

UPDATE Such wisdom as this blog finds is often crowd-source, and with thanks to a commenter below here is some useful information from Jill Stein.


https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Screenshot-701.png


—————————————————

Unlike our adversaries including the Integrity Initiative, the 77th Brigade, Bellingcat, the Atlantic Council and hundreds of other warmongering propaganda operations, this blog has no source of state, corporate or institutional finance whatsoever. It runs entirely on voluntary subscriptions from its readers...

View Comments (https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2019/01/the-vultures-of-caracas/#respond)

[perolator]

Hi, Mr. Leahy,


No, not "helps itself", you need the whole phrase: "helps itself to." It's in bold. And italics. It includes the word "to" that completely changes the meaning to "predatory."

Okay, okay. I got the point. Thanks. No need to be so specific, it is blatantly obvious English is not my native language, quite possibly the reason I misunderstood or changed the context of your words by removing the preposition "to". I just learned the "predatory" meaning of your extremely detailed explanation. However, I stubbornly keep my point of view.

Historically, the U.S. had a heavy involvement in the venezuelan oil industry. Just by chance, the 50's, 60's and 70's were the best years in my country, just by being an U.S. ally.. Predatory? I don't care.


By the end of 1918, petroleum appeared for the first time on the Venezuelan export statistics at 21,194 metric tons. After about twenty years from the installment of the first oil drill, Venezuela had become the largest oil exporter in the world and the second largest oil producer, after the United States. Exportation of oil boomed from 1.9% to 91.2% between 1920 and 1935.

When oil was discovered at the Maracaibo strike in 1922, Venezuela’s dictator Juan Vicente Gómez allowed Americans to write Venezuela’s petroleum law.

Source (https://southcentraloil.wordpress.com/2012/05/12/history-of-the-venezuelan-oil-industry/)

Even Juan Vicente Gómez was posessed, bewitched, or maybe crazy to allow USA, INC. to write Venezuela's petroleum law! Outrageous!


Wow! That could be an interesting piece to the puzzle. By "divert", do you mean "give?" Give me some source material to read up about this. It simply makes no sense that Venezuela would be giving away valuable resources during its own crisis, so it should be interesting to find out if this is so.


You got my point. Yes, by "divert", I mean "give"... but that word is altruistic and cute... although "concede" as in masochistic submission is a better way to name it. Unfortunately, there are few reliable sources in English. However, here is a good article (https://www.postguam.com/the_globe/world/venezuelans-starve-as-maduro-caters-to-cuba/article_f132816a-8661-11e8-857e-43fa4efe379f.html) and here (https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/Why-Is-Venezuela-Still-Sending-Subsidized-Oil-To-Cuba.html) is an excellent article by Haley Zaremba (referenced above in another post).

Mr. Leahy, Let me rephrase: The bulk of sanctions are affecting immediately the most to individuals of the chavista regime.


No, that's not how sanctions work. All the inhabitants of the country are affected by sanctions. It does (deliberately) put the highest pressure first onto the most vulnerable sector: the poor. But, the bigger picture is, why would an altruistic country place any form of economic sanctions on another country, that is, target the poor, and especially when the other country was already in economic trouble? Go back and listen again to John Perkins explain this tactic. It is warfare. Economic warfare. Try to get the poor people to revolt and overthrow the guy that "American interests" wants overthrown.

Mr. Leahy, have you ever spent a year at least, living in a country affected by U.S. sanctions (not under an NGO umbrella)? I am almost sure you never spent a single second in Venezuelan soil. Your "expert" John Perkins supported opinion is worth nothing to me. Theory is glowing and beautiful outside a country like Venezuela. There, you have to be muy arrecho to withstand a single day without suffering. It is the corrupt and sadistic venezuelan regime responsible, not the U.S., sanctions are the socialist source of all evil.


This isn't rocket surgery. What is happening in Venezuela is a 100% textbook globalist overthrow of Venezuela, by exactly the methods exposed by John Perkins.

Do you mean "rocket science"? I don't know what rocket surgery is. Sorry I cannot comprehend what you meant. I will have to watch John Perkins videos.


Again, it would be very interesting to see details on this allegation, but I'd guess it is at least partially true - there are always grifters and embezzlers and bribe-takers in any large organization/government, but how much corruption is honestly the direct actions of or the direct fault of Maduro, I have no real idea. (You don't either.) He may not be the right person for the job simply because he is not savvy enough to deal with a powerful, predatory nation, like the USA. He certainly didn't prepare for the contingency of oil prices dropping drastically in the world market (engineered, or not) and had far too much dependence on oil revenue, and what the USA so easily has done to them already.


Thanks for insulting me that way. Now I know I am not savvy enough to know (pun intended). How do you know, for God sake, for sure, I don't know whether the Maduro's regime, Maduro himself (and the whole Bolivarian chavista enchilada) is not accountable for what is happening since Fidel Castro was interested in my country?

No soup for you. If you want to know more, be my guest. (hint: details are not available in Russia Today).


(Once Venezuelan oil is fully secured by the globalists, look for world prices on oil to double or triple. -my prediction)

Wrong. Please do some research. History tends to repeat itself.


I'm not trying to tell you (or Venezuela) how to run Venezuela; I'm warning you not to acquiesce to USA, INC. globalist interests telling Venezuelans how to run Venezuela, and telling Venezuelans who will preside over the government of Venezuela. (They are already dictating to Venezuelans who Venezuelans can and cannot trade with.)

I respect your opinion. Thanks.


Part of the mandate of the globalists that own and control the USA is to stomp out socialism. Shall I name a few examples in Central America? So, it's not JUST about the oil. This is a "two-fer", a slam-dunk cause for the neocon and neoliberal mobsters in the US government to support: stomp out Socialism in Venezuela, AND take control of Venezuelan oil - at the very least by taking a "cut", a percentage off the top, and controlling the release onto the world market of Venezuelan oil.

Okay.


I think it's to force the trade of that big blob of oil to be in US dollars - petrodollars, really, but now just called US dollars. It's not protecting the currency it is protecting the skim off the top flow of currency. The "take." Ya gotta see the USA, INC. gang as mobsters, or you'll misunderestimate the malevolence, and become a willing victim.



misunderestimate

I'm lost. underestimate? misunderstand?

Petrodollars? I hate that. I call it Petrogiveaway.

Let me quote a 2011 article (written by a Chavez's supporter at the time, a graceful way to shoot oneself in the foot):


The increase in oil prices gives Venezuela more financial resources as well as the ability to share oil with allies in Central America and the Caribbean. Assuming that oil production remains at 2.4 mbd, Venezuela’s gross oil exports could reach $71.4 billion in 2011 and $81.4 billion in 2012, estimating an average Brent benchmark price of $91 per barrel in 2011 and $105 per barrel in 2012. But the oil that PDVSA sells under preferred conditions must be discounted to determine its true oil export income.

The first of the beneficiaries is Cuba. Under bilateral mutual cooperation agreements, PDVSA, as a partner of the Cuban company Cupet, can operate and process Venezuelan crude oil in Cuba’s Cienfuegos refinery. As a result, PDVSA sends to Cuba 120,000 bpd for an estimated value of $3.2 billion in 2011 and $3.6 billion in 2012. In return, Cuba compensates Venezuela with medical services, sports training, intelligence services, and technical support.

Another set of beneficiaries comprises select countries in Central America and the Caribbean, where PDVSA is financing 50 percent of the value of the exports under preferential conditions. These favorable loans are for 17 to 25 years at a 1 percent interest rate with a one- to two-year grace period. For Venezuela, this will amount to cash losses of $6.2 billion in 2011 and $6.6 billion in 2012, but it also means that the Chávez government is the principal donor and/or financier of the region. The Dominican Republic and Nicaragua, the principal beneficiaries of this pact, each receive 30,000 bpd. In the case of the Dominican Republic, the government receives and refines the oil and then resells its derivatives at market prices. In this operation, the Dominican government will obtain $450 million in 2011 and $500 million in 2012 as favorable loans. The subsidy to Nicaragua is for a similar amount.

Source (https://www.americasquarterly.org/node/2436)


Well, my example of the people of Yemen was to show a modern, even current, example of the USA, INC. sociopathy whitewashed as "compassion", versus actual compassion.

I stated above I do not want to comment about any other country and/or situation different than Venezuela's.



Venezuela is 51% Mestizo. Do you care about those Venezuelans, who are more than half your country? What if the majority of Venezuelans want some form of Socialism, and believe that Venezuelan oil is owned by all Venezuelans? Are you against Socialism and Maduro, or just Maduro? Would it be better for Venezuela to heavily tax the oil, leasing the drilling to private oil companies, like Norway does? [snip]


No comment. I do not want to answer about this. Let's see what happens. History is being written in real time there. I just want a world stripped of people like chavistas and their supporters abroad.

[guayabal]

Some of the poorest fled the socialist regime. Here is a video of a city in Colombia (Cali) where some of them made a shelter: Zhx26T-Aj3U

[spade]

Herve, I think at this point, it's better to see what's on the ground, rather than quote all these keyboard warrior journalists posting their opinion. Let's be clear, this isn't about Capitalist vs Communist ideological dominance over a "sovereign nation" any longer, but rather the simple incompetence of the moron Maduro.
Compare him to Chavez (whatever his politics or ideology). It's Maduro vs Chavez. It's obvious that Maduro, whether legitimately elected or not UNFIT to govern - just like the same MSM links you put up all say Trump is UNFIT (would you think so?).

[Hervé]

Right, Maduro is so unfit to run the country that most, if not all, the bankers' minions are howling in chorus to depose and replace him with any unknown quantity...



Now, why would bankers' minions and puppets do that if Maduro was not being a thorn in these bankers' butts?

[perolator]

Hi Hervé,

Please elaborate.

[perolator]

The "demonstrators":
We are frequently told that people in Venezuela have no food, clothing or toilet paper, and that popular discontent with the left wing government is driven by real hunger. There are elements of truth in this story, though the causes of economic dislocation are far more complex than the media would have us believe.

But I ask you to look at this photo of supporters of CIA poster-boy, the West’s puppet (https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2019/01/the-coup-in-venezuela-must-be-resisted/) unelected “President” Juan Guaido, taken at a Guaido rally in Caracas two days ago and published yesterday (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/25/venezuela-juan-guaido-maduro-news-latest-protests-russia-china-support) in security services house journal The Guardian. Please take a really close look at the photo. Blow it up as big as you can. Scan individual people in the crowd, one by one.

Look at these Guaido supporters, one by one by one. This designer spectacled, well-coiffed, elegantly dressed, sleekly jowled group does not know hunger. This group does not know want. This is a proper right wing gathering, a gathering of the nicely off section of society. This is a group of those who have corruptly been siphoning Venezuela’s great wealth for decades and who want to make sure the gravy train flows properly in their direction again. It is, in short, a group of exactly the kind of people you would expect to support a CIA coup.

Those manicured hands raised in the air will never throw rocks, or get involved in violence unless against a peasant strapped to a chair for them. It is not this crowd which will suffer as public disorder is manipulated and directed by the CIA. These wealthy ones are immune, just as Davos serves as nothing but an annual reminder of how very poorly God aims avalanches.

There is real suffering in Venezuela. The CIA is working hard to stoke violence, and the genuine poor will soon start to die, both in those egged on to riot and in the security services. But do not get taken in by the complete nonsense that this is a popular, democratic revolution. It is not. It is yet another barefaced CIA regime change coup.


What a big truckload of crap!!!

Incredible!

Thank you Hervé, for bringing this crappy "article" here!

[Hervé]

It just emphasizes that the bankers' designated usurper is not supported by the starving individuals dreaming of a better future... the support crowd is only composed of well fed people who are enjoying a better life, NOW!

[perolator]

I appreciate the posts and discussion from everyone - all perspectives are intelligent, well written and supported.

There is a very large Latino population in the US, they to a large degree buy into the globalist ideology. Given the level of relative freedom and availability of jobs compared to their home countries, this is understandable. But this still supports the globalist hegemony and is a system of slavery that will continue to get worse generation after generation.


At this point, any option different to what is happening now in Venezuela, is better. I understand your point. Let me clarify. All I want for Venezuela is freedom. Freedom of speech, i.e. a country where the government does not control what people say or do for political reasons and where people can express their opinions without any punishment whatsoever. Quality of living. Things people have for granted in other countries, like the ability to exchange currency. I am not in Venezuela. Therefore, I cannot access via the Internet my own bank accounts there; if I do, access to the accounts may be closed. You have to live there to understand what I mean.



When faced with starvation, people need to do what they need to do to survive. Maybe that means overthrowing an incompetent leader and installing a “predatory” system, I don’t know. But when the starvation is gone, do consider choosing neither a “chavista” system nor “a predatory” system.


I did not choose a chavista system. Never supported the chavista government in any way. I do not want anyone in this planet being ruled for such a system. Not even the worst human beings. I want chavistas themselves being isolated from the rest of humanity ruled under that system forever as punishment. The same applies for all their supporters abroad.

I did not have the slightest idea how the propaganda machine worked. Now I know. The chavista system is not socialism. Norway and Finland are not socialist countries.



Please do read Confessions of an Economic Hitman, by John Perkins. Dennis is exactly right, this is a textbook overthrow and is economic war. That’s not an exaggeration. It should be required reading for everyone wanting to understand the political situation in Venezuela, and the book is available here in the Avalon library. http://avalonlibrary.net/ebooks/John%20Perkins%20-%20Confessions%20of%20an%20Economic%20Hit%20Man.pdf

I will read it. Promise. But, commenting it here may be off-topic.

[Dennis Leahy]

At this point, any option different to what is happening now in Venezuela, is better.

Be careful what you wish for. The USA has just appointed "the savior you've been waiting for", Elliot Abrams (http://time.com/5513683/elliot-abrams-venezuela/).

[perolator]

Be careful what you wish for. The USA has just appointed "the savior you've been waiting for", Elliot Abrams (http://time.com/5513683/elliot-abrams-venezuela/).

Elliot Abrams. The Bogeyman has a name.

Yes, Mr. Leahy, maybe is the savior most of venezuelans have been waiting for a long time. It is not just me, Mr. Leahy. People who doesn't want the Bolivarian enchilada is counted by the millions. That's true. You have seen the demonstrations. Not the chavista-doctored ones, with goverment employees and paid people.

What, me worry?

Mr. Dennis Leahy, Venezuela is one of the most violent and insecure countries in the world. Do you think I am proud of it?

Let me quote Wikipedia. I seldom do it, but this time is appropriate:


Rates of crime increased rapidly during the presidency of Hugo Chávez due to the institutional instability of his Bolivarian government, underfunding of police resources and high inequality.[6] Chávez's government sought a cultural hegemony, promoting class conflict and social fragmentation in order to establish a hegemony, which in turn encouraged "criminal gangs to kill, kidnap, rob and extort".[7] By the time Chávez died in 2013, Venezuela was ranked the most insecure nation in the world by Gallup.

Source (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_Venezuela)

Thank God that Chávez son of a filthy bitch died. Well, I would wanted a life sentence for him.
From the same Wikipedia entry:


Crime has also continued to increase under Chávez's successor, President Nicolás Maduro, who continued Chávez's policies that had disrupted Venezuela's socioeconomic status.[8][9][10][11] By 2015, crime, which was often the topic Venezuelans worried about the most according to polls, was the second largest concern compared to shortages in Venezuela.[12] Crimes related to shortages and hunger increased shortly after, with growing incidents of looting occurring throughout the country.[4][13] Most crime in Venezuela remains unpunished according to Venezuela's Prosecutor General’s Office, with 98% of crimes in Venezuela not resulting in prosecution.

98% unpunished crime, Mr. Leahy.

Think about it.

I want to tell all cardboard socialists all over the world: want some socialism? Go get it! It is there, in Venezuela!

What difference it makes people die (even members of my family, God forbid) trying to regain freedom than it makes just to be living there under the chavista regime?


The United States invades Panama in an attempt to overthrow military dictator Manuel Noriega, who had been indicted in the United States on drug trafficking charges and was accused of suppressing democracy in Panama and endangering U.S. nationals. Noriega’s Panamanian Defense Forces (PDF) were promptly crushed, forcing the dictator to seek asylum with the Vatican anuncio in Panama City, where he surrendered on January 3, 1990.

Source (https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-u-s-invades-panama)

Noriega is a schoolboy compared with El cartel de los soles, the powerful illegal drug trafficking business in Venezuela.

Maduro = Noriega
PDF (Panamanian Defense Forces) = Colectivos, SEBIN, Militias, FARC, ELN, FBL, Cubans and Military Forces.

The same panorama. History repeats itself.

[5th]

The "demonstrators":


The Vultures of Caracas (https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2019/01/the-vultures-of-caracas/) 43 (https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2019/01/the-vultures-of-caracas/#tc-comment-title)

by Craig Murray (https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/author/craigm/)
26 Jan, 2019 (https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2019/01/26/)

We are frequently told that people in Venezuela have no food, clothing or toilet paper, and that popular discontent with the left wing government is driven by real hunger. There are elements of truth in this story, though the causes of economic dislocation are far more complex than the media would have us believe.

But I ask you to look at this photo of supporters of CIA poster-boy, the West’s puppet (https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2019/01/the-coup-in-venezuela-must-be-resisted/) unelected “President” Juan Guaido, taken at a Guaido rally in Caracas two days ago and published yesterday (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/25/venezuela-juan-guaido-maduro-news-latest-protests-russia-china-support) in security services house journal The Guardian. Please take a really close look at the photo. Blow it up as big as you can. Scan individual people in the crowd, one by one.



This is unbelievably stupid!

It's the centre of the capital city so obviously you're not going to see big numbers of poor people there.

Come on now. They can't afford to live in the city centre or even travel in...

Talk about desperate to prove a point regardless of any common sense.

[Hervé]

US blockade prevents 18 million boxes of food reaching Venezuela but commentators still blame Bolivarianism (https://www.fort-russ.com/2017/09/us-blockade-prevents-18-million-boxes/)

Paul Antonopoulos Fort Russ News (https://www.fort-russ.com/2017/09/us-blockade-prevents-18-million-boxes/)
Mon, 04 Sep 2017 14:23 UTC


https://www.sott.net/image/s20/417435/large/1.jpg (https://www.sott.net/image/s20/417435/full/1.jpg)


The Vice President of Venezuela's National Constitutional Assembly, Aristobulo Isturiz, revealed that the US imposed economic blockade on Venezuela has prevented 18 million boxes of food from reaching the country that is suffering from food shortages.

He then went onto highlight that the sanctions affect ordinary Venezuelan people and not the country's leadership, just as US-imposed sanctions on Syria are having the same effect.

Isturiz then revealed that allied countries had to make payment for the food to be reached as the US sanctions prevents Venezuela from making such purchases.

TeleSUR explained that while Venezuela does have a food crisis that has resulted in mass food shortages, the blame is often pinned on the country's socialist government and that government officials accuse right-wing opposition forces and their allies in the private sector and in international finance of intentionally sabotaging the economy.

The same report continued to explain that last year, over 750 opposition-controlled offshore companies linked to the Panama Papers scandal were accused of purposely redirecting Venezuelan imports of raw food materials from the government to the private sector. Many of these companies sell their products to private companies in Colombia, which resell them to Venezuelans living close to Colombia.

[Valerie Villars]

At this point, any option different to what is happening now in Venezuela, is better.

Be careful what you wish for. The USA has just appointed "the savior you've been waiting for", Elliot Abrams (http://time.com/5513683/elliot-abrams-venezuela/).

Jesus, Dennis. That is a hell of a find and correlation.

[Hervé]

Compare French and Venezuelan protests - spot the difference (https://sputniknews.com/columnists/201901241071782413-france-venezuela-protests-difference/)

RT (https://sputniknews.com/columnists/201901241071782413-france-venezuela-protests-difference/)
Neil Clark
Thu, 24 Jan 2019 16:49 UTC


https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507480/large/1Demonstrators_clash_with_secu.jpg (https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507480/full/1Demonstrators_clash_with_secu.jpg)
Demonstrators clash with security forces in a rally against Venezuelan President Maduro. © Reuters/Carlos Eduardo Ramirez


The 'Yellow Vest' anti-government protests in France have received limited coverage in Western media and what coverage there has been has been quite hostile to the protestors.

In Venezuela though it's a very different story. Here the street demonstrations are a major news event, despite the country being thousands of miles away. Furthermore, the coverage is very sympathetic to the protestors and extremely hostile to the government.



https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/2451450991/neil_clark_normal.png (https://twitter.com/NeilClark66) Neil Clark ✔ @NeilClark66
(https://twitter.com/NeilClark66)
France is just across the water. But you watch,there’ll be much more coverage in mainstream news outlets of the anti-govt protests in #Venezuela (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Venezuela?src=hash) than there was of the #GiletsJaunes (https://twitter.com/hashtag/GiletsJaunes?src=hash) protests vs the ‘centrist’ Macron.The coverage will be a lot more sympathetic to the protestors too

(https://twitter.com/intent/like?tweet_id=1088198370622083072)12:14 AM - Jan 24, 2019 (https://twitter.com/NeilClark66/status/1088198370622083072)
Why are angry street protestors in France bad, but in Venezuela very good?

The answer has to do with the stances and international alliances of the respective governments. It's inaccurate to call President Emmanuel Macron of France the President of the rich. He is, as his predecessor Francois Hollande admitted on French television, the President of the very rich.

Macron is an unashamed globalist, committed to carrying out neoliberal reforms at home, and following a 'liberal interventionist' ie imperialist foreign policy abroad, which means keeping French forces -illegally- in Syria. No wonder the elites are mad about the boy. The toppling of Macron, in a French Revolution 2.0, would be a huge blow to the most powerful people in the world. It cannot be allowed to happen.



https://pbs.twimg.com/ext_tw_video_thumb/1086924167826587653/pu/img/zrjZRQ_S_IrKkqaN?format=jpg&name=small (https://twitter.com/RichardWellings/status/1086987974053715968)
https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/903557983011004417/gPBblIxb_normal.jpg (https://twitter.com/RichardWellings) Richard Wellings @RichardWellings
(https://twitter.com/RichardWellings)
French police in Toulouse shove an unarmed female protester onto the ground then grab her using her hair: pic.twitter.com/IqT5LneGRd (https://t.co/IqT5LneGRd) The hypocritical EU is still silent on the Macron government's widespread human rights abuses. #GiletsJaunes (https://twitter.com/hashtag/GiletsJaunes?src=hash)

434 (https://twitter.com/intent/like?tweet_id=1086987974053715968)
4:05 PM - Jan 20, 2019 (https://twitter.com/RichardWellings/status/1086987974053715968)
The French authorities have responded to the street protests with force; one activist was even sentenced to prison for six months - but this has largely been ignored by Western 'liberals' who would be so quick to denounce similar actions in other countries, whose government they don't approve of. Instead, the message is 'law and order must be maintained'.



https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/903557983011004417/gPBblIxb_normal.jpg (https://twitter.com/RichardWellings) Richard Wellings @RichardWellings
(https://twitter.com/RichardWellings)
Under Macron, France is drifting towards a police state. A Yellow Vest activist has been sentenced to six months in prison for attempting to organise a protest: https://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2019/01/09/2936919-gilet-jaune-notoriete-certaine-condamne-six-mois-prison-ferme.html … (https://t.co/vit7cFBPIo) #giletsjaunes (https://twitter.com/hashtag/giletsjaunes?src=hash)

5:53 PM - Jan 20, 2019 (https://twitter.com/RichardWellings/status/1087015340050182144)

https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1088023511405346816/JPjEsndl?format=jpg&name=600x314
Aude : le Gilet jaune à la «notoriété» certaine condamné à six mois de prison ferme

Le jeune Hedi, âgé de 28 ans, avait été interpellé à Port-La Nouvelle jeudi matin. Très actif au sein du mouvement des Gilets jaunes, il se présentait souvent comme un journaliste sur les ronds-poi...
ladepeche.fr (https://t.co/vit7cFBPIo)
The Yellow Vests protestors have been relentlessly traduced. We were told they were 'far-right' and 'racists' and even 'anti-semites'. The conspiracy theory that they were part of a sinister Russian plot to sow division in Europe was also promulgated, by those who routinely attack others for being conspiracy theorists.

By contrast, the anti-government protestors in Venezuela can do no wrong, even when they commit terrible acts of violence. Those who falsely accuse their Gilets Jaunes of being motivated by 'racism' were silent when a black man, the 21-year-old Orlando Jose Figuera was burnt alive by anti-government protestors in Caracas in 2017 (https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Venezuelan-Youth-Burned-for-Being-Chavista-Dies-from-Injuries-20170604-0011.html).

Imagine the outcry if the Yellow Vests had set fire to a black man in Paris. But it's anti-Chavistas doing it in Venezuela, so let's close our eyes and pretend it didn't happen.

While there is absolutely no evidence of any foreign involvement in the Yellow Vest protests, the US and its allies have been openly backing the anti-government protests in Venezuela.

Trump has even recognised Venezuela's opposition leader, Juan Guaido, as the leader of the country. Again, imagine the headlines if Vladimir Putin recognised Marine Le Pen or Jean-Luc Melenchon as the leader of France - or said, as Trump has said about Venezuela (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/11/donald-trump-venezuela-crisis-military-intervention), that Russia could invade France if the government didn't stand down!

The US move has already been endorsed by EU bigwigs, like Guy Verhofstadt, reminding us that for all their criticism of Trump, these virtue-signaling politically-correct European 'liberals' are on the same page as the US when it comes to imperialistic regime-change operations. It's not just Venezuela, it was the same in Yugoslavia in 2000 and Ukraine in 2014.



https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1074960836005908480/7-1gAjdP_normal.jpg (https://twitter.com/EmmanuelMacron) Emmanuel Macron ✔ @EmmanuelMacron
(https://twitter.com/EmmanuelMacron)
Después de la elección ilegítima de Nicolás Maduro en mayo de 2018, Europa apoya la restauración de la democracia. Aclamo la valentía de centenas de miles de Venezolanos que caminan por su libertad.

Emmanuel Macron ✔ @EmmanuelMacron

Après l’élection illégitime de Nicolás Maduro en mai 2018, l’Europe soutient la restauration de la démocratie. Je salue le courage des centaines de milliers de Vénézuéliens qui marchent pour leur liberté.
(https://twitter.com/EmmanuelMacron/status/1088377172325216256)
12:05 PM - Jan 24, 2019 (https://twitter.com/EmmanuelMacron/status/1088377353481453568)It's a crowded field, but the prize for the biggest hypocrite of all goes to Emmanuel Macron.

The man who has been clamping down on legitimate street protests at home, and whose approval rating slumped to just 21% earlier this month, published a tweet in which he praised ' the courage of the hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who are marching for their liberty".

For the Yellow Vests protestors, and indeed for anyone else who genuinely supports liberty, that really is one sick joke.

[Valerie Villars]

If there's one thing I can't stand, it's a hypocrite. Pretending to be one thing while really being another. We're watching. We see what they are.

[ThePythonicCow]

This isn't rocket surgery. What is happening in Venezuela is a 100% textbook globalist overthrow of Venezuela, by exactly the methods exposed by John Perkins (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSdx4NS2Xq4).

Be careful what you wish for. The USA has just appointed "the savior you've been waiting for", Elliot Abrams (http://time.com/5513683/elliot-abrams-venezuela/).
Agreed.

I just watched US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo make the case before the United Nations Security Council that Maduro was bad and Guaidó was good.

Here's a snippet of that speech:
gykZ5mAqaqk
You can listen to a more complete video of Pompeo's speech at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KT1WXCO6mwI

I was reminded of the time that then Sec of State Colin Powell made a similar speech in 2003 to the United Nations, holding up a vial of anthrax, accusing Iraq President Saddam Hussein of weapons of mass destruction:

https://i0.wp.com/theduran.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/powell.jpg
I don't know what the truth is regarding Venezuela, but I'm damn sure it is not whatever Pompeo said.

The U.S. is up to no good again (still, continuing and ongoing, as John Perkins described.)

[spade]

Whatever the case is, whether you govern an evil oppressed regime of corporations and bankers or not - YOU DON'T STARVE A POPULATION based on their support for you. Once you do that. It's game over for you.

[ThePythonicCow]

Whatever the case is, whether you govern an evil oppressed regime of corporations and bankers or not - YOU DON'T STARVE A POPULATION based on their support for you. Once you do that. It's game over for you.

We (or at least I) do not have reliable information on who's starving, nor why, nor who is to blame. As you can see in other posts above in this thread, these are matters of considerable controversy.

[perolator]

Whatever the case is, whether you govern an evil oppressed regime of corporations and bankers or not - YOU DON'T STARVE A POPULATION based on their support for you. Once you do that. It's game over for you.

Straight to the point. That's why Maduro's regime has to be ended, CIA involvement or not.

This is what really happened last election (2018) in Venezuela:


At the heart of the government’s subsidy program is the “Carnet de la Patria,” or “Fatherland Card” — an electronic identification card — that Venezuelans often need to show in order receive their CLAP food, subsidized medicine and government cash bonuses.

On Election Day, millions of people will be encouraged to register those cards at booths run by the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela that will be set up next to polling stations. There, organizers will scan the card and be able to see, in real time, who has voted — and roust those who haven’t.

The government says the Fatherland Cards are simply a high-tech way to make sure government subsidies are going to the neediest. And the system is completely voluntary.

But in a country where a majority rely on subsidies to stay alive, the system has become a powerful and pernicious electoral tool, said Luis Lander, the director of the Venezuelan Electoral Observatory, an election watchdog group.

“This is clearly being used to threaten voters,” he said, explaining that people fear that if they don’t vote, they might lose their government-subsidized food. The government insists the aid comes with no political obligations, but Lander said people are wary.

Venezuela uses electronic voting machines — and the Fatherland Cards are scanned electronically. And while there’s no evidence the systems are linked, the set-up seems designed to fuels doubts, Lander said.

Source (https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/venezuela/article211173484.html)

[Bubu]

Perolator, are you aware that the gov. of USA is involve in all wars in the world. If so why would you side with a group that have an undeniable record of creating chaos around the world. You are looking at so many things that you missed the very obvious. USA gov. and its backers are the enemy of the people of the world including you. To bad you been dupe just like many others and you are helping your enemies. Whoever is against the USA gov. and its backers is my friend my ally. simple as that. What I wanted to see is for these demons to be rounded up, quarantined or simply executed. Thats my wish for the good of all the people in the world.

[perolator]

Hi Bubu,

Yes, I am fully aware. I know the U.S. is involved in all wars. I would be an ally of anyone who remove the chavista regime. Simple as that, Bubu.
Bubu said: What I wanted to see is for these demons to be rounded up, quarantined or simply executed.

My same thoughts for chavistas, Maduro and all their allies.


Bubu said: To bad you been dupe just like many others and you are helping your enemies.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

[Flash]

Hi Bubu,

Yes, I am fully aware. I know the U.S. is involved in all wars. I would be an ally of anyone who remove the chavista regime. Simple as that, Bubu.
Bubu said: What I wanted to see is for these demons to be rounded up, quarantined or simply executed.

My same thoughts for chavistas, Maduro and all their allies.

this is, in my views, because you have justifiably much anger about what happened to your people. And empathy, which is to be applauded.

However, it might not be all the chavistas fault. They just carried what was fabricated for them to carry. And most of the time, they did it quite unconsciously, except for those stealing and corrupted.

That is where it has to be looked at. In a deeper way. And for this, anger has to be tamed, otherwise rational thought through critical thinking (meaning deep analysis taking many point of views to come to a conclusion) has real problems to happen.

And the solutions are always way above where the problem is created.

I am sorry for your pain.

[perolator]

this is, in my views, because you have justifiably much anger about what happened to your people. And empathy, which is to be applauded.

However, it might not be all the chavistas fault. They just carried what was fabricated for them to carry. And most of the time, they did it quite unconsciously, except for those stealing and corrupted.

That is where it has to be looked at. In a deeper way. And for this, anger has to be tamed, otherwise rational thought through critical thinking (meaning deep analysis taking many point of views to come to a conclusion) has real problems to happen.

And the solutions are always way above where the problem is created.

I am sorry for your pain.

Thank you, Flash. That's why I am trying to put a different point of view for the Avalonian community. I have 8 years reading posts and come here from time to time. I enjoy reading Bill Ryan's posts and UFO stuff. But I am very disappointed because nobody is watching the picture I am trying to depict. As I said before, I cannot compete with RT, Neil Clark, Clark Murray and the big MSM machine.

Do not be naive, Flash. Hugo Chávez, Nicolás Maduro and the whole gang of chavistas were fully aware of their acts. Here is one (https://www.caracaschronicles.com/2017/05/29/meth-finance/) example. The goal of the regime was not to "save the opressed" or "distributing the oil revenues evenly" or "help the poor" or "insert your socialist-communist goal here". A horse is not "ally" of its rider.

It is just a horse.

[spade]

this is, in my views, because you have justifiably much anger about what happened to your people. And empathy, which is to be applauded.

However, it might not be all the chavistas fault. They just carried what was fabricated for them to carry. And most of the time, they did it quite unconsciously, except for those stealing and corrupted.

That is where it has to be looked at. In a deeper way. And for this, anger has to be tamed, otherwise rational thought through critical thinking (meaning deep analysis taking many point of views to come to a conclusion) has real problems to happen.

And the solutions are always way above where the problem is created.

I am sorry for your pain.

Thank you, Flash. That's why I am trying to put a different point of view for the Avalonian community. I have 8 years reading posts and come here from time to time. I enjoy reading Bill Ryan's posts and UFO stuff. But I am very disappointed because nobody is watching the picture I am trying to depict. As I said before, I cannot compete with RT, Neil Clark, Clark Murray and the big MSM machine.

Do not be naive, Flash. Hugo Chávez, Nicolás Maduro and the whole gang of chavistas were fully aware of their acts. Here is one (https://www.caracaschronicles.com/2017/05/29/meth-finance/) example. The goal of the regime was not to "save the opressed" or "distributing the oil revenues evenly" or "help the poor" or "insert your socialist-communist goal here". A horse is not "ally" of its rider.

It is just a horse.

I'm watching your picture. I've been watching since the transition into this crisis when Chavez left this planet. and I must say politics / regime / agendas aside - Chavez did an infinitely better job at keeping things stable and well fed compared to this bumbling baboon of a lunatic. I may not agree with Chavez nor the US sanctions and all that nonsense in between, but compared to demon-possessed assholes (pardon the language) like Hitler, Pol Pot, Mao and the Kim regimes and now this - Chavez managed to feed the populace. It is really painful when people don't have enough to eat, just like the cursed country of Haiti.

[5th]

"Posted by Dennis Leahy
This isn't rocket surgery. What is happening in Venezuela is a 100% textbook globalist overthrow of Venezuela, by exactly the methods exposed by John Perkins."

If you read his book the stages are

1. Send in the Economic Hit Man (John Perkins) to offer a huge loan from the IMF to improve infrastructure and boost the economy - creating a debt that can't be repaid. Well, Venezuela already has good infrastructure and Maduro is anti US and well aware of this tactic.

2. If that doesn't work, send in the Jackals and assassinate the president. Has that happened?

3. If that fails, send in the military by creating a fake pretext for a war (such as Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq). Has that happened?


So where is the 100% textbook overthrow by these methods?

[5th]

Since Herve has been cherry picking the MSN to try and prove something that is untrue. I'll redress the balance by quoting an article from tofay's UK Gardian Newspaper. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jan/27/no-pity-for-corrupt-maduro-who-has-broken-his-country-democracy-must-have-its-day


No pity for corrupt Maduro, who has broken his country. Now, democracy must have its day


He is clinging to power. Only removing him will pull Venezuela back from the brink

Sun 27 Jan 2019 07.00 GMTLast modified on Sun 27 Jan 2019 08.22 GMT

Supporters like to claim, is a theatre in a new cold war. Donald Trump’sadministration and his hawkish foreign policy advisers, with their occasional threats of military intervention, provide the perfect props. So does Jair Bolsonaro, the new far-right president in Brazil. But the real contest in Venezuela is between democracy and dictatorship. Maduro leads a corrupt authoritarian regime that has stolen and broken a once-prosperous country, staging a coup against its own constitution.

On Saturday 12 January, a power cut at the University Hospital in Caracas caused the deaths of six patients, according to a union representative. It was not an isolated incident: in the two months from mid-November, 40 hospitals in Venezuela monitored by a local doctors group suffered power cuts lasting an average of three hours a day. But the deaths at the University Hospital were a particular embarrassment to Maduro, Venezuela’s ruler since 2013. Highlighting his country’s descent into criminal public mismanagement, they happened just after he was inaugurated for a second six-year term as president, in a sparsely attended ceremony at the supreme court and not the national assembly, as the constitution requires.

For most governments in the Americas, for the European Union and for many Venezuelan people, that ceremony was bogus. For them, Maduro is no longer a legitimate president, but simply a dictator who staged his re-election last year in a fraudulent poll from which the main opposition parties were barred. Over the past fortnight, Venezuela has seen nationwide protests, including in poor neighbourhoods traditionally loyal to Hugo Chávez, Maduro’s predecessor and mentor.

They culminated in massive marches last Wednesday, during which Juan Guaidó, the new, young speaker of the opposition-controlled national assembly, proclaimed himself to be the country’s interim president. In a co-ordinated move, the United States and a dozen other countries in the Americas recognised Guaidó. For several hours, power seemed to hang in the balance. Then senior military commanders reaffirmed their support for Maduro and rejected what they claimed was a “coup”. Guaidó has gone into hiding.

After the police killed two dozen demonstrators last week, the protests are likely to die down. But the battle for power in Venezuela is not over. Maduro has broken off relations with the US. He can count on support from Cuba and Russia and the quiescence of China. But his relative international isolation is evident. He presides over a broken economy and a country from which around 10% of the population have fled in the past three years in search of the subsistence, safety and opportunity they are denied at home. Polls show that most Venezuelans have little time for the opposition, long racked by opportunist internal squabbles. But they also show that the vast majority want change. And in Guaidó, who is the nominee of Leopoldo López, an opposition leader under house arrest, it has at least found a fresh face.

The date of last week’s marches, 23 January, is significant in Venezuela. On that day in 1958, a popular uprising overthrew a military dictatorship, ushering in a stable two-party democracy. Fuelled by oil exports, Venezuela became the wealthiest country in South America and a haven for political exiles from military dictatorships elsewhere on the continent in the 1970s. Then the oil price collapsed and popular discontent at austerity and corruption saw the election in 1998 of Chávez, a charismatic army officer who had led a failed coup.

Chávez had the good fortune to preside over the biggest oil boom in the country’s history. He is still revered by half the population, who recall his social programmes and popular touch. But by the time he died of cancer in 2013 he had bankrupted his country, running up debt and strangling the private sector with controls while replacing its output with imports. He replaced a flawed social democracy with a clientelist society, in which benefits and food rations are handed out in return for political loyalty. The state has been hollowed out into corrupt fiefs, controlled by armed groups, legal or not. In an emblematic case, Chávez’s former treasurer admitted in a New York court to taking $1bn in bribes, a sum greater than all the bribes paid by Odebrecht, Brazil’s notoriously corrupt construction company.
Venezuela is suffering one of the worst peacetime economic collapses, akin only to that of Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe. The economy has shrunk by almost half since 2014, while hyperinflation destroys the value of wages. This collapse is not the result of low oil prices, still less of sanctions imposed by the US (which mainly affect individual leaders of the regime). Other oil producers have weathered lower prices, but in Venezuela the regime’s mismanagement has seen oil output fall by almost two-thirds since Chávez took office.

Venezuelans turned against Maduro in a legislative election in December 2015, when an opposition coalition won 56% of the vote and a two-thirds majority in the national assembly. That prompted Maduro to rule as a dictator; the assembly has been reduced to an impotent NGO, stripped of its constitutional powers. Most of the opposition’s leaders are in jail, in exile or intimidated. Torture of prisoners is common, according to a recent report by Human Rights Watch. Maduro and his cronies cling on thanks partly to hundreds of Cuban spies, who have foiled several coup plots in the past two years.

Cuba’s leadership could at least point to past achievements, to world-class health, education and hurricane-defence programmes. In return for cheap oil, Cuba is propping up a feral regime that rules a country in which the vast majority have fallen into poverty and child mortality is rising sharply. As South American countries suddenly face absorbing 3 million Venezuelan immigrants, Maduro’s regime has become a regional problem. In Caracas, the military offers Maduro the loyalty of a partner in crime. The generals fear that Guaidó’s offer of an amnesty for the billions they have stolen will not be honoured. Maduro will no doubt try to limp on through further repression, but he may run out of money. The US is unlikely to attempt a military invasion but it is looking at ways to channel payment to Guaidó and the assembly for the oil it still imports.

A swift negotiation in which Maduro departs and a free election is called is the best hope for Venezuela. This route has been offered to Maduro before and he has rejected it. Things may get worse for Venezuelans before they get a chance to recover their country.

Michael Reid is the author of Forgotten Continent: A History of the New Latin America. He is a columnist and senior editor at the Economist.

[ripple]

It's the Copy and Paste thread .
How about someone who has taken the time and effort to consider , evaluate and respond based on the strength and judged appropriateness of the underlying arguments for and against further planned US regime change ?

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-01-26/johnstone-top-5-dumbest-arguments-defending-trumps-venezuela-interventionism
Some excellent points are made , succinctly .
And I also believe it is all about Oil Reserves and whether the US war machine expands further . Backed 100% by the UK ( and others ) and their puppet institutions like the BBC , Guardian and F .Times -- our lovely Globalist friends no less .




https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-01-26/johnstone-top-5-dumbest-arguments-defending-trumps-venezuela-interventionism

[5th]

It's the Copy and Paste thread .
How about someone who has taken the time and effort to consider , evaluate and respond based on the strength and judged appropriateness of the underlying arguments for and against further planned US regime change ?

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-01-26/johnstone-top-5-dumbest-arguments-defending-trumps-venezuela-interventionism
Some excellent points are made , succinctly .
And I also believe it is all about Oil Reserves and whether the US war machine expands further . Backed 100% by the UK ( and others ) and their puppet institutions like the BBC , Guardian and F .Times -- our lovely Globalist friends no less .




https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-01-26/johnstone-top-5-dumbest-arguments-defending-trumps-venezuela-interventionism


Yes but this is just another person who doesn't really know enough about what is really going on inside Venezuela and, like most people, has already decided that it's a regime change by the US for the sake of oil. Once you have that in your head then you are going to cherry pick the media for articles that support that idea!

Of course we know that's what the US does but it's not the main issue in this case.

[Baby Steps]

I have been to Cuba and seen the poverty and starvation. I have seen the failed authoritarian socialist model there, complete with victory slogans painted on crumbling buildings, etc.I do not doubt that Venezuela is the same.

Stories of how awful it is there have been pouring out for 16 years. The goverment saw oil as just a revenue stream to enable them to build their workers paradise, away from tyrannical capitalism. It all fell apart when the oil price fell.

Remember that Maduro has a greater democratic mandate than most leaders. Many there understand that despite the corruption, he is trying to do the right thing.

It really turns the stomach to listen to Pompeo describing starvation there, largely caused by his own sanctions, then blame the Venezuelan government.

The globalists, led by their western stooges( it seems including Trump) , pick on regimes when they do the following. The following 'crimes' are simply not allowed by the emerging global order and millions die to prevent them:

1. a goverment that legitimately configures its banking system to minimise interest payments to international lenders
2. a government that places substantial resource assets, like oil, in the hands of a publicly and locally owned company
3. a government that seeks to minimise profit plunder from the above assets by multinational companies
4. a goverment that sells commodities, like oil, to who they wish, in exchange for what they wish (such as gold, barter, or another currency) rather than via the petrodollar.

Any goverment that contemplates these acts of legitimate sovereignty will be crushed. They know that this is happening, but they continue, because they are doing the right and just thing. They hope that public opinion will awaken to the tyranny in time to save the people.

will it? Reading the commenters on snow-flakey articles, I see more understanding of reality now than a few years ago.
Fingers crossed.

[5th]

This is a good source of news from within Venezuela itself: The Caracas Chronicles https://www.caracaschronicles.com/

[ripple]

It's the Copy and Paste thread .
How about someone who has taken the time and effort to consider , evaluate and respond based on the strength and judged appropriateness of the underlying arguments for and against further planned US regime change ?

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-01-26/johnstone-top-5-dumbest-arguments-defending-trumps-venezuela-interventionism
Some excellent points are made , succinctly .
And I also believe it is all about Oil Reserves and whether the US war machine expands further . Backed 100% by the UK ( and others ) and their puppet institutions like the BBC , Guardian and F .Times -- our lovely Globalist friends no less .




https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-01-26/johnstone-top-5-dumbest-arguments-defending-trumps-venezuela-interventionism


Yes but this is just another person who doesn't really know enough about what is really going on inside Venezuela and, like most people, has already decided that it's a regime change by the US for the sake of oil. Once you have that in your head then you are going to cherry pick the media for articles that support that idea!

Of course we know that's what the US does but it's not the main issue in this case.

I hear what you say .
But what you write about the author is simply untrue .She knows the prevailing conditions and she avoids cherry picking a convenient conclusion . However -- and regardless -- the overall point being made is that there is no case for any regime change , let alone another one inspired by a shabby US foreign policy . And one almost certainly dictated by natural resource reserves considerations .
Did you read the referenced article? That overall point is a simple one and made neatly and clearly . The fact that it is fully realised by decent people doesn't somehow reduce its relevance or weight .
The only argument against the US position that I can conceive is , the US, as the self elected master of all peoples destiny , has the full right and responsibility to break all international agreements if it so decides .That then makes the US a Fascist power .

[Bubu]

Hi Bubu,

Yes, I am fully aware. I know the U.S. is involved in all wars. I would be an ally of anyone who remove the chavista regime. Simple as that, Bubu.
Bubu said: What I wanted to see is for these demons to be rounded up, quarantined or simply executed.

My same thoughts for chavistas, Maduro and all their allies.


Bubu said: To bad you been dupe just like many others and you are helping your enemies.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Ahhh, you agreed to sell your soul to the demon so that the devil can be ousted. The outcome will be you losing your soul but your people is still in tight fix. not a very good strategy.

[Hervé]

Zakharova Mocks ‘8 Day Snap Election Deadline’ for Venezuela – But There’s More (https://www.fort-russ.com/2019/01/zakharova-mocks-8-day-snap-election-deadline-for-venezuela-but-theres-more/)

FRN
(https://www.fort-russ.com/author/joaquin-flores/)By Joaquin Flores
(https://www.fort-russ.com/author/joaquin-flores/)Last updated Jan 27, 2019


https://www.fort-russ.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/zakharova-maduro-750x430.jpg

MOSCOW, Russian Federation – Statements by the authorities of Germany, France and Spain on the conditions of recognizing the Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president of the country are the same – (that Maduro has eight days to conduct a snap election) – said the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova.

[Published on: Jan 26, 2019 @ 23:20 ]

“Statements made are not only identical, but even [published] at the same time,” the diplomat wrote on her Facebook.

She also joked that Germany, France and Spain “look like a choir.”

Earlier in the day, Paris, Madrid and Berlin announced that they were working closely with European partners on the crisis in Venezuela. These European countries expressed their willingness to recognize Guaido as interim head of state in the event that Republic President Nicolas Maduro does not announce the holding of elections within eight days. Later in the day , the United Kingdom made a similar statement .
Since her statement, London also joined onto the eight day ‘demand’ from Paris, Madrid, and Berlin.


A Matter of Constitutional Interpretation? No, just obfuscation
What is ethically and legally perplexing on multiple levels, is the premise Guaido used in his self-declaration as acting president. Guaido cites several articles of the Venezuelan constitution to support his claim to legitimacy, but the constitution actually points the opposite direction. The National Electoral Commission in Venezuela, considered clean and fair by international monitors for several decades, approved the electoral process which saw Maduro re-elected.

That is, Maduro and the government followed the constitutional requirements for an election – they were even held earlier than required, because the opposition according to the constitution has the right to determine the timing of elections. This provision is quite the opposite of ‘dictatorial’ – and indeed the Maduro led government conducted the elections when the opposition wanted. Specifically, these elections were held at the time when, according to polling, the opposition had the most support.

However, several opposition parties refused to participate – boycotting the election, while those opposition parties that did participate and whose platforms are very similar, failed to get behind a single candidate. In short, even though the opposition exercised its right to determine the timing of elections, and timed it during a period that polls indicated Maduro’s weakest support, Maduro still won.

In deciphering Guaido’s specific citation of articles 233 of the Venezuelan Constitution, we find something that under other circumstances would be simply amusing. Wherein he says that the National Assembly that he leads has the obligation to recognize if the president is unwilling or unable/unavailable to act as president, and then proceed to name the president of the National Assembly – Guaido – as acting president pending snap elections, he has interpreted this wrong on several counts. So why was 233 ?

FRN has noted numerous times that U.S plans always ‘go forward’ even if critical other pieces of the plan failed to materialize.

The only constitutional way to get Guaido or any other U.S proxy into power, failing an actual election, is if the president is permanently unavailable.

This explains the connection between the citation of Article 233 and the assassination attempt on Maduro back in August. Bear in mind that while August came after the May election that Maduro won, his inauguration wasn’t until January. This means that Guaido’s citation of article 233 to place himself as president of the republic, is incoherent. Only if the August assassination attempt had succeeded, would the president by permanently unavailable prior to his January inauguration.

Another ‘interpretation trick’ which Guaido tried to pull was the phrase ‘duly declared by the National Assembly‘ (see below). He emphasized these words in his speech, while he ‘declared’ himself president, but here too we find something entirely off-point.

An incoherent reading may leave the interpretation that the National Assembly has the right to determine if the President of the Republic has abandoned his position. It does not – it is the due obligation to declare it if he has abandoned his position; not its authority to determine that he has abandoned the position. An analogy may be to the national weather service. The national weather service has a due obligation to inform the public of a coming tsunami. The national weather service does not conjure tsunamis into existence through declaration.

Even though the attempt on Maduro failed, and he is ‘ready, able, and willing’ to serve his second term, the U.S nevertheless goes ahead with their plan, and Guaido’s script goes forward unchanged. The problem of course is that the duly elected president is just fine, and came out of the assassination attempt unscathed.

In the event that something happened to Maduro after his inauguration, then power would transfer to the vice-president, not the president of the national assembly (akin to Speaker of the House).

The language of the constitution is pretty clear:
Article 233: The President of the Republic shall become permanently unavailable to serve by reason of any of the following events: death; resignation; removal from office by decision of the Supreme Tribunal of Justice; permanent physical or mental disability certified by a medical board designated by the Supreme Tribunal of Justice with the approval of the National Assembly; abandonment of his position, duly declared by the National Assembly; and recall by popular vote.

When an elected President becomes permanently unavailable to serve prior to his inauguration, a new election by universal suffrage and direct ballot shall be held within 30 consecutive days. Pending election and inauguration of the new President, the President of the National Assembly shall take charge of the Presidency of the Republic.

When the President of the Republic becomes permanently unavailable to serve during the first four years of this constitutional term of office, a new election by universal suffrage and direct ballot shall be held within 30 consecutive days. Pending election and inauguration of the new President, the Executive Vice-President shall take charge of the Presidency of the Republic.

In the cases describes above, the new President shall complete the current constitutional term of office. If the President becomes permanently unavailable to serve during the last two years of his constitutional term of office, the Executive Vice-President shall take over the Presidency of the Republic until such term is completed.

-----------------------------------------


Found in the article's comments:


Douglas Jack (https://disqus.com/by/douglas_jack/) • 15 hours ago (https://www.fort-russ.com/2019/01/zakharova-mocks-8-day-snap-election-deadline-for-venezuela-but-theres-more/#comment-4308762634)

YEA! Russia, China, India, Iran, Turkey, Syria, Belarus, North-Korea, Cuba, Nicaragua, El-Salvador, Mexico, Bolivia, Caricom (Caribbean Nations including Surinam & Guyana) as well as the European-Union upholding its existing recognition for the Bolivarian republic of Venezuela. So we have one half of the world's population in support of Maduro or at least status-quo & acceptance by the world's major trading block. Here's CARICOM's statement of support for Venezuela's Bolivarian sovereignty. https://www.caricom.org/med... (https://disq.us/url?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.caricom.org%2Fmedia-center%2Fcommunications%2Fpress-releases%2Fstatement-by-the-conference-of-heads-of-government-of-caricom-on-the-latest-developments-in-the-situation-in-the-bolivarian-republic-of-venezuela%3AQUqIv4u4zYf3LcuVkp8kD7Ag0Zg&cuid=3347930)

Both Chavez & Maduro are considered majority self-identifying descendants of indigenous First Nations of Venezuela, which stands them apart from the minority colonial Spanish conquistador identifying moneyed patrons. All are Mestizo but the moneyed patron class are money & institutionally alienated from their ancestral roots. The Exceptional Nation Asserts Its Exceptionalism, Washington has chosen a president for Venezuela. Chavez with Maduro following in Venezuela is the longest lasting indigenous leadership. 25Jan’19 https://www.paulcraigrobert... (https://disq.us/url?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.paulcraigroberts.org%2F2019%2F01%2F25%2Fthe-exceptional-nation-asserts-its-exceptionalism%3ACI3lww_tRP6dh11kc2f72GxO7bc&cuid=3347930)



Related:
From John Perkins preface (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/From John Perkins preface)

Hugo Chavez Dead (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?56615-Hugo-Chavez-Dead&p=644830&viewfull=1#post644830)

[Baby Steps]

We have to start by recognising that the Elite do not care about the suffering of the Venezualan people.

They do not care about the millions of starving children in Yemen (they enable it)
They do not care about Genocide in Palestine (they fuel it)
They do not care about the eradication of an entire culture in Tibet (they sweep that under the carpet)
They do not care when millions of people's lives are destroyed by government corruption (so many places, including Nigeria)

THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT THOSE PEOPLE

What can be said with equal certainty is that they will pretend to care, to advance their (hidden) goals.


Why was Libya destroyed?

the three best theories are

a) Sarkozy knew that Gadaffi had dirt on him & wanted him dead

b) Libya controlled its own oil assets

c) Wikileaks has shown that The Libyans were preparing to launch a gold-backed Pan-African currency.This had to be prevented to preserve the petrodollar.


So why is this happening now in Venezuela?


The country has been subjected to sanctions that prevent it from buying food etc (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/04/venezuela-to-launch-cryptocurrency-to-combat-us-blockade-maduro-says).


President Nicolas Maduro has said Venezuela would launch a cryptocurrency to combat a US-led financial “blockade,” although he provided few clues about how the economically crippled Opec member would pull off the feat.


In other words the Maduro regime is trying to support the country by looking for alternative ways to sell and buy, in order to beat the sanctions.


In the UK, the press tone relating to Maduro's recent legal legitimate request for the return of the Venezuelan people's gold has been dismissive (http://www.cityam.com/270303/bank-england-slammed-over-secret-venezuelan-gold-summit):


The gold deposit is believed to be the last of country’s bullion reserves in the BoE, which held 99 tonnes of Venezuelan gold in 2011.
Separately, City A.M. has viewed a letter to Mark Carney dated 30 November, seemingly from members of the Venezuelan opposition, calling on the governor to refuse the request.
“Without doubt the intention of Maduro and his regime is to steal these resources that rightly belong to the people, either for their own personal gain, or to finance further repression of the people,” the letter read.

I would say that there is good evidence that the trigger point for this latest batch of globalist tyranny is the cryptocurrency. If Venezuela could launch a Gold backed crypto, it could by-pass any financial restrictions that TPTB could impose - short of cutting off the internet.

Why is this such a threat? Well, if small countries can by-pass international controls (http://www.bilderberg.org/bis.htm) and just sell and buy as they see fit, without any globalist intervention from the UN, IMF, BIS etc, the integrity of the dollar's reserve status will suffer a heavy blow.


This is Maduro fighting fire with fire. If they had been treated decently they would not have needed to open this pandora's box!

[guayabal]

Venezuelans are not stupid, the fruits of a socialist regime are now known in there and the socialist pipe dream is over. The majority of Venezuelans wants Maduro's regime to end and with or without the help of rich countries "already controlled by the elite"... let's hope it ends soon.

[ripple]

Venezuelans are not stupid, the fruits of a socialist regime are now known in there and the socialist pipe dream is over. The majority of Venezuelans wants Maduro's regime to end and with or without the help of rich countries "already controlled by the elite"... let's hope it ends soon.


Judging by a few recent comparable examples , there is almost no chance . Afghanistan , Iraq , Syria , Yemen and Libya . In fact, I doubt it has yet barely started . Forget the so called Russian Wagner Group . Wait for the Chechnya trained international mercenary /special forces. They live on a diet of roasted seals .

[5th]

I would say that there is good evidence that the trigger point for this latest batch of globalist tyranny is the cryptocurrency. If Venezuela could launch a Gold backed crypto, it could by-pass any financial restrictions that TPTB could impose - short of cutting off the internet.

Why is this such a threat? Well, if small countries can by-pass international controls (http://www.bilderberg.org/bis.htm) and just sell and buy as they see fit, without any globalist intervention from the UN, IMF, BIS etc, the integrity of the dollar's reserve status will suffer a heavy blow.


Maduro already launched an oil backed 'Petro' cryptocurrency and demanded that Venezuelan banks accept it as payment but it was a flop as no other country would accept it. You're missing the point that Maduro was a dictator and not really a legally elected president.

Just because somebody is anti US does not automatically make them a good guy...

[ripple]

You're missing the point that Maduro was a dictator and not really a legally elected president.

Just because somebody is anti US does not automatically make them a good guy...



I quote :-One claim, repeated yesterday by the British ambassador at the UN, is that Maduro won the presidential election by "stuffing the ballot boxes". Venezuela doesn't have ballot boxes. It uses an electronic system developed by a British company that is highly praised:

In September 2012 former US President Jimmy Carter said “the election process in Venezuela is the best in the world”.
The voters identify with a voter ID and a finger print and vote on a touch screen. Maduro was duly elected as president. Twice. Some, not all opposition parties and candidates, boycotted the last election which led to a lower than usual turnout. Not taking part is a right the opposition can use. It is not the fault of the government. END OF QUOTE , see Moon of Alabama

I guess the over riding thought is that we are only as good and right as the information we get .


Which version is correct ? Or nearer the truth ? 'Yours', or , ' Mine ' ?

[Hervé]

[...]
Is Juan Guido of Venezuela a Freemason?

It seems like it yes.
[...]That doesn't look too good considering the forgotten and suppressed out of history of the masonic slaughter of anti-masonic rebels: Cristeros War- Mexicans Revolted Against Judeo Masonic Tyranny (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?102296-The-Silenced-Mexican-Revolution&p=1217539&viewfull=1#post1217539)

[ThePythonicCow]

I quote :-One claim, repeated yesterday by the British ambassador at the UN, is that Maduro won the presidential election by "stuffing the ballot boxes". Venezuela doesn't have ballot boxes. It uses an electronic system developed by a British company that is highly praised:
"Stuffing the ballot boxes" is and has long been a metaphor for "rigging the election counting." It does not necessarily mean literally stuffing fraudulent paper ballots into boxes.

If I had a voting system that was highly praised by the British controlled media (and now the British ambassador, speaking at UN), I would trust that it would yield election results highly controllable by the British imperialists ... as also happens in many districts in the United States.

As Stalin supposedly said, "It's not the people who vote that count, it's the people who count the votes."

[Hervé]

Some other excerpts from John Perkins experience and analyses:

US Uses Loans to Control Other Countries (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?25102-For-an-idea-on-the-big-picture&p=1191155&viewfull=1#post1191155)
(http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?88526-The-Big-Squeeze&p=1056100&viewfull=1#post1056100)
The World's Most Famous Economic Hitman Confesses – They're Coming For Your Democracy (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?88526-The-Big-Squeeze&p=1056100&viewfull=1#post1056100)

The Big Squeeze (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?88526-The-Big-Squeeze&p=1065051&viewfull=1#post1065051)

How Greece Has Fallen Victim to "Economic Hit Men" (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?82514-All-Hands-On-Deck-For-Global-Economic-Corporate-Dictatorship&p=975023&viewfull=1#post975023)

[perolator]

You're missing the point that Maduro was a dictator and not really a legally elected president.

Just because somebody is anti US does not automatically make them a good guy...

I quote :-One claim, repeated yesterday by the British ambassador at the UN, is that Maduro won the presidential election by "stuffing the ballot boxes". Venezuela doesn't have ballot boxes. It uses an electronic system developed by a British company that is highly praised:

In September 2012 former US President Jimmy Carter said “the election process in Venezuela is the best in the world”.
The voters identify with a voter ID and a finger print and vote on a touch screen. Maduro was duly elected as president. Twice. Some, not all opposition parties and candidates, boycotted the last election which led to a lower than usual turnout. Not taking part is a right the opposition can use. It is not the fault of the government. END OF QUOTE , see Moon of Alabama

I guess the over riding thought is that we are only as good and right as the information we get .

Which version is correct ? Or nearer the truth ? 'Yours', or , ' Mine ' ?

@ripple: Certainly yours not.


“We know, without any doubt, that the turnout of the recent election for a National Constituent Assembly was manipulated,” Smartmatic CEO Antonio Mugica said at a news briefing in London.

Mugica said Smartmatic, which has provided electronic voting technology for elections around the world, was able to detect the overstated officially announced turnout because of Venezuela’s automated election system.

“We estimate the difference between the actual participation and the one announced by authorities is at least 1 million votes,” he said.

Source (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics-vote-smartmatic-idUSKBN1AI1KZ)


It uses an electronic system developed by a British company that is highly praised

Wrong. Smartmatic is a Venezuelan company headquartered in London. Antonio Mugica, CEO and Founder, is Venezuelan.

Source (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smartmatic)

It may be the most "technologically advanced" system ever, according to YOU. Being completely electronic, it may be easily rigged. Auditing procedures are made in Venezuela since 2002 with 10% of the total votes.

I could not find information on ballot box dumping in English. You can, however, look at the photo. By the way, ballot boxes are heavily guarded by the venezuelan army.

Source (http://www.noticias-ahora.com/hallan-urnas-electorales-botadas-barinas/)


http://www.noticias-ahora.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/28.jpg

Jimmy Carter? :facepalm:

[TEOTWAIKI]

The current situation is Venezuela as I understand it is quite simple:

-A certain Eastern Hemisphere country was getting contracts for oil, gold, defense, etc.
-A certain Western Hemisphere country did not want this to continue

[5th]

The current situation is Venezuela as I understand it is quite simple:

-A certain Eastern Hemisphere country was getting contracts for oil, gold, defense, etc.
-A certain Western Hemisphere country did not want this to continue

LOL, 6 pages of arguments here and that's all you can come up with?

[Hervé]

Fmr Chavez adviser weighs in on Venezuela crisis: Regime change is de facto 'state policy of US' (https://www.rt.com/news/449963-us-regime-change-venezuela/)

RT (https://www.rt.com/news/449963-us-regime-change-venezuela/)
Mon, 28 Jan 2019 19:28 UTC


https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507769/large/5c4efc8cdda4c863268b45dc.jpg (https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507769/full/5c4efc8cdda4c863268b45dc.jpg)
Supporters of Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido hold a figurine with a sign that reads: "I fight for freedom", during a rally in Caracas, Venezuela, January 26, 2019. © Reuters / Andres Martinez Casares


Regime change is a permanent fixture of US foreign policy, but the Venezuelan army's loyalty to President Nicolas Maduro will make his forceful removal no easy task, a former adviser to Hugo Chavez told RT's Going Underground.

Eva Golinger, a Venezuelan-American lawyer and author who served as an adviser to former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, said that there was nothing surprising about Washington's latest attempt to change the leadership in Caracas.

Citing the coup in Honduras which received backing from the Obama administration, and the failed US-backed coup in Venezuela in 2002, Golinger told host Afshin Rattansi that it was wrong to believe that the United States had lost its appetite for interfering in Central and South America.




https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1082323001780170752/FegbNu0Q_bigger.jpg Going Underground on RT‏ @Underground_RT (https://twitter.com/Underground_RT)

‘Regime change and US dominance is a BIPARTISAN policy in the United States! The coup against Hugo Chavez took place in 2002 and the CIA was deeply involved!’ @evagolinger (https://twitter.com/evagolinger) discusses the US’ regime change operations in Venezuela MONDAY ON RT!


video at: https://twitter.com/i/status/1089927176663777280
9:30 AM - 27 Jan 2019
12 replies 196 retweets 179 likes
Regime change is a "state policy of the United States" and promoting "US dominance around the world" is a position that has broad bipartisan support, Golinger said.
"They've been trying to get back into Venezuela for a long time... [but] the Venezuelan armed forces are prepared to defend their country. This would not be an easy in-and-out," she noted.
Maduro, however, still faces an uphill battle, Golinger warned. In 2002, only the United States and Spain recognized the short-lived coup. In contrast, Juan Guaido's self-declared interim presidency has been declared legitimate by a host of countries following Washington's lead.

That aside, there is also an urgent need for internal dialogue, according to Golllinger, given existing divisions and problems within Venezuela.
"Maduro has lost a lot of support and legitimacy even among those who supported him initially," she said. Yet, while the country needs some change, "that change doesn't necessarily mean the right-wing opposition coming into power."
Watch the full interview below:


Rc7vHRILH-s

[Hervé]

The forthcoming destruction of the 'Caribbean Basin' (https://www.sott.net/article/405987-The-forthcoming-destruction-of-the-Caribbean-Basin)

Thierry Meyssan Voltairenet.org (https://www.voltairenet.org/article204656.html)
Tue, 08 Jan 2019 00:00 UTC


https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507668/full/1_Caribbean_Basin_DeLom_Mappin.jpg
Caribbean Basin © Response Net

President Trump has announced the withdrawal of US combat troops from the Greater Middle East, but the Pentagon is still pursuing the implementation of the Rumsfeld-Cebrowski plan. This time the aim is to destroy the States of the 'Caribbean Basin'. This is nothing like the overthrow of pro-Soviet regimes, as in the 1970's, but the destruction of all regional State structures, without consideration for friends or political enemies. Thierry Meyssan observes the preparations for this new series of wars.

In a series of previous articles, we presented the SouthCom plan to provoke wars between the Latin-American nations in order to destroy the structures of all the States in the 'Caribbean Basin' [1 (https://www.voltairenet.org/article204656.html#nb1)]. Preparations for wars of this magnitude, intended to follow on from the conflicts in the Greater Middle East according to the Rumsfeld-Cebrowski strategy, requires a decade [2 (https://www.voltairenet.org/article204656.html#nb2)].

After the period of economic destabilisation [3 (https://www.voltairenet.org/article204656.html#nb3)] and that of military preparation, the actual operation should begin in the years to come by an attack on Venezuela by Brazil (supported by Israël), Colombia (an ally of the United States) and Guyana (in other words, the United Kingdom). It will be followed by others, beginning with Cuba and Nicaragua (the 'troïka of tyranny' according to John Bolton).

However, the original plan may be modified, particularly because of the return of the imperial ambitions of the United Kingdom [4 (https://www.voltairenet.org/article204656.html#nb4)] which may influence the Pentagon.


This is where we are now :

eM9zTCf2wFI
The evolution of Venezuela
Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez had developed relations with the Greater Middle East on an ideological basis. He had in particular grown closer to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Syrian President Bachar el-Assad. Together, they had imagined the possibility of founding an intergovernmental organisation, the Free Allies Movement, on the model of the Non-Aligned Movement, which was paralysed by the alignment with the United States, over time, of certain of its members [5 (https://www.voltairenet.org/article204656.html#nb5)].

Although Nicolas Maduro adopted the same language as Hugo Chávez, he chose a very different foreign policy. It is true that he continued the rapprochement with Russia and, in his turn welcomed Russian bombers to Venezuela. He signed a contract to import 600,000 tonnes of wheat in order to deal with starvation in his country. Above all, he prepared to receive six billion dollars of investments, including five in the oil sector. Russian engineers took over the posts which were intended for Venezuelan workers but which they had abandoned.

Nicolas Maduro reorganised the alliances of his country on new foundations. He wove close links with Turkey, which is a member of NATO and whose army presently occupies Northern Syria. Maduro went to Istanbul on four occasions and Erdoğan went once to Caracas.

Switzerland was an ally of Hugo Chávez, and had advised him for the composition of his Constitution. Fearing that he would be unable to refine his country's gold in Switzerland, Nicolas Maduro looked to Turkey, which transformed the raw material into bullion. In the past, this gold had remained in Swiss banks as a guarantee for oil contracts. From now on, the liquid assets were transferred to Turkey, while the newly treated gold returned to Venezuela. This orientation may be interpreted as being no longer founded on ideology, but on interest. Everything depends on who benefits.

Simultaneously, Venezuela became the target of a destabilisation campaign which began with the guarimbas demonstrations, continued with the attempted coup d'etat on 12 February 2015 (Operation Jericho), then by a series of attacks on the national currency, and organised emigration. In this context, Turkey offered Venezuela the possibility of avoiding US sanctions. The exchanges between the two countries multiplied fifteen-fold in 2018.

Whatever the evolution of the Venezuelan régime, nothing can justify what is being prepared against its population.

Coordination of logistical means

From 31 July to 12 August 2017, SouthCom organise a vast exercise with more than 3,000 men from 25 allied states, including France and the United Kingdom. The goal was to prepare a swift landing for troops in Venezuela [6 (https://www.voltairenet.org/article204656.html#nb6)].

Colombia
Colombia is a state, but not a nation. Its population lives geographically separate according to social class, with enormous differences in the quality of life. Almost no Colombian has ever spent time in a neighbourhood attributed to another social class than their own. This strict separation has made possible the multiplication of paramilitary forces and consequently armed interior conflicts which have caused more than 220,000 victims in thirty years.

In power since August 2018, President Iván Duque has challenged the fragile peace concluded with the FARC by his predecessor, Juan Manuel Santos - but not with the ELN. He has not dismissed the option of a military intervention against Venezuela. According to Nicolas Maduro, the United States are currently training 734 mercenaries in a training camp situated in Tona with a view to carrying out a false flag operation intended to spark a war with Venezuela. Taking into account the sociological particularity of Colombia, it is impossible to determine with certainty whether or not the training camp is controlled by Bogota.


https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507670/large/2Former_Director_of_ExxonMobil.jpg (https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507670/full/2Former_Director_of_ExxonMobil.jpg)
Former Director of ExxonMobil and Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson © Unknown

Guyana
In the 19th century, the colonial powers agreed to a frontier between British Guyana (presently Guyana) and Dutch Guyana (presently Surinam), but no text has ever defined the frontier between the British zone and the Spanish zone (presently Venezuela). Consequently, Guyana administrates 160,000 km2 of forest which is still a source of dispute with its larger neighbour. By virtue of the Geneva agreement of 17 February 1966, the two states deferred to the Secretary General of the UNO (at that time the Burmese U Thant). Nothing has changed since then - Guyana has proposed to bring the case before the UNO Permanent Court of Arbitration, while Venezuela prefers direct negotiations.

This territorial dispute does not seem particularly urgent, because the contested area is an uninhabited forest which was believed to be without value - however, it is a huge area which represents two thirds of Guyana. The Geneva agreement has been violated 15 times by Guyana, which specifically authorised the exploitation of a gold mine. Above all, the stakes were raised in 2015 with the discovery by ExxonMobil of oil deposits in the Atlantic Ocean, particularly in the territorial waters of the contested zone.

The population of Guyana is composed of 40% Indians, 30% Africans, 20% mixed race and 10% American Indians. The Indians are a strong presence in the civil services and the Africans in the army.


BUQn06PryMg

On 21 December, a vote of no confidence was lodged against the government of President David Granger, a pro-British, anti-Venezuelan General, in power since 2015. To everyone's surprise, a deputy, Charrandas Persaud, voted against his own party, and in an atmosphere of indescribable chaos, provoked the fall of the government which had only a one-vote majority. Since then, the country is in a state of great instability - we do not know whether President Granger, who is presently undergoing chemotherapy, will be able to handle current affairs, while Charrandas Persaud left Parliament with an escort, via a back door, and has fled to Canada.

On 22 December 2018, in the absence of a government, the Ramform Tethys (under the flag of the Bahamas) and the Delta Monarch (Trinidad and Tobago) undertook submarine explorations in the contested zone on behalf of Exxon-Mobil. Considering that this intrusion violated the Geneva agreement, the Venezuelan army chased the two ships away. The Guyanese Minister for Foreign Affairs, working with current affairs, declared it a hostile act.

The United Kingdom Minister for Defense, Gavin Williamson, declared to the Sunday Telegraph on 30 December 2018 that the Crown was putting an end to decolonisation, which had been Whitehall's doctrine since the Suez affair in 1956. London is preparing to open a new military base in the Caribbean (for the moment the UK has bases only in Gibraltar, Cyprus, Diego Garcia and on the Falkland islands). The new base could be situated on Montserrat (West Indies), or more probably in Guyana, and should be operational in 2022 [7 (https://www.voltairenet.org/article204656.html#nb7)].

Guyana is a neighbour of Surinam (Dutch Guyana). Its President, Desi Bouterse, is wanted in Europe for drug trafficking - an affair which pre-dated his election. But his son, Dino, was arrested in Panama in 2013, despite the fact that he entered that country under a diplomatic passport. He was extradited to the United States where he was sentenced to 16 years of prison for drug trafficking - in reality because he was setting up the Lebanese Hezbollah in Surinam.

Brazil
In May 2016, Henrique Meirelles, the Minister of Finance for the transitional government of Libano-Brazilian Michel Temer, nominated Israelo-Brazilian Ilan Goldfajn as director of the Central Bank. Mereilles had also presided the Committee for the preparation of the Olympic Games, calling on Tsahal to coordinate the Brazilian army and police, thus guaranteeing the security of the Games. Simultaneously controlling the Central Bank, the army and the police of Brazil, Israël had no difficulty in supporting the popular movement of dissatisfaction in the face of the incompetence of the Workers' Party.

Believing - without any solid proof - that Presidente Dilma Rousseff had fudged the public accounts in the context of the Petrobras scandal, the parliamentarians impeached her in August 2016.

During the Presidential election of 2018, candidate Jair Bolsonaro went to Israël to be baptised in the waters of the Jordan, and consequently obtained a massive percentage of the evangelical vote. He was elected with General Hamilton Mourão as his Vice-President. During the period of transition, Mourão declared that Brazil should prepare to send men to Venezuela as a 'peace force' once President Maduro had been overthrown - comments which constitute a barely-disguised threat which President Bolsonaro attempted to downplay.

In an interview on 3 January 2019, on the TV channel SBT, President Bolsonaro spoke of negotiations with the Pentagon concerning the possibility of creating a US military base in Brazil. This declaration raised powerful opposition within the armed forces, for whom their country is capable of defending itself without assistance.


https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507672/large/2Israeli_PM_Benjamin_Netanyahu.jpg (https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507672/full/2Israeli_PM_Benjamin_Netanyahu.jpg)
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu during the investiture of President Bolsonaro. Israel has taken position in Brazil. © Unknown


During his investiture on 2 January 2019, the new President welcomed Israëli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This was the first time that an Israëli personality of this importance had been to Brazil. On this occasion, President Bolsonaro announced the coming transfer of the Brazilian embassy from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who also went to the investiture, where he met Peruvian Minister for Foreign Affairs Néstor Popolizio, announced with President Bolsonaro his intention to fight with him against the 'authoritarian régimes' of Venezuela and Cuba. Returning to the United States, he stopped over in Bogota to meet with Colombian President Iván Duque. The two men agreed to work for the diplomatic isolation of Venezuela. On 4 January 2019, the 14 States of the Lima Group (including Brazil, Colombia and Guyana) met to agree that Nicolas Maduro's new mandate, which begins on 10 January, is 'illegitimate' [8 (https://www.voltairenet.org/article204656.html#nb8)]. This communiqué has not been signed by Mexico. Apart from this, six of the member-States lodged a complaint with the International Criminal Tribunal against President Nicolas Maduro for crimes against humanity.

It is perfectly clear today that the process towards war is under way. Enormous forces are in play, and there is little that can be done to stop them now. It is in this context that Russia is studying the possibility of setting up a permanent aero-naval base in Venezuela. The island of La Orchila - where President Hugo Chávez was held prisoner during the coup d'etat of April 2002 - would enable the storing of strategic bombers. This would constitute a much greater threat to the United States than the Soviet missiles stationed in Cuba in 1962.
About the Author:
Thierry Meyssan is a political consultant, President-founder of the Réseau Voltaire (Voltaire Network (https://www.voltairenet.org/article150341.html)). Latest work in French - Sous nos Yeux. Du 11-Septembre à Donald Trump (http://www.librairie-voltairenet.org/fr/home/85-sous-nos-yeux.html%7D) (Right Before our Eyes. From 9/11 to Donald Trump). [1 (https://www.voltairenet.org/article204656.html#nh1)] Plan to overthrow the Venezuelan Dictatorship - "Masterstroke (https://www.voltairenet.org/article201100.html)" , Admiral Kurt W. Tidd, Voltaire Network, 23 février 2018. The United States "Master Stroke" against Venezuela (https://www.voltairenet.org/article201159.html), by Stella Calloni; The United States are preparing a war between Latin-American states (https://www.voltairenet.org/article204400.html), by Thierry Meyssan, Translation Pete Kimberley, Voltaire Network, 17 May and 18 December 2018.

[2 (https://www.voltairenet.org/article204656.html#nh2)] The Pentagon's New Map, Thomas P. M. Barnett, Putnam Publishing Group, 2004. "The US military project for the world (https://www.voltairenet.org/article197541.html)", by Thierry Meyssan, Translation Pete Kimberley, Voltaire Network, 22 August 2017.

[3 (https://www.voltairenet.org/article204656.html#nh3)] "Declaration of a National Emergency with Respect to Venezuela (https://www.voltairenet.org/article187289.html)", "Executive Order - Blocking Property and Suspending Entry of Certain Persons Contributing to the Situation in Venezuela (https://www.voltairenet.org/article187288.html)", by Barack Obama, Voltaire Network, 9 March 2015.

[4 (https://www.voltairenet.org/article204656.html#nh4)] Brexit : Londres assume sa nouvelle politique coloniale (https://www.voltairenet.org/article204602.html) , Réseau Voltaire, 3 janvier 2019.

[5 (https://www.voltairenet.org/article204656.html#nh5)] "Assad and Chávez call for the creation of a Free Allied Movement (https://www.voltairenet.org/article166122.html)", Voltaire Network, 29 June 2010.

[6 (https://www.voltairenet.org/article204656.html#nh6)] "Large-scale manoeuvres encircling Venezuela (https://www.voltairenet.org/article197571.html)", by Manlio Dinucci, Translation Anoosha Boralessa, Il Manifesto (Italy) , Voltaire Network, 23 August 2017.

[7 (https://www.voltairenet.org/article204656.html#nh7)] "We are opening new overseas bases to boost Britain", Christopher Hope, Sunday Telegraph, December 30, 2018.

[8 (https://www.voltairenet.org/article204656.html#nh8)] "Declaration of the Lima Group (https://www.voltairenet.org/article204685.html)", Translation Anoosha Boralessa, Voltaire Network, 4 January 2019.

[Joe Akulis]

I want to thank everyone who has been contributing to this thread. It has been informative for me, but more than that, it has been very illuminating. There certainly is a global war being waged for our opinion. Our beliefs are seriously affected by what we choose to read.

I pity the soul who picks up any form of news whatsoever without first delving to understand what kind of slant they can expect from the source. Seems like you're better off staying ignorant and watching Netflix than trying to get informed about world events.


Venezuela is another country that can't compete economically or militarily with the US, Russia, or China. So, instead of fighting the eternal losing battle of striving for freedom and democracy in the face of endless covert intervention by the big dogs, just give up and pick one.

Call up Trump and say, "Make us the US's official 51st state." Now you're off the playing field.

Maybe the US isn't the best choice of the three... We're just barely holding off a colossal economic disaster of our own, thanks to runaway debt... So maybe pick Russia or China. Tell them you want to become part of the United States of Russia. Not some neocolonial vassal with a puppet "regime"; an actual territory and citizenry of the superpower you select. Now you're all Russian citizens carrying rubles in your pockets. You don't have a Regime to topple anymore.

Ask the native people of Hawaii: Would they rather live as they do now, or live as the people of Venezuela are living now.
Everyone would like to be free but when that's not one of the choices, what is the best option?

I know, I know. Dumb idea, I suppose. History repeating itself and all that.

[Bubu]

Venezuela is another country that can't compete economically or militarily with the US, Russia, or China. So, instead of fighting the eternal losing battle of striving for freedom and democracy in the face of endless covert intervention by the big dogs, just give up and pick one.

.

Venezuela is not competing against any of the countries you mentioned. We know for a fact who is it that wants to rule the world and every country, all the countries, is a target. Venezuela is now getting more attention. Russia and China has accumulated enough firepower economically and militarily to counter the controlling empire but if they dont act now, each weaker country will fall one after another and become part of the controlling empire which will grow bigger and bigger until it is able to swallow all including Russia and China. Russia and China and all the countries of the world has no choice but to come together and help each other to defeat the monster empire. Just look at the 800 military bases around the world the biggest and most obvious proof of control agenda.

[Bubu]

The current situation is Venezuela as I understand it is quite simple:

-A certain Eastern Hemisphere country was getting contracts for oil, gold, defense, etc.
-A certain Western Hemisphere country did not want this to continue

LOL, 6 pages of arguments here and that's all you can come up with?

My take away summary would be that ALL forms of government are mind control. Government only exists to keep us safe from other governments. The mind control comes from a lack of imagination that has been systematically removed through government controlled education and cultural indoctrination.

The people are unable to imagine a life without government. They think the world would be chaos without it. But NO, the world already is chaos. The degree to which a society is free is based on its level of self-governance of its people; self governing not because of its form of government, but in spite of it.

My takeaway is that people everywhere need to take responsibility for their own freedom. And the most basic freedom is the freedom to exist. Freedom to grow food or otherwise feed themselves and their families, and the ability to defend it if necessary. People have NEVER been free if they don’t have guns to protect themselves from a) the government and b) from non self-governing marauders c) other governments.

In Venezuela, it appears to be all three infringing on their right to exist. I don’t presume to know what Venezuelans should do. But I do fear it will end badly.

Yes Joe, the people should take responsibility of keeping the society safe and not rely on the military, I vote for the abolition of all military forces, there would always be an excuse to use them to enslave the people. Actually its the ignorance of people of relying to the military for security and ignorance in believing the governments by faith that keeps them enslave. Ignorance is the root cause of all chaos.

[perolator]

bEvHwiJWgAY

Is not that simple. After watching Eva Golinger and her boatload of rotten crap, here is a bit of fresh air.

[guayabal]

US to attack Venezuela

Published on Aug 12, 2009

A military agreement between the United States and Columbia has led to widespread concern in South America. Leaders want to know why the United States is trying to increase its military presence in the region. The Colombian government says that having more US troops in the country will help fight drug trafficking and combat terrorism. Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, however, ardently opposes these plans. He says that the military bases in Columbia will provoke conflict in Latin America. Venezuelan-American Attorney and Author Eva Golinger joins RT's Dina Gusovsky from Caracas via skype to discuss this matter.

Eva Golinger (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eva_Golinger) spreading RT/Chavez propaganda. That's her job.

[Tintin]

As a point of historical interest (and I will try and link this to an Iran specific thread) some commentators or viewers here may like to refresh their memories with a quick revisiting of the 1953 Iranian coup spearheaded by the CIA and the British: 'Operation Ajax'. Parallels with recent events in Venezuela are of course, unsurprisingly to many of us, startling (see document attached).

Source: National Security Archive - https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB435/

39803

[Hervé]

US media distorts Venezuela's food crisis by blaming Socialism (http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Blaming-Socialism-US-Media-Distorts-Venezuelas-Food-Crisis-20170223-0053.html)


teleSUR (http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Blaming-Socialism-US-Media-Distorts-Venezuelas-Food-Crisis-20170223-0053.html)
Fri, 24 Feb 2017 19:03 UTC


https://www.sott.net/image/s19/380068/large/venezuela_supermarket_17184833.jpg (https://www.sott.net/image/s19/380068/full/venezuela_supermarket_17184833.jpg)
Supermarket shoppers in Caracas. © Reuters


The facts are clear — Venezuela does have a food crisis, but mainstream U.S. media always blames the socialist government.

Disgruntled customers, empty store shelves, long supermarket lines. These are the images that mainstream U.S. media typically feature in their coverage of Venezuela's ongoing food crisis.

These images are usually accompanied by sarcastic headlines like Forbes' "Venezuela Discovers the Perfect Weight Loss Diet" and the Cato Institute's "Hunger Is in Retreat, But Not in Socialist Venezuela."

U.S. media outlets publish stories blaming Venezuela's food crisis on the socialist government almost daily. Today isn't any different.

A new study released by researchers from three Venezuelan universities reported that nearly 75 percent of the population lost an average of 19 pounds in 2016 for lack of food. The report, titled, "2016 Living Conditions Survey," added that about 32.5 percent of Venezuelans eat only once or twice a day, compared to 11.3 percent last year.

Moreover, 93.3 percent told the researchers that their income was not enough to cover their food needs.

The facts are clear — Venezuela does have a food crisis. Mainstream U.S. media, however, blames the socialist government that has radically improved the country's standard of living instead of right-wing U.S.-backed opposition forces intentionally sabotaging the economy.

Since the early 2000s, supermarket owners affiliated with Venezuela's opposition have been purposefully hoarding food products so they can resell them at higher prices and make large profits. Food importing companies owned by the country's wealthy right-wing elite are also manipulating import figures to raise prices.

In 2013, former Venezuelan Central Bank chief Edmee Betancourt reported that the country lost between US$15 and $20 billion dollars the previous year through such fraudulent import deals.

It doesn't stop there.

Last year, over 750 opposition-controlled offshore companies linked to the Panama Papers scandal were accused of purposely redirecting Venezuelan imports of raw food materials from the government to the private sector. Many of these companies sell their products to private companies in Colombia, which resell them to Venezuelans living close to Colombia.
"Selling contraband is a serious problem. People here are taking large quantities of products meant for Venezuelans and selling them in Colombia," Valencia resident Francisco Luzon told Al Jazeera in a 2014 interview.
Reuters admitted in 2014 that Venezuelan opposition members living in border states are shipping low-cost foodstuffs provided by the Venezuelan government into Colombia for profit.

Overall, Venezuela's millionaire opposition are profiting handsomely from the country's food crisis while blaming it on the socialist government that's trying to eliminate it.


Related:

Economic war: Venezuela food shortages deliberately created by US-aligned oligarchs (https://www.sott.net/article/318557-Economic-war-Venezuela-food-shortages-deliberately-created-by-US-aligned-oligarchs)



'Shelves are fully stocked': Venezuela's 'food crisis' myth revealed (https://www.sott.net/article/356263-Shelves-are-fully-stocked-Venezuelas-food-crisis-myth-revealed)



Food prices skyrocketed 72% in Venezuela in 2013: International financiers' currency speculation to blame? (https://www.sott.net/article/270692-Food-prices-skyrocketed-72-in-Venezuela-in-2013-International-financiers-currency-speculation-to-blame)



US blockade prevents 18 million boxes of food reaching Venezuela but commentators still blame Bolivarianism (https://www.sott.net/article/361045-US-blockade-prevents-18-million-boxes-of-food-reaching-Venezuela-but-commentators-still-blame-Bolivarianism)



What's the Real Cause of Venezuela's Economic Crisis? Economic Warfare (https://www.sott.net/article/332487-Whats-the-Real-Cause-of-Venezuelas-Economic-Crisis-Economic-Warfare)



Bolton admits US interest in Venezuela's 'oil capabilities' as 'good for business' (https://www.sott.net/article/405985-Bolton-admits-US-interest-in-Venezuelas-oil-capabilities-as-good-for-business)

[Hervé]

Veiled threat? Bolton photographed with '5,000 troops to Colombia' scribbled on notepad (https://www.rt.com/news/450006-bolton-pad-colombia-troops/)

RT (https://www.rt.com/news/450006-bolton-pad-colombia-troops/)
Tue, 29 Jan 2019 12:29 UTC


https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DyB6_hIXcAAxYDL?format=jpg&name=small
© Reuters / Jim Young


US national security adviser John Bolton seemed to be broadcasting big plans for the regime-change operation in Venezuela when he was photographed with a yellow legal pad on which he'd scrawled "5,000 troops to Colombia."

Bolton clutched the notepad during Monday's White House press briefing, in which the administration announced (https://www.rt.com/news/449994-us-sanctions-venezuela-oil-maduro/) sanctions against Venezuelan state-owned oil (https://www.rt.com/usa/449982-john-bolton-oil-venezuela/) company PDVSA. The mustachioed warmonger opined on the "threats" to the US inherent in President Nicolas Maduro's closeness with Cuba and couldn't resist dragging Iran into the matter, vis-à-vis its "interest in Venezuela's uranium deposits." But sharp-eyed journalists zeroed in on the notepad immediately.




https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/852999941274312705/BoXOr6VH_bigger.jpg Ned Price‏Verified account @nedprice (https://twitter.com/nedprice)

My eagle-eyed colleague spotted on Bolton’s notepad what sure looks like: “Afghanistan—>welcome the talks. 5,000 troops to Colombia”


https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DyB4qPeWwAAaWA-.jpg



https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DyB4qPeWkAA95I5.jpg

1:48 PM - 28 Jan 2019
874 replies 5,604 retweets 7,691 likes
Given Bolton's affection for war, many took the line at face value.

Interestingly, Getty Images already had a stock photo of the notepad up for sale shortly after the press conference.

It's not as if the Trump administration doesn't have a motive, some pointed out...


...while others suggested Colombia might not take too kindly to a visit from Uncle Sam.

Asked about the notepad, a White House spokesperson reportedly told CBS, "As the president has said, all options are on the table."

[Hervé]

If there were any proofs needed, the bankrolling of the self proclaimed interim president by the US bankers mafia should suffice... as in "Why wouldn't they bankroll Maduro if the latter weren't a thorn in their butts?":


Daylight robbery! Washington gives opposition leader Guaido control over Venezuela's deposits in US bank (https://www.rt.com/news/450049-us-gives-opposition-assets/)

RT (https://www.rt.com/news/450049-us-gives-opposition-assets/)
Tue, 29 Jan 2019 15:02 UTC


https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507847/large/5c505c53fc7e93f23c8b456c.jpg (https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507847/full/5c505c53fc7e93f23c8b456c.jpg)
© Reuters/Marco Bello


US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has authorized Venezuelan opposition leader and self-declared interim president, Juan Guaido, to take control of US-held assets belonging to the country's government.

The certification, issued on Tuesday, applies to certain Venezuelan government and Central Bank property held by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York or any other US insured banks.
"This certification will help Venezuela's legitimate government safeguard those assets for the benefit of the Venezuelan people," State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said in a statement.



https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1056823752355467264/5dX6yN9s_bigger.jpg Maxim A. Suchkov‏ @MSuchkov_ALM (https://twitter.com/MSuchkov_ALM)

#BREAKING (https://twitter.com/hashtag/BREAKING?src=hash) : #US (https://twitter.com/hashtag/US?src=hash) gives opposition leader @jguaido (https://twitter.com/jguaido) control over some #Venezuelan (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Venezuelan?src=hash)/n assets. Now this is a huge development in the domain of world politics, esp its "interference" aspect: strip assets from official gov using your influence to empower whoever else you like.

5:49 AM - 29 Jan 2019
8 replies 25 retweets 25 likes
Opposition leader Juan Guaido swore himself in as Venezuela's interim president last Wednesday and was recognized as the country's legitimate leader by the United States shortly afterwards. President Nicolas Maduro denounced Guaido's claim as a "vile," Washington-sponsored coup attempt, and severed diplomatic relations with the US in response.

Much of the Western world followed suit in recognizing Guaido and isolating Maduro. The Bank of England reportedly blocked Maduro from withdrawing $1.2 billion worth of gold stored in the UK late last week, and Secretary Pompeo announced that $20 million in humanitarian aid for Venezuela will be distributed through Guaido.

US sanctions have effectively barred Maduro's government from borrowing on international markets and targeted anyone involved in gold sales from Venezuela. Venezuela's gold reserves are estimated at more than $8 billion, while the value of its assets in American banks is unclear.

The Trump administration further ratcheted up its pressure campaign on Maduro by announcing sanctions against Venezuelan state-owned oil company PDVSA on Monday. The US Treasury Department seized $7 billion in PDVSA assets, and the sanctions will affect $11 billion worth of oil exports over the coming year.

Venezuelan petroleum company Citgo will continue operating in the US, but its profits will go into a blocked account, only accessible to Guaido's government, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin explained.

Mnuchin added that sanctions will only be lifted upon the "expeditious transfer of control to the interim president, or the subsequently democratically elected interim government."

Maduro has denounced the sanctions as an attempt to "steal" Citgo from Venezuela, and said that PDVSA will take legal action.


Related:

Venezuela wants to repatriate its gold from Britain, reduce reliance on the dollar - UPDATE: Bank of England REFUSES request (https://www.sott.net/article/400017-Venezuela-wants-to-repatriate-its-gold-from-Britain-reduce-reliance-on-the-dollar-UPDATE-Bank-of-England-REFUSES-request)



Venezuela - 'opposition lobbied in US for sanctions, now they blame Maduro' (https://www.sott.net/article/360270-Venezuela-opposition-lobbied-in-US-for-sanctions-now-they-blame-Maduro)



'Worst aggression in 200 years': Venezuela blasts new US sanctions (https://www.sott.net/article/360162-Worst-aggression-in-200-years-Venezuela-blasts-new-US-sanctions)



US sanctions against Venezuela forces Abby Martin's 'Empire Files' to shut down (https://www.sott.net/article/394219-US-sanctions-against-Venezuela-forces-Abby-Martins-Empire-Files-to-shut-down)



Bolton admits US interest in Venezuela's 'oil capabilities' as 'good for business' (https://www.sott.net/article/405985-Bolton-admits-US-interest-in-Venezuelas-oil-capabilities-as-good-for-business)



Veiled threat? Bolton photographed with '5,000 troops to Colombia' scribbled on notepad (https://www.sott.net/article/406015-Veiled-threat-Bolton-photographed-with-5000-troops-to-Colombia-scribbled-on-notepad)

[Carmody]

.......1. Truth: President Nicolás Maduro is the legitimate president.

President Maduro was re-elected on May 20, 2018, in response to the opposition demanding an early election. The legitimacy of the election of Maduro is so evident that it must be assumed those who say he is illegitimate are either intentionally false or ignorant. The election was scheduled consistent with the Venezuelan Constitution and in consultation with opposition parties. When it became evident that the opposition could not win the election, they decided, under pressure from the United States, to boycott the election in order to undermine its legitimacy. The facts are 9,389,056 people voted, 46% of eligible voters. Sixteen parties participated in the election with six candidates competing for the presidency.

The electoral process was observed by more than 150 election observers. This included 14 electoral commissions from eight countries among them the Council of Electoral Experts of Latin America; two technical electoral missions; and 18 journalists from different parts of the world, among others. According to the international observers, “the elections were very transparent and complied with international parameters and national legislation.”

Venezuela has one of the best electoral systems in the world. Voter fraud is not possible as identification and fingerprints are required for each voter. Voting machines are audited before and immediately after the election. Venezuela does something no other country in the world does — a public, citizen’s audit of a random sample of 53% of voting machines that is televised. All 18 parties signed the audits.

Maduro won by a wide margin, obtaining 6,248,864 votes, 67.84%; followed by Henri Falcón with 1,927,958, 20.93%; Javier Bertucci with 1,015,895, 10.82%; and Reinaldo Quijada, who obtained 36,246 votes, 0.39% of the total.

This same voting system has been used in elections that Maduro’s party has lost in governor’s and legislative elections. Venezuela is a real democracy with transparent elections. The United States could learn a good deal about real democracy from Venezuela.

[perolator]

US media distorts Venezuela's food crisis by blaming Socialism (http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Blaming-Socialism-US-Media-Distorts-Venezuelas-Food-Crisis-20170223-0053.html)

teleSUR (http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Blaming-Socialism-US-Media-Distorts-Venezuelas-Food-Crisis-20170223-0053.html)
Fri, 24 Feb 2017 19:03 UTC


teleSUR is a venezuelan-based 24-hour propaganda network aimed to spread the "socialism" cancer worldwide.
It is extremely biased. It propels Bolivarian crap as the ultimate solution. Chavez is almost a God for them.

Source (https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/telesur/)


Telesur (stylised as teleSUR) is a Venezuela-based, multi-state funded, Latin American terrestrial and satellite television network headquartered in Caracas, Venezuela. It is sponsored primarily by the government of Venezuela,[2] but also with additional funding by the governments of Cuba, Nicaragua, Uruguay, and Bolivia.[3] It was launched in 2005, under the government of Hugo Chavez, with the aim of being "a Latin socialist answer to CNN".

Source (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telesur_(TV_channel))

Millions of dollars are funneled to that network, instead of being used for food or medicines. Venezuela provides 70% funding. Hypocrisy at the fullest. Funding has increased because Argentina stopped financing and broadcasting it in 2016.

Source (https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/11909)



The facts are clear — Venezuela does have a food crisis. Mainstream U.S. media, however, blames the socialist government that has radically improved the country's standard of living instead of right-wing U.S.-backed opposition forces intentionally sabotaging the economy.


Lies.

There is no such thing as "right-wing" in Venezuela. Most of political parties, opposition or not, are leftist, or democratic socialist. Guaido's political party (Popular Will), and 3 of the major opposition parties including the once largest poitical party, Democratic Action (before the Bolivarian enchilada), are full members of the Socialist International.

Source (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialist_International)

I can be quoting and debunking all the information, but there is no point doing it. Political mind control and NWO is fancier.

[perolator]

.......[I]1. Truth: President Nicolás Maduro is the legitimate president.

President Maduro was re-elected on May 20, 2018 [snip]

This same voting system has been used in elections that Maduro’s party has lost in governor’s and legislative elections. Venezuela is a real democracy with transparent elections. The United States could learn a good deal about real democracy from Venezuela.

RIGGED ELECTIONS: VENEZUELA'S FAILED PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

The Venezuelan Presidential election was held on May 20, 2018. According to the results announced by the electoral authority (the National Electoral Council), approximately six million voters decided to reelect Maduro, with a turnout of 46%, the lowest in the Venezuelan democratic history.


https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58533f31bebafbe99c85dc9b/t/5b0f3a04f950b7fdc41eba39/1527724559249/venz1.png?format=750w

This is an example of a contentious election. The majority of the Venezuelan political opposition decided not to participate, considering the illegitimacy of the presidential election. While several players in the international community, such as the Latin American countries gathered in the Lima Group, the United States, the European Union and the Human Rights Inter-American Commission, denounced the presidential election as rigged and fraudulent.

On election day the main candidate from the opposition party declared that he would not recognize the electoral result. A similar statement has been made by 46 countries, as shown in the map below.


https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58533f31bebafbe99c85dc9b/t/5b0f3a572b6a28f41d1af628/1527724648240/venz2.png?format=750w

Note: Until May 25, 73 countries had made statements about the presidential election: 25 recognize the Elections; 46 don't recognize the election, and 2 have not a clear position

The illegitimacy of the elections is reflected by low turnout. In 2013, Maduro was elected President with 80% participation – almost double the 2018 turnout, according to the result provided by the electoral authority.

The violation of electoral integrity standards

The 2018 presidential election is contentious due to the violation of basic standards of electoral integrity. Based on the Electoral Integrity Project’s The Year in Elections 2017, Mid-Year Update Report, Venezuela scores low on the Perceptions of Electoral Integrity Index at 45 (the index ranges from 0-100).

During Hugo Chávez´s presidency (1999-2012) Venezuela conducted several elections creating the illusion of a strong democracy. But this was not the case. Chávez created a political regime based on a concentration of power that allowed him to co-opt the Supreme Tribunal and the National Electoral Council. An example of this was the 2004 recall referendum procedure that was manipulated by Chávez to assure his victory.

Maduro was elected in 2013, in a contentious election. After that, electoral malpractices increased, particularly after the Supreme Tribunal decided to dismantle the Venezuelan Congress.

Problems were aggravated when in January 2018 the illegitimate national Constituency Assembly decided to convene an early presidential election. The single-party assembly was installed in a clear violation of the Venezuelan Constitution. In any case, according to the Venezuelan Constitution, elections must be called with at least six months’ notice.

The national constituency assembly decided to ban the participation of several opposition political parties, including “Mesa de la Unidad Democrática”, which is the coalition party that won the 2015 congressional election. In addition, several political leaders were banned, while others were prosecuted or are in exile. The right to participate in public affairs and to be elected was violated.

The National Electoral Council’s Directors were appointed by the Supreme Tribunal, and not by the Venezuelan Congress, as established in the Constitution. This facilitated its politicization, as was demonstrated during the 2016 recall referendum against Maduro, which was blocked by the Council.

The right to equal opportunities to vote and universal suffrage was violated due to several inconsistencies in the electoral register. This included issues for Venezuelans living abroad: only an estimated hundred thousand Venezuelans were able to comply with the electoral register, a basic requirement to vote.

Freedom of opinion and expression has been violated, particularly, since the Constituent Assembly approved an “anti-hate law”, that established ill-defined crimes punished with prison up to twenty years. Criticizing the Government can be considered a hate crime and therefore a criminal offense.

Corruption was also a problem in the election. Several critics stated that the Government used social programs to coerce voters, in violation of the Anti-Corruption Law. For instance, Henri Falcon (Maduro’s main opponent in the election) denounced that Maduro used the “fatherland card” –required to access medicine and food provided by the Government- to coerce voters.

Standards of rule of law have also been violated. Since the installation of the Constituent Assembly, the Venezuelan Constitution was abolished. In addition, the Supreme Tribunal acts with a clear bias toward the Maduro regime. For instance, in December 2015 the Supreme Tribunal “suspended” three deputies of the opposition. More than two years later, the Supreme Tribunal has not issued a final decision.

As a result, abstention could not be deemed as the cause of Maduro’s “victory”. On the contrary, abstention is the consequence of fraudulent actions that allowed Maduro’s reelection.

What to expect now?

Venezuela is facing its worst economic and social crisis with a complex humanitarian emergency combined with hyperinflation. Maduro´s regime has taken actions that exacerbate rather than lessen the economic crisis, for example, the recent expropriation of Kellogg’s facilities.

The May election will not help to solve this crisis. On the contrary, as they are contentious elections, they could increase the Venezuelan predicament. As was concluded by the Electoral Integrity Project Director, Pippa Norris, “failure to observe international standards of electoral integrity will strengthen the risks of fatal electoral violence”. This risk, with consideration to the Venezuelan State fragility, could have catastrophic consequences.

Source (https://www.electoralintegrityproject.com/international-blogs/2018/5/30/rigged-elections-venezuelas-failed-presidential-election)

[Hervé]

If there were any proofs needed, the bankrolling of the self proclaimed interim president by the US bankers mafia should suffice... as in "Why wouldn't they bankroll Maduro if the latter weren't a thorn in their butts?"...
[...]
The same template/strategy has been used before:

Western govts failed to learn the lesson of Iraq, which is why their Venezuela gambit will be another disaster (https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/isis-syria-al-qaeda-middle-east-saddam-hussein-uk-us-iraq-venezuela-a8747091.html)

Patrick Cockburn Independent (https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/isis-syria-al-qaeda-middle-east-saddam-hussein-uk-us-iraq-venezuela-a8747091.html)
Sat, 26 Jan 2019 17:01 UTC

[...]

... the US, UK and allied governments have learned nothing from their disastrous actions in the Middle East and North Africa over the past 20 years which opened the door to Isis. During this period, they repeatedly denounced dictatorial but powerful national leaders - Saddam Hussein, Muammar Al Gaddafi, Bashar al-Assad - as illegitimate and instead supported shadowy opposition figures with whom they were friendly as the true leaders of their countries.

The result was invariably disastrous: in July 2011, to take but one example, the British government announced that it was recognising the rebel council in Libya as the sole governmental authority there. But the rebels turned out to have little real power other than that provided by Nato, making it inevitable that a post-Gaddafi Libya would collapse into criminalised anarchy.

Fast forward to Venezuela this week when the US, along with the UK, Canada and a bevy of South American states, declared that the opposition leader Juan Guaido is the country's legitimate ruler, replacing President Maduro.

The UK foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, said the hitherto little known Guaido was the right person to take the country forward, though there is no obvious reason to think so. On the contrary, we are seeing the same sort of crude imperial overreach producing failed states and chaos that brought calamity to Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Yemen. The terrible lesson of the rise and fall of Isis has taught leaders in Washington and London very little.


Full article: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/isis-syria-al-qaeda-middle-east-saddam-hussein-uk-us-iraq-venezuela-a8747091.html

[Dennis Leahy]

Reality check time.

(I wish the narrator voice in the following video - Mike Prysner - was not called the trigger word, "Leftist" in the video title. This isn't a "leftist" speaking; it is the truth being spoken.)

Note that the CIA/Google initially covers the youtube video with a WARNING! Watch out, my friends, you may be very upset if someone tell the truth! hahahahahahaha


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fV-C1Ag5sI

[Hervé]

For an in-depth digging into the background of the self-proclaimed "interim president of Venezuela", read the following:

The Making of Juan Guaidó: How The US Regime Change Laboratory Created Venezuela's Coup Leader (https://grayzoneproject.com/2019/01/29/the-making-of-juan-guaido-how-the-us-regime-change-laboratory-created-venezuelas-coup-leader/)

Dan Cohen & Max Blumenthal
Gray Zone (https://grayzoneproject.com/2019/01/29/the-making-of-juan-guaido-how-the-us-regime-change-laboratory-created-venezuelas-coup-leader/)
Tue, 29 Jan 2019 16:41 UTC

[5th]

Gee Herve, are you being paid to endlessly copy and paste propaganda (or occasionally just a link)?

Why are you so desperate to prove a point?

[Dennis Leahy]

Gee Herve, are you being paid to endlessly copy and paste propaganda (or occasionally just a link)?

Why are you so desperate to prove a point?
5th, (and perolator), would it be accurate to say that you are a member of the middle or upper class in Venezuela? (Yes, I remember you both said you are expats, but the question stands.) It seems like the only people echoing your stance are the 'old ruling class' or the 'wannabee ruling class' of Venezuela, and the imperialist/globalist/Deep State operatives... and those that have not taken any time to research.

Mike Prysner's 'debunking' of (leftwing! ha! progressive! hahaha!) john oliver's political "comedy" routine propaganda piece absolutely shreds the bullsh!t narrative that the two of you are echoing. If you are sincere, and not just classist/racist reactionaries or Deep State mouthpieces, watch that video (from about 3/4 of a year ago.) Then, if Mike Prysner is wrong in his research, prove it. At this point, your agenda is HIGHLY suspect, as you echo the Globalist Deep State agenda.

[guayabal]

Mike Prysner's 'debunking' of (leftwing! ha! progressive! hahaha!) john oliver's political "comedy" routine propaganda piece absolutely shreds the bullsh!t narrative that the two of you are echoing. If you are sincere, and not just classist/racist reactionaries or Deep State mouthpieces, watch that video (from about 3/4 of a year ago.) Then, if Mike Prysner is wrong in his research, prove it. At this point, your agenda is HIGHLY suspect, as you echo the Globalist Deep State agenda.

As a Colombian citizen I don't need to research a thing, day to day we see the poorest from Venezuela begging on the street. Are those the poor that Prysner claims are supporting the government? I think you are blind and can't accept real facts because they prove a failure in your ideology.

[Tintin]

Gee Herve, are you being paid to endlessly copy and paste propaganda (or occasionally just a link)?

Why are you so desperate to prove a point?

None of the moderators, each of us with our own very differing, passionately well informed and researched views on an equally varied and interesting plethora of subject matter, are paid.

Your point?

[DeDukshyn]

Gee Herve, are you being paid to endlessly copy and paste propaganda (or occasionally just a link)?

Why are you so desperate to prove a point?

None of the moderators, each of us with our own very differing, passionately well informed and researched views on an equally varied and interesting plethora of subject matter, are paid.

Your point?

It was clearly an accusation that Herve is a shill for someone else's agenda.


I haven't followed this thread closely, but waht I see in the last few pages are some people, doing research gathering broad points of information, evaluating and discussing those points, etc. And others saying things like "what'd you just copy and paste that?', "I don't need to do research because ... <insert whatever here>", "you must be a shill", etc (all paraphrased to protect users identities) ...

My point is that many of these posts aren't helping the conversation along in any meaningful objective manner ... This thread seems a tough read due to this fact, but again just my opinion from trying to quickly get up to speed on the last few pages - take what value from that there is to find.

Edit: There's nothing wrong with opposing views but like any good debate, constructive and well thought arguments with rationale support are required .

[Tintin]

Gee Herve, are you being paid to endlessly copy and paste propaganda (or occasionally just a link)?

Why are you so desperate to prove a point?

None of the moderators, each of us with our own very differing, passionately well informed and researched views on an equally varied and interesting plethora of subject matter, are paid.

Your point?

It was clearly an accusation that Herve is a shill for someone else's agenda.


I haven't followed this thread closely, but waht I see in the last few pages are some people, doing research gathering broad points of information, evaluating and discussing those points, etc. And others saying things like "what'd you just copy and paste that?', "I don't need to do research because ... <insert whatever here>", "you must be a shill", etc (all paraphrased to protect users identities) ...

My point is that many of these posts aren't helping the conversation along in any meaningful objective manner ... This thread seems a tough read due to this fact, but again just my opinion from trying to quickly get up to speed on the last few pages - take what value from that there is to find.

Edit: There's nothing wrong with opposing views but like any good debate, constructive and well thought arguments with rationale support are required .

The toxicity of social media, and adoption of keyboard assassination techniques, as a weapon, has imbued a sense in some folk that it is acceptable to snark from behind a portcullis of assumed superiority.

Yes, constructive and well thought out arguments with an intelligent, rationally positioned loci are our business here. Low snarky blows from behind the portcullis are somewhat frowned upon.

:focus: of the OP please, everyone. (Hint: it isn't titled "Turmoil in Avalon")

[Hervé]

Here is another relevant article copied in full so that its pertinent data are archived here in case some silicon valley outfit decides to suppress it:


"Crimes against humanity": Former UN rapporteur says US sanctions on Venezuela like a "medieval siege" (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/venezuela-us-sanctions-united-nations-oil-pdvsa-a8748201.html)

Michael Selby-Green The Independent (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/venezuela-us-sanctions-united-nations-oil-pdvsa-a8748201.html)
Sun, 27 Jan 2019 08:22 UTC


https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507810/large/3A3DF10F_5272_4C47_90ED_2D99FB.jpg (https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507810/full/3A3DF10F_5272_4C47_90ED_2D99FB.jpg)


'Modern-day economic sanctions and blockades are comparable with medieval sieges of towns'
The first UN rapporteur to visit Venezuela for 21 years has told The Independent the US sanctions on the country are illegal and could amount to "crimes against humanity" under international law.

Former special rapporteur Alfred de Zayas, who finished his term at the UN in March, has criticized the US for engaging in "economic warfare" against Venezuela which he said is hurting the economy and killing Venezuelans.

The comments come amid worsening tensions in the country after the US and UK have backed Juan Guaido, who appointed himself "interim president" of Venezuela as hundreds of thousands marched to support him. European leaders are calling for "free and fair" elections. Russia and Turkey remain Nicolas Maduro's key supporters.

Mr De Zayas, a former secretary of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) and an expert in international law, spoke to The Independent following the presentation of his Venezuela report to the HRC in September. He said that since its presentation the report has been ignored by the UN and has not sparked the public debate he believes it deserves.

"Sanctions kill," he told The Independent, adding that they fall most heavily on the poorest people in society, demonstrably cause death through food and medicine shortages, lead to violations of human rights and are aimed at coercing economic change in a "sister democracy".

On his fact-finding mission to the country in late 2017, he found internal overdependence on oil, poor governance and corruption had hit the Venezuelan economy hard, but said "economic warfare" practised by the US, EU and Canada are significant factors in the economic crisis.

In the report, Mr de Zayas recommended, among other actions, that the International Criminal Court investigate economic sanctions against Venezuela as possible crimes against humanity under Article 7 of the Rome Statute.

The US sanctions are illegal under international law because they were not endorsed by the UN Security Council, Mr de Zayas, an expert on international law and a former senior lawyer with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said.
"Modern-day economic sanctions and blockades are comparable with medieval sieges of towns.

"Twenty-first century sanctions attempt to bring not just a town, but sovereign countries to their knees," Mr de Zayas said in his report.
The US Treasury has not responded to a request for comment on Mr de Zayas's allegations of the effects of the sanctions programme.

US sanctions prohibit dealing in currencies issued by the Venezuelan government. They also target individuals, and stop US-based companies or people from buying and selling new debt issued by PDVSA or the government.

The US has previously defended its sanctions on Venezuela, with a senior US official saying in 2018: "The fact is that the greatest sanction on Venezuelan oil and oil production is called Nicolas Maduro, and PDVSA's inefficiencies," referring to the state-run oil body, Petroleos de Venezuela, SA.

Mr De Zayas's findings are based on his late-2017 mission to the country and interviews with 12 Venezuelan government minsters, opposition politicians, 35 NGOs working in the country, academics, church officials, activists, chambers of commerce and regional UN agencies.

The US imposed new sanctions against Venezuela on 9 March 2015, when President Barack Obama issued executive order 13692, declaring the country a threat to national security.

The sanctions have since intensified under Donald Trump, who has also threatened military invasion and discussed a coup.

After backing Mr Guaido on 23 January, Mr Trump said, "I will continue to use the full weight of United States economic and diplomatic power to press for the restoration of Venezuelan democracy."

Venezuela has also described US sanctions as illegal. In 2018, foreign minister Jorge Arreaza said they were "madness, barbaric, and in absolute contradiction to international law".

Since 2015 around 1.9 million people have fled the country and on 23 October 2018 inflation reached 60,324 per cent, while the civilian death toll is unknown.

Despite being the first UN official to visit and report from Venezuela in 21 years, Mr de Zayas said his research into the causes of the country's economic crisis has so far largely been ignored by the UN and the media, and caused little debate within the Human Rights Council.

He believes his report has been ignored because it goes against the popular narrative that Venezuela needs regime change.
"When I come and I say the emigration is partly attributable to the economic war waged against Venezuela and is partly attributable to the sanctions, people don't like to hear that. They just want the simple narrative that socialism failed and it failed the Venezuelan people," Mr de Zayas told The Independent.

"When I came back [the UN and media were] not interested. Because I am not singing the song I'm supposed to sing so I don't exist ... And my report, as I said, was formally presented but there has been no debate on the report. It has been filed away."
The then UN high commissioner, Zeid Raad Al Hussein, reportedly refused to meet Mr de Zayas after the visit, and the Venezuela desk of the UN Human Rights Council also declined to help with his work after his return despite being obliged to do so, Mr de Zayas claimed.

He told The Independent the office gave him the "cold shoulder" because they were worried his report, which is now published, would be too independent.
"They are only interested in a rapporteur who is going to ... do grandstanding, is going to condemn the government and ask for regime change. And I went there to listen. I went there to find out what's actually going on," Mr de Zayas said.
A spokesperson for the office of the UN high commissioner said:
"The 56 Special Procedures - of which Alfred de Zayas was one - are independent, as well as very numerous, and so it is not a practice for the high commissioner to meet with them individually to discuss their reports. It would be physically impossible for him ... to do so."
The spokesperson said the actions of the Venezuela desk are more "complicated" than Mr de Zayas described, adding, "calling for regime change is not our business".

Ivan Briscoe, Latin America and Caribbean programme director for Crisis Group, an international NGO, told The Independent that Venezuela is a polarising subject, dividing those who support the socialist government and those who want to see a more US-aligned business friendly regime replace it.

Briscoe is critical of Mr de Zayas's report because it highlights US economic warfare but in his view neglects to mention the impact of a difficult business environment in the country which he believes is a symptom of "Chavismo" and the socialist governments' failures.

He said even if the sanctions are lifted, the country could not recover under current government policies, adding that Mr de Zayas's report is the result of a "lawyer trying to understand the nature of supply and demand, and it didn't quite work".

But, speaking before the news of Guaido's coup attempt, Briscoe acknowledged rising tensions and the likely presence of US personnel operating covertly in the country.

"Yes, something is going on. Yes there is talk of a military intervention. Which would be a very bad idea. But the fact of the matter is that the plan has been conceived in the context of the humanitarian crisis," he said.

Eugenia Russian, president of FUNDALATIN, one of the oldest human rights NGOs in Venezuela, founded in 1978 before the Chavez and Maduro governments and with special consultative status at the UN, spoke to The Independent on the significance of the sanctions.
"In contact with the popular communities, we consider that one of the fundamental causes of the economic crisis in the country is the effect that the unilateral coercive sanctions that are applied in the economy, especially by the government of the United States," Ms Russian said.
She said there may also be causes from internal errors, but said probably few countries in the world have suffered an "economic siege" like the one Venezuelans are living under.

The sanctions are part of a US effort to overthrow the Venezuelan government and install a more business friendly regime, as was done in Chile in 1973 and elsewhere in the region, Mr de Zayas said.
"I've seen that happen in the Human Rights Council, how the United States twists arms and convinces countries to vote the way they want them to vote, or there will be economic consequences, and these things are not reflected in the press," the former high-ranking UN official told The Independent.

"What's at stake is the enormous, enormous natural resources of Venezuela. And I sense that if Venezuela had no natural resources no one would give a damn about Chavez or Maduro or anybody else there," Mr de Zayas added.
Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world and an abundance of other natural resources including gold, bauxite and coltan. But under the Maduro government they're not easily accessible to US and transnational corporations.

US oil companies had large investments in Venezuela in the early 20th century but were locked out after Venezuelans voted to nationalise the industry in 1973.
"If you crush this government and you bring in a neoliberal government that is going to privatise everything and is going to sell out, a lot of transitional corporations stand to gain enormous profits and the United States is driven by the transnational corporations," the former UN special rapporteur told The Independent.

"The business of the United States is business. And that's what the United States is interested in. And they can't [currently] do business with Venezuela."
In his report, Mr de Zayas expressed concern that those calling the situation a "humanitarian crisis" are trying to justify regime change and that human rights are being "weaponised" to discredit the government and make violent overthrow more "palatable".

The Maduro government is responsible for "the worst human rights crisis in the country's history," according to Amnesty.

"Venezuela is going through one of the worst human rights crises in its history. The list of crimes under international law against the population is growing," Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty's Americas director, said in late 2018.

"It is alarming that, instead of applying efficient public policies to protect people and reduce levels of insecurity, the Venezuelan authorities are using the language of war to try to legitimise the use of excessive force by police and military officials and, in many cases, the use of lethal force with intent to kill."

Mr De Zayas recommended dialogue between the international community and Venezuelans to make their government better, rather than squeezing the country with sanctions and backing coups. He proposed that Venezuela's abundant natural wealth can help it recover once sanctions are lifted.
"The key to the solution of the crisis is dialogue and mediation... There is nothing more undemocratic than a coup d'état and nothing more corrosive to the rule of law and to international stability when foreign governments meddle in the internal affairs of other states," he told The Independent.

"Only the Venezuelans have a right to decide, not the United States, not the United Kingdom ... We do not want a repetition of the Pinochet putsch in 1973 ... What is urgent is to help the Venezuelan people through international solidarity - genuine humanitarian aid and a lifting of the financial blockade so that Venezuela can buy and sell like any other country in the world - the problems can be solved with good faith and common sense."
Mr De Zayas has since signed an open letter with Noam Chomsky and over 70 other academics and experts, condemning the US-backed coup attempt against the Venezuelan government.

He called the recent developments "totally surreal".

Ms Russian, speaking about the economic crisis, said:
"It is insufficient to see only the errors or deficiencies that the government may have, without seeing the environment of international pressure under which this population lives."

Related:

The Making of Juan Guaidó: How The US Regime Change Laboratory Created Venezuela's Coup Leader (https://www.sott.net/article/406034-The-Making-of-Juan-Guaido-How-The-US-Regime-Change-Laboratory-Created-Venezuelas-Coup-Leader)



Trump betrays MAGA over Venezuela (https://www.sott.net/article/405793-Trump-betrays-MAGA-over-Venezuela)



"Their future vassal": US meddling in Venezuela just like Iraq and Libya - Russian Foreign Ministry (https://www.sott.net/article/405939-Their-future-vassal-US-meddling-in-Venezuela-just-like-Iraq-and-Libya-Russian-Foreign-Ministry)



BoE refuses to return Venezuela's $1.2 billion in gold, US intends to use it to fund illegitimate Guaido (https://www.sott.net/article/405825-BoE-refuses-to-return-Venezuelas-1-2-billion-in-gold-US-intends-to-use-it-to-fund-illegitimate-Guaido)

=============================================================


Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world and an abundance of other natural resources including gold, bauxite and coltan. But under the Maduro government they're not easily accessible to US and transnational corporations.
So, yes, that's not very "business friendly" to the US and UK big oil and mining corporations, like Exxon, Shell, etc...

[Mike]

Gee Herve, are you being paid to endlessly copy and paste propaganda (or occasionally just a link)?

Why are you so desperate to prove a point?


Herve, I've just been laid off. please tell your handlers I'm available for work too, ok?:wink:

[perolator]

The toxicity of social media, and adoption of keyboard assassination techniques, as a weapon, has imbued a sense in some folk that it is acceptable to snark from behind a portcullis of assumed superiority.


Agree.



Yes, constructive and well thought out arguments with an intelligent, rationally positioned loci are our business here.


A member of this forum told me "I just spoke with a friend on the phone... he says your line about the elections only having 10% participation, is a pile of utter dog crap". Since then, I try to source information every time I can; it is difficult to locate reliable information in English, but I try anyway.

I may debunk each and every argument RT, Clark Murray, Eva Golinger, Abby Martin, et. al., ad nauseam... but I am not a journalist, historian and/or researcher. I just read John Perkins' book Confessions of an Economic Hit Man (it is very good) but it does not apply in its entirety to what is happening in my country.

Another member of the forum told me I have no real idea what is happening in my own country. (!) I thanked him for enlighten me. But what really offended me is the infamous article by Craig Murray "The Vultures of Caracas 43", available right here (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?105808-Turmoil-in-Venezuela&p=1271652&viewfull=1#post1271652) in this thread.


https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftimedotcom.files.wordpress.com%2F2019%2F01%2Fvenezuela-opposition-rally-maduro-guaido-3.jpg&f=1


Take a really close look at the photo... Scan individual hands in the crowd, one by one... Look at the exquisitely manicured hands, fingers fully stuffed of Cartier, Bulgari, rose gold rings... some platinum and beatifully sculpted diamond rings over there.... Franck Muller, Rolexes, Patek Phillipe, some Vacheron Constantin over there... Vertu cellphones... These are not the poor...



Low snarky blows from behind the portcullis are somewhat frowned upon.


Agree.


5th, (and perolator), would it be accurate to say that you are a member of the middle or upper class in Venezuela? (Yes, I remember you both said you are expats, but the question stands.) It seems like the only people echoing your stance are the 'old ruling class' or the 'wannabee ruling class' of Venezuela, and the imperialist/globalist/Deep State operatives... and those that have not taken any time to research.

Maybe I am, maybe not. What is the point? I am lost (again).


Guayabal wisely said: I think you are blind and can't accept real facts because they prove a failure in your ideology.


Speaking of low blows... This one went straight to the jaw.



:focus: of the OP please, everyone. (Hint: it isn't titled "Turmoil in Avalon")

I have tried (and failed miserably) to show a different point of view.

[ThePythonicCow]

bEvHwiJWgAY

Is not that simple. After watching Eva Golinger and her boatload of rotten crap, here is a bit of fresh air.

That was compelling ... she (Joanna Hausmann, if I have it right) sounded a lot more real than whatever the "distinguished" US Sec of State Pompeo said before the UN Security Council.

Does she, perolator, match your understanding of what is happening in Venezuela fairly accurately ?

[perolator]

That was compelling ... she (Joanna Hausmann, if I have it right) sounded a lot more real than whatever the "distinguished" US Sec of State Pompeo said before the UN Security Council.

Does she, perolator, match your understanding of what is happening in Venezuela fairly accurately ?

100%, Paul. Every single word she said is true.

She is the niece of Braulio Jatar, unfairly imprisoned (people cannot imagine there is a dictatorship in Venezuela) by the regime. His crime? see below:


Dazm_54_pRw

He was the first one to report about the protest. It was important because Maduro was not expecting poor people protesting. The area was one of the former chavista strongholds in Margarita island. Several residents were incarcerated, but...


All those held in Margarita were released after a few hours except Braulio Jatar, 58, who was picked up on Saturday morning on his way to host his regular morning radio show, according to his family.

Source (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics-idUSKCN11B22V)

The political police SEBIN accused him (ironically) of money laundering because they "found" USD 25,000 in his house but they forgot almost all his family lives in the U.S., I say ironically because chavistas wash and rinse millions of dollars in a daily basis. Chávez's daughter Maria Gabriela has more than 4 billion dollars in assets all over the world.


The daughter of Hugo Chavez, the former president who once declared 'being rich is bad,' may be the wealthiest woman in Venezuela, according to evidence reportedly in the hands of Venezuelan media outlets.

Maria Gabriela Chavez, 35, the late president's second-oldest daughter, holds assets in American and Andorran banks totaling almost $4.2billion, Diario las Americas reports.

Source (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3192933/Hugo-Chavez-s-ambassador-daughter-Venezuela-s-richest-woman-according-new-report.html)

The Maduro regime moved him to a state prison (common practice of Maduro and Chávez) to keep him among common criminals.

Source (https://panampost.com/karina-martin/2016/09/13/jailed-chilean-journalist-arbitrarily-moved-to-venezuela-state-prison/?cn-reloaded=1)

I don't know what happens to him as of now. Here (https://cpj.org/data/people/braulio-jatar/index.php) is his CPJ entry.

Hope this helps.

[guayabal]

Gee Herve, are you being paid to endlessly copy and paste propaganda (or occasionally just a link)?

Why are you so desperate to prove a point?


Herve, I've just been laid off. please tell your handlers I'm available for work too, ok?:wink:

ok Mike go ahead and continue spreading propaganda... we have first hand information and we can take it for what it is ;)

[5th]

Gee Herve, are you being paid to endlessly copy and paste propaganda (or occasionally just a link)?

Why are you so desperate to prove a point?

None of the moderators, each of us with our own very differing, passionately well informed and researched views on an equally varied and interesting plethora of subject matter, are paid.

Your point?

How can say say 'well informed and well researched' when all Herve has been doing is copy and pasting MSM propaganda? The same machine that we all know prints a load of BS because it's controlled and biased. He's trying to make the same point over and over and over and over again. The fact is that those of us with contacts in Venezuela know for certain it isn't true.

How can people here be so blindly stuck in the conspiracy mindset that they believe the MSN when in suits them over somebody like perolator who is an actual Venezuelan?

[Bubu]

[QUOTE=Tintin;1272230]


I have tried (and failed miserably) to show a different point of view.

Perolator, what exactly is your point? That Maduro is corrupt to the core and cause chaos and suffering to Venezuelan citizens? I can agree with that. But you are also clearly supporting the group which is behind Guaido. which means that if ever Maduro is ousted and Guaido takes over he will be a front to those that back him up, the USA group which we both agreed creates chaos everywhere. Thus it follows that if Guaido succeed the USA group will be able to create chaos and suffering to your people. It does not add up because according to you you want your people to be in good condition. Unless of course you are just saying it regardless of your personal agenda. I know I know this is how politicians (expats included) work. Work for the people in public work for the pocket privately.

No you dont fail miserably you have quite some good points I am just confuse with your seemingly double talk.

My point Maduro most probably is to be ousted and replace but certainly not with Guaido if we are after the good of Venezuelan citizen. And that you are only supporting Guaido because you have a personal agenda to protect and not because you are thinking of good of your people. Its only my conclusion and not necessarily the truth

Prove me wrong please.

[Tintin]

Gee Herve, are you being paid to endlessly copy and paste propaganda (or occasionally just a link)?

Why are you so desperate to prove a point?

None of the moderators, each of us with our own very differing, passionately well informed and researched views on an equally varied and interesting plethora of subject matter, are paid.

Your point?

How can say say 'well informed and well researched' when all Herve has been doing is copy and pasting MSM propaganda? The same machine that we all know prints a load of BS because it's controlled and biased. He's trying to make the same point over and over and over and over again. The fact is that those of us with contacts in Venezuela know for certain it isn't true.

How can people here be so blindly stuck in the conspiracy mindset that they believe the MSN when in suits them over somebody like perolator who is an actual Venezuelan?

What is being offered by Hervé, by way of the variously sourced commentaries available, is the opportunity for interested readers to, for example, apply sfumato to the palette; paint their own picture. By presenting those at times almost contradictory views from the mainstream commentariat and non-mainstream empowers a discerning spectator to draw their own conclusions. Think of these contributions as research material.

I may often do, and have done, similarly. Everything presented has some real value and should be thought provoking; there is no agenda at all.

What is difficult to refute is testimony from Venezuelan citizens caught up in the turmoil, but of course there will be differing perspectives amongst them as there are in societies worldwide. All of us of course, to a greater or lesser degree, are exposed to propaganda, and it is up to us to discern intelligently what is wheat, and what is chaff.

What is increasingly and I would proffer practically impossible to dispute is that Maduro will in most likelihood have crimes imputed to him from his tenure/office, but also what is I would argue self evident is yet another in a long history of nation state meddling by the US/CIA (probably British as well) in the affairs of another sovereign state unravelling very transparently.

You make a very sensible and fair point with regard to citizenry, and if you could please provide some perspective from those you know living in Venezuela, would be a terrific contribution here; I would welcome that.

It is of course very easy, as we all do and I can be a little guilty of that too, to intellectualise from distance as spectators but quite another thing to be caught up 'on-the-ground'.

If it's of any value I too have an extraordinary mistrust of mainstream information but making that available allows us a reference point to fairly critique, and with very good reason.

[5th]

This from the local news Caracas Chronicles https://www.caracaschronicles.com/2019/01/29/as-petare-rises-up-faes-wages-war-on-the-poor/

By 8:00pm, Joana thought a war had started. A three-hour shootout took hold of the area. “They were using automatic weapons and tear gas. We heard screams, chaos.”

Why? Because of something people in the “formal city” have barely noticed: the barrio turned on Maduro.

The chavista regime can no longer count on the big shantytowns in Caracas for support. What was once the cradle of urban chavismo and colectivos, is now the main focus of protest and violence against Maduro and his government.

Repression has been fierce in urban areas: the death toll keeps growing, as reports of FAES executions keep people terrified. Reports proliferate of growing numbers of arbitrary and underage detentions, the barrios speak up, but the shadow of repression wants to slience them.

“We’re afraid to talk about what FAES does with people. How do you tell someone how they kill you?” says an anonymous pedestrian from Petare in Plaza Los Dos Caminos in Caracas.

“Yesterday I told you everything was OK, after FAES left,” says Kleiver, a 26 year old mechanic and father of a two year old. “Today, before sundown, they came back, took two of my friends. They broke into their homes, beat them in front of their families, put them in a truck and left. Will we see them again?”

Kleiver is a demonstrator, but today he’s too scared to leave home. “I’ve lost so many brothers at the hands of FAES,” he tells us. “One of the ones they took is disabled. Are they going to execute him?”

There are no profiles on FAES officers, little public information on its structure, no accountability. We only know about the patterns that consistently appear in repeated victims’ stories: intimidation, home break-ins and executions.

FAES amounts to the Venezuelan police’s death squads. “According to official figures, there were 4,998 casualties in 2017 at the hands of State security forces, about 14 daily,” explains Keymer Ávila, researcher for the Central University’s Institute of Criminal Sciences, and PROVEA advisor.

“What the country’s suffering is a slow massacre, and the PNB’s special forces are a key piece of it. If we use these figures, we could estimate that the PNB may have killed 1,500, a figure that represents 30% of murders in the country.”

Reports that the Military are still supporting Maduro are correct but what they don't say is that unless they do they won't get paid or food to eat and their families may be persecuted.

[Hervé]

...

... for the records:


The Making of Juan Guaidó: How The US Regime Change Laboratory Created Venezuela's Coup Leader (https://grayzoneproject.com/2019/01/29/the-making-of-juan-guaido-how-the-us-regime-change-laboratory-created-venezuelas-coup-leader/)

Dan Cohen & Max Blumenthal Gray Zone (https://grayzoneproject.com/2019/01/29/the-making-of-juan-guaido-how-the-us-regime-change-laboratory-created-venezuelas-coup-leader/)
Tue, 29 Jan 2019 16:41 UTC

Before the fateful day of January 22, fewer than one in five (https://twitter.com/venanalysis/status/1087447663153500166) Venezuelans had heard of Juan Guaidó. Only a few months ago, the 35-year-old was an obscure character in a politically marginal far-right group closely associated with gruesome acts of street violence. Even in his own party, Guaidó had been a mid-level figure in the opposition-dominated National Assembly, which is now held under contempt according to Venezuela's constitution.

But after a single phone call from from US Vice President Mike Pence, Guaidó proclaimed himself as president of Venezuela. Anointed as the leader of his country by Washington, a previously unknown political bottom dweller was vaulted onto the international stage as the US-selected leader of the nation with the world's largest oil reserves.

Echoing the Washington consensus, the New York Times editorial board hailed (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/24/opinion/venezuela-guaido-maduro.html) Guaidó as a "credible rival" to Maduro with a "refreshing style and vision of taking the country forward." The Bloomberg News editorial board applauded (https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2019-01-25/guaido-s-bold-stroke-for-democracy-in-venezuela) him for seeking "restoration of democracy" and the Wall Street Journal declared (https://www.wsj.com/articles/revolt-in-venezuela-11548289111) him "a new democratic leader." Meanwhile, Canada, numerous European nations, Israel, and the bloc of right-wing Latin American governments known as the Lima Group recognized Guaidó as the legitimate leader of Venezuela.


https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507872/large/juan_guaido_us_regime_change_t.jpg (https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507872/full/juan_guaido_us_regime_change_t.jpg)
Juan Guaido's transformation from terrorist to 'democratic leader of Venezuela'


While Guaidó seemed to have materialized out of nowhere, he was, in fact, the product of more than a decade of assiduous grooming by the US government's elite regime change factories. Alongside a cadre of right-wing student activists, Guaidó was cultivated to undermine Venezuela's socialist-oriented government, destabilize the country, and one day seize power. Though he has been a minor figure in Venezuelan politics, he had spent years quietly demonstrating his worthiness in Washington's halls of power.
"Juan Guaidó is a character that has been created for this circumstance," Marco Teruggi, an Argentinian sociologist and leading chronicler of Venezuelan politics, told the Grayzone.

"It's the logic of a laboratory - Guaidó is like a mixture of several elements that create a character who, in all honesty, oscillates between laughable and worrying."
Diego Sequera, a Venezuelan journalist and writer for the investigative outlet, Mision Verdad, agreed:
"Guaidó is more popular outside Venezuela than inside, especially in the elite Ivy League and Washington circles," Sequera remarked to the Grayzone,

"He's a known character there, is predictably right-wing, and is considered loyal to the program."
While Guaidó is today sold as the face of democratic restoration, he spent his career in the most violent faction of Venezuela's most radical opposition party, positioning himself at the forefront of one destabilization campaign after another. His party has been widely discredited inside Venezuela, and is held partly responsible for fragmenting a badly weakened opposition.
"'These radical leaders have no more than 20 percent in opinion polls," wrote (http://www.caraotadigital.net/nacionales/luis-vicente-leon-la-oposicion-politica-venezolana-vive-su-peor-momento-historico/) Luis Vicente León, Venezuela's leading pollster.
According to Leon, Guaidó's party remains isolated because the majority of the population "does not want war. 'What they want is a solution.'"

But this is precisely why he Guaidó was selected by Washington: he is not expected to lead Venezuela towards to democracy, but to collapse a country that for the past two decades has been a bulwark of resistance to US hegemony. His unlikely rise signals the culmination of a two decades-long project to destroy a robust socialist experiment.

Targeting the 'troika of tyranny'
Since the 1998 election of Hugo Chavez, the United States has fought to restore control over Venezuela and is vast oil reserves. Chavez's socialist programs may have redistributed the country's wealth and helped lift millions out of poverty, but they also earned him a target on his back. In 2002, Venezuela's right-wing opposition briefly ousted him with US support and recognition before the military restored his presidency following a mass popular mobilization. Throughout the administrations of US Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, Chavez survived numerous assassination plots before succumbing to cancer in 2013. His successor, Nicolas Maduro, has survived (https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/27/maduro-assassination-plot-venezuela_n_3820765.html) three attempts (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2344973.stm) on his life.

The Trump administration immediately elevated Venezuela to the top of Washington's regime change target list, branding it the leader of a "troika of tyranny." (https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-national-security-advisor-ambassador-john-r-bolton-administrations-policies-latin-america/) Last year, Trump's national security team attempted (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/08/world/americas/donald-trump-venezuela-military-coup.html) to recruit members of the military brass to mount a military junta, but that effort failed. According to the Venezuelan government, the US was also involved in a plot codenamed Operation Constitution to capture Maduro at the Miraflores presidential palace, and another called Operation Armageddon (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-27/inside-the-failed-plot-to-overthrow-venezuelan-president-nicolas-maduro) to assassinate him at a military parade in July, 2017. Just over a year later, exiled opposition leaders tried and failed to kill Maduro (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J71BT0stT3k) with drone bombs during a military parade in Caracas.

More than a decade before these intrigues, a group of right-wing opposition students were hand-selected and groomed by an elite, US-funded regime change training academy to topple Venezuela's government and restore the neoliberal order.

Training from the 'export-a-revolution' group
On October 5, 2005, with Chavez's popularity at its peak and his government planning sweeping socialist programs, five Venezuelan "student leaders" arrived (https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/venezuela-marigold-revolution) in Belgrade, Serbia to begin training for an insurrection.

The students had arrived from Venezuela courtesy of the Center for Applied Non-Violent Action and Strategies, or CANVAS. This group is funded (http://www.wrongkindofgreen.org/2013/01/14/breaking-desperate-for-destabilization-in-venezuela-us-funded-otpor-rears-its-ugly-head/) largely through the National Endowment for Democracy (https://grayzoneproject.com/2018/08/20/inside-americas-meddling-machine-the-us-funded-group-that-interferes-in-elections-around-the-globe/), a CIA cut-out that functions as the US government's main arm of promoting regime change; and offshoots like the International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs. According to leaked internal emails (https://wikileaks.org/gifiles/docs/17/1792423_information-on-canvas-.html) from Stratfor, an intelligence firm known as the "shadow CIA," (https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/12/15/stratfor-canadian-government_n_4449505.html) "[CANVAS] may have also received CIA funding and training during the 1999/2000 anti-Milosevic struggle."

CANVAS is a spinoff of Otpor, a Serbian protest group founded by Srdja Popovic (http://www.williamengdahl.com/englishNEO1Oct2017.php) in 1998 at the University of Belgrade. Otpor, which means "resistance" in Serbian, was the student group that gained international fame - and Hollywood-level promotion (https://vimeo.com/143379353) - by mobilizing the protests that eventually toppled Slobodan Milosevic. This small cell of regime change specialists was operating according to the theories of the late Gene Sharp, the so-called "Clausewitz of non-violent struggle." Sharp had worked with a former Defense Intelligence Agency analyst, Col. Robert Helvey (http://peacemagazine.org/archive/v24n1p12.htm), to conceive a strategic blueprint that weaponized protest as a form of hybrid warfare, aiming it at states that resisted Washington's unipolar domination.


https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507858/large/5a2ba7b3_b1c4_4302_ae6c_1a2f0b.jpg (https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507858/full/5a2ba7b3_b1c4_4302_ae6c_1a2f0b.jpg)
Useful idiots and radicals of the world, unite! Otpor with R.E.M. at the 1998 MTV Europe Music Awards


Otpor was supported by the National Endowment for Democracy, USAID and Sharp's Albert Einstein Institute. Sinisa Sikman, one of Otpor's main trainers, once said (https://wikileaks.org/gifiles/docs/17/1792423_information-on-canvas-.html) the group even received direct CIA funding. According to a leaked email (https://wikileaks.org/gifiles/docs/17/1713359_re-insight-venezuela-canvas-analysis-.html) from a Stratfor staffer, after running Milosevic out of power,

"the kids who ran OTPOR grew up, got suits and designed CANVAS... or in other words an 'export-a-revolution' group that sowed the seeds for a NUMBER of color revolutions. They are still hooked into U.S. funding and basically go around the world trying to topple dictators and autocratic governments (ones that U.S. does not like ;))."
Stratfor revealed that CANVAS "turned its attention to Venezuela" in 2005 after training opposition movements that led pro-NATO regime change operations across Eastern Europe.

While monitoring the CANVAS training program, Stratfor outlined its insurrectionist agenda in strikingly blunt language: "Success is by no means guaranteed, and student movements are only at the beginning of what could be a years-long effort to trigger a revolution in Venezuela, but the trainers themselves are the people who cut their teeth on the 'Butcher of the Balkans.'� They've got mad skills. When you see students at five Venezuelan universities hold simultaneous demonstrations, you will know that the training is over and the real work has begun."

Birthing the 'Generation 2007' regime change cadre
The "real work" began two years later, in 2007, when Guaidó graduated from Andrés Bello Catholic University of Caracas. He moved to Washington DC to enroll in the Governance and Political Management Program (http://sri.ucab.edu.ve/sites/default/files/Convenio%20UCAB-%20CAF%20George%20Washington%20University.pdf) at George Washington University under the tutelage of Venezuelan economist Luis Enrique Berrizbeitia, one of the top Latin American neoliberal economists. Berrizbeitia is a former executive director (https://www.caf.com/media/3571/resumenexecutive.pdf) of the International Monetary Fund who spent more than a decade working in Venezuelan energy sector under the oligarchic old regime that was ousted by Chavez.

That year, Guaidó helped lead anti-government rallies after the Venezuelan government declined to (https://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/2424) to renew the license of Radio Caracas Televisión (RCTV). This privately-owned station played a leading role in the 2002 coup against Hugo Chavez. RCTV helped mobilize anti-government demonstrators, falsified information blaming government supporters for acts of violence carried out by opposition members, and banned pro-government reporting amid the coup. The role of RCTV and other oligarch-owned stations in driving the failed coup attempt was chronicled in the acclaimed documentary, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.

That same year, the students claimed credit for stymying Chavez's constitutional referendum for a "21st century socialism" that promised (https://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/2890) "to set the legal framework for the political and social reorganization of the country, giving direct power to organized communities as a prerequisite for the development of a new economic system."

From the protests around RCTV and the referendum, a specialized cadre of US-backed class of regime change activists was born. They called themselves "Generation 2007."

The Stratfor and CANVAS trainers of this cell identified Guaidó's ally - a street organizer named Yon Goicoechea - as a "key factor" in defeating the constitutional referendum. The following year, Goicochea was rewarded (https://www.cato.org/friedman-prize/yon-goicoechea) for his efforts with the Cato Institute's Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty, along with a $500,000 prize, which he promptly invested into building his own Liberty First (Primero Justicia) political network.


https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507869/large/Screen_Shot_2019_01_28_at_3_04.png (https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507869/full/Screen_Shot_2019_01_28_at_3_04.png)


Friedman, of course, was the godfather of the notorious neoliberal Chicago Boys who were imported into Chile by dictatorial junta leader Augusto Pinochet to implement policies of radical "shock doctrine"-style fiscal austerity. And the Cato Institute is the libertarian Washington DC-based think tank founded by the Koch Brothers, two top Republican Party donors who have become aggressive supporters (https://theintercept.com/2017/08/09/atlas-network-alejandro-chafuen-libertarian-think-tank-latin-america-brazil/) of the right-wing across Latin America.

Wikileaks published a 2007 email (https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/07CARACAS1128_a.html) from American ambassador to Venezuela William Brownfield sent to the State Department, National Security Council and Department of Defense Southern Command praising "Generation of '07" for having "forced the Venezuelan president, accustomed to setting the political agenda, to (over)react." Among the "emerging leaders" Brownfield identified were Freddy Guevara and Yon Goicoechea. He applauded the latter figure as "one of the students' most articulate defenders of civil liberties."

Flush with cash from libertarian oligarchs and US government soft power outfits, the radical Venezuelan cadre took their Otpor tactics to the streets, along with a version (https://frentemanuelpiar.blogspot.com/2011/01/nuestro-orgulloso-movimiento.html) of the group's logo, as seen below:


https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507868/large/Screen_Shot_2019_01_29_at_2_02.png (https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507868/full/Screen_Shot_2019_01_29_at_2_02.png)




"Galvanizing public unrest... to take advantage of the situation and spin it against Chavez"

In 2009, the Generation 2007 youth activists staged their most provocative demonstration (https://orhpositivo.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/los-culos-de-la-derecha-venezolana-al-aire-contra-chavez/#jp-carousel-2150) yet, dropping their pants on public roads and aping the outrageous guerrilla theater tactics outlined by Gene Sharp in his regime change manuals. The protesters had mobilized against the arrest of an ally from another newfangled youth group called JAVU. This far-right group "gathered funds from a variety of US government sources, which allowed it to gain notoriety quickly as the hardline wing of opposition street movements," according to academic George Ciccariello-Maher's book, Building the Commune.

While video of the protest is not available, many Venezuelans have identified (http://www.lechuguinos.com/juan-guaido-pela-nalgas/) Guaidó as one of its key participants. While the allegation is unconfirmed, it is certainly plausible; the bare-buttocks protesters were members of the Generation 2007 inner core that Guaidó belonged to, and were clad in their trademark Resistencia! Venezuela t-shirts, as seen below:


https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507867/large/GUAIDO.jpg (https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507867/full/GUAIDO.jpg)
Is this the ass that Trump wants to install in Venezuela’s seat of power?


That year, Guaidó exposed himself to the public in another way, founding a political party to capture the anti-Chavez energy his Generation 2007 had cultivated. Called Popular Will, it was led by Leopoldo López (https://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/11452), a Princeton-educated right-wing firebrand heavily involved in National Endowment for Democracy programs and elected as the mayor of a district in Caracas that was one of the wealthiest in the country. Lopez was a portrait of Venezuelan aristocracy, directly descended from his country's first president. He was also the first cousin of Thor Halvorssen (https://electronicintifada.net/content/oslo-freedom-forum-founders-ties-islamophobes-who-inspired-mass-killer-anders-breivik/12451), founder of the US-based Human Rights Foundation that functions as a de facto publicity shop for US-backed anti-government activists in countries targeted by Washington for regime change.

Though Lopez's interests aligned neatly with Washington's, US diplomatic cables (https://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/10388) published by Wikileaks highlighted the fanatical tendencies that would ultimately lead to Popular Will's marginalization. One cable identified Lopez as "a divisive figure within the opposition... often described as arrogant, vindictive, and power-hungry." Others highlighted his obsession with street confrontations and his "uncompromising approach" as a source of tension with other opposition leaders who prioritized unity and participation in the country's democratic institutions.


https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507865/large/Screen_Shot_2019_01_29_at_2_10.png (https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507865/full/Screen_Shot_2019_01_29_at_2_10.png)
Popular Will founder Leopoldo Lopez cruising with his wife, Lilian Tintori


By 2010, Popular Will and its foreign backers moved to exploit the worst drought to hit Venezuela in decades. Massive electricity shortages had struck the country due the dearth of water, which was needed to power hydroelectric plants. A global economic recession and declining oil prices compounded the crisis, driving public discontentment.

Stratfor and CANVAS - key advisors of Guaidó and his anti-government cadre - devised a shockingly cynical plan (https://search.wikileaks.org/gifiles/?viewemailid=218642) to drive a dagger through the heart of the Bolivarian revolution. The scheme hinged on a 70% collapse of the country's electrical system by as early as April 2010.
"This could be the watershed event, as there is little that Chavez can do to protect the poor from the failure of that system," the Stratfor internal memo declared.

"This would likely have the impact of galvanizing public unrest in a way that no opposition group could ever hope to generate. At that point in time, an opposition group would be best served to take advantage of the situation and spin it against Chavez and towards their needs."
By this point, the Venezuelan opposition was receiving a staggering $40-50 million a year from US government organizations like USAID and the National Endowment for Democracy, according to a report (https://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/5441) by the Spanish think-tank, the FRIDE Institute. It also had massive wealth to draw on from its own accounts, which were mostly outside the country.

While the scenario envisioned by Statfor did not come to fruition, the Popular Will party activists and their allies cast aside any pretense of non-violence and joined a radical plan to destabilize the country.

Towards violent destabilization
In November, 2010, according to emails (https://www.aporrea.org/actualidad/n250229.html) obtained by Venezuelan security services and presented by former Justice Minister Miguel Rodríguez Torres, Guaidó, Goicoechea, and several other student activists attended a secret five-day training at the Fiesta Mexicana hotel in Mexico City. The sessions were run by Otpor, the Belgrade-based regime change trainers backed by the US government. The meeting had reportedly received the blessing (https://www.telesurenglish.net/analysis/Who-is-Venezuelan-Terror-Plotter-Lorent-Saleh-Four-Former-Latin-American-Presidents-Just-Might-Know-20140924-0071.html) of Otto Reich, a fanatically anti-Castro Cuban exile working in George W. Bush's Department of State, and the right-wing former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe.

At the Fiesta Mexicana hotel, the emails stated, Guaidó and his fellow activists hatched a plan to overthrow President Hugo Chavez by generating chaos through protracted spasms of street violence.

Three petroleum industry figureheads - Gustavo Torrar, Eligio Cedeño and Pedro Burelli - allegedly covered the $52,000 tab to hold the meeting. Torrar is a self-described "human rights activist" and "intellectual" whose younger brother Reynaldo Tovar Arroyo is the representative in Venezuela of the private Mexican oil and gas company Petroquimica del Golfo, which holds a contract with the Venezuelan state.

Cedeño, for his part, is a fugitive Venezuelan businessman who claimed asylum in the United States, and Pedro Burelli a former JP Morgan executive and the former director of Venezuela's national oil company, Petroleum of Venezuela (PDVSA). He left PDVSA in 1998 as Hugo Chavez took power and is on the advisory committee (https://lalp.georgetown.edu/people/pedro-burelli) of Georgetown University's Latin America Leadership Program.

Burelli insisted that the emails detailing his participation had been fabricated (https://www.scribd.com/document/232153227/Evidence-in-English-Evidencia-en-Castellano) and even hired a private investigator to prove it. The investigator declared (https://www.apnews.com/5d93086fccd34d2c8ea5e92ca793da3b) that Google's records showed the emails alleged to be his were never transmitted.

Yet today Burelli makes no secret of his desire to see Venezuela's current president, Nicolás Maduro, deposed - and even dragged through the streets and sodomized with a bayonet, as Libyan leader Moammar Qaddafi was by NATO-backed militiamen.



Pedro Mario Burelli @pburelli
(https://twitter.com/pburelli)
.@NicolasMaduro (https://twitter.com/NicolasMaduro), jamas me has hecho caso. Me has fustigado/perseguido como @chavezcandanga (https://twitter.com/chavezcandanga) jamás osó. Óyeme, tienes sólo dos opciones en las próximas 24 horas:

1. Como Noriega: pagar pena por narcotráfico y luego a @IntlCrimCourt (https://twitter.com/IntlCrimCourt) La Haya por DDHH.

2. O a la Gaddafi.

Escoge ya!
The alleged Fiesta Mexicana plot flowed into another destabilization plan revealed in a series of documents (http://albaciudad.org/2014/05/video-fotos-pruebas-maria-corina-machado-kevin-whitaker-diego-arria-magnicidio-golpe-maduro/) produced by the Venezuelan government. In May 2014, Caracas released documents detailing an assassination plot against President Nicolás Maduro. The leaks identified the Miami-based Maria Corina Machado as a leader of the scheme. A hardliner with a penchant for extreme rhetoric, Machado has functioned as an international liaison for the opposition, visiting President George W. Bush (https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2005/05/images/20050531_p44959-105jasjpg-2-515h.html) in 2005.


https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507863/large/Screen_Shot_2019_01_29_at_2_12.png (https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507863/full/Screen_Shot_2019_01_29_at_2_12.png)
Machado and George W. Bush, 2005


"I think it is time to gather efforts; make the necessary calls, and obtain financing to annihilate Maduro and the rest will fall apart," Machado wrote in an email to former Venezuelan diplomat Diego Arria in 2014.

In another email (http://albaciudad.org/2014/05/video-fotos-pruebas-maria-corina-machado-kevin-whitaker-diego-arria-magnicidio-golpe-maduro/), Machado claimed that the violent plot had the blessing of US Ambassador to Colombia, Kevin Whitaker. "I have already made up my mind and this fight will continue until this regime is overthrown and we deliver to our friends in the world. If I went to San Cristobal and exposed myself before the OAS, I fear nothing. Kevin Whitaker has already reconfirmed his support and he pointed out the new steps. We have a checkbook stronger than the regime's to break the international security ring."

Guaidó heads to the barricades
That February, student demonstrators acting as shock troops for the exiled oligarchy erected violent barricades across the country, turning opposition-controlled quarters into violent fortresses (http://misionverdad.com/la-guerra-en-venezuela/cronicas-guarimberas-el-asesinato-indirecto-zello-y-el-ramboshow-de-vivas%20) known as guarimbas. While international media portrayed the upheaval as a spontaneous protest against Maduro's iron-fisted rule, there was ample evidence that Popular Will was orchestrating the show.

"None of the protesters at the universities wore their university t-shirts, they all wore Popular Will or Justice First t-shirts," a guarimba participant said (https://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/11853) at the time. "They might have been student groups, but the student councils are affiliated to the political opposition parties and they are accountable to them."

Asked who the ringleaders were, the guarimba participant said, "Well if I am totally honest, those guys are legislators now."

Around 43 were killed during the 2014 guarimbas. Three years later, they erupted again, causing mass destruction of public infrastructure, the murder of government supporters, and the deaths (https://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/13081) of 126 people, many of whom were Chavistas. In several cases, supporters of the government were burned alive by armed gangs.

Guaidó was directly involved in the 2014 guarimbas. In fact, he tweeted video showing himself clad in a helmet and gas mask, surrounded by masked and armed elements that had shut down a highway that were engaging in a violent clash with the police. Alluding to his participation in Generation 2007, he proclaimed, "I remember in 2007, we proclaimed, 'Students!' Now, we shout, 'Resistance! Resistance!'"

Guaidó has deleted the tweet, demonstrating apparent concern for his image as a champion of democracy.


bh4DjOUsShQ

On February 12, 2014, during the height of that year's guarimbas, Guaidó joined Lopez on stage at a rally of Popular Will and Justice First. During a lengthy diatribe (https://youtu.be/YTlGxofwNLw) against the government, Lopez urged the crowd to march to the office of Attorney General Luisa Ortega Diaz. Soon after, Diaz's office came under attack by armed gangs who attempted to burn it to the ground. She denounced what she called "planned and premeditated violence."


https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507861/large/Screen_Shot_2019_01_29_at_2_13.png (https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507861/full/Screen_Shot_2019_01_29_at_2_13.png)
Guaido alongside Lopez at the fateful February 12, 2014 rally


In an televised appearance in 2016, Guaidó dismissed (https://twitter.com/RedRadioVe/status/1088237230211190790) deaths resulting from guayas - a guarimba tactic involving stretching steel wire across a roadway in order to injure or kill motorcyclists - as a "myth." His comments whitewashed a deadly tactic that had killed (https://www.telesurtv.net/news/Muere-joven-venezolano-por-guaya-colocada-por-grupos-fascistas-20140222-0059.html) unarmed civilians like Santiago Pedroza and decapitated (http://notitweet-sucesos.blogspot.com/2014/02/este-es-elvis-duran-el-motorizado.html) a man named Elvis Durán, among many others.

This callous disregard for human life would define his Popular Will party in the eyes of much of the public, including many opponents of Maduro.

Cracking down on Popular Will
As violence and political polarization escalated across the country, the government began to act against the Popular Will leaders who helped stoke it.

Freddy Guevara, the National Assembly Vice-President and second in command of Popular Will, was a principal leader in the 2017 street riots. Facing a trial for his role in the violence, Guevara took shelter (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics/venezuela-opposition-leader-guevara-seeks-refuge-in-chile-ambassadors-home-idUSKBN1D50LN) in the Chilean embassy, where he remains.

Lester Toledo, a Popular Will legislator from the state of Zulia, was wanted by Venezuelan government in September 2016 on charges of financing terrorism and plotting (https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/12395) assassinations. The plans were said to be made with former Colombian President Álavaro Uribe. Toledo escaped Venezuela and went on several speaking tours with Human Rights Watch, the US government-backed Freedom House, the Spanish Congress and European Parliament.

Carlos Graffe, another Otpor-trained Generation 2007 member who led Popular Will, was arrested (http://www.el-nacional.com/noticias/oposicion/carlos-graffe-salio-libertad-tras-cinco-meses-prision_217102) in July 2017. According to police, he was in possession of a bag filled with nails, C4 explosives and a detonator. He was released on December 27, 2017.

Leopoldo Lopez, the longtime Popular Will leader, is today under house arrest, accused of a key role in deaths of 13 people during the guarimbas in 2014. Amnesty International lauded (https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2017/07/venezuela-leopoldo-lopez-moved-to-house-arrest-as-repression-deepens/) Lopez as a "prisoner of conscience" and slammed his transfer from prison to house as "not good enough." Meanwhile, family members of guarimba victims introduced (https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/12939) a petition for more charges against Lopez.

Yon Goicoechea, the Koch Brothers posterboy and US-backed founder of Justice First, was arrested in 2016 by security forces who claimed they found found a kilo (https://www.telesurtv.net/news/Detienen-en-Venezuela-a-opositor-equipado-con-explosivos-20160829-0053.html) of explosives in his vehicle. In a New York Times op-ed (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/04/opinion/venezuela-prison-democracy.html), Goicoechea protested the charges as "trumped-up" and claimed he had been imprisoned simply for his "dream of a democratic society, free of Communism." He was freed (https://twitter.com/YonGoicoechea/status/926828442594799616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dw.com%2Fen%2Fvenezuelan-authorities-release-two-anti-maduro-activists-from-prison%2Fa-41241026) in November 2017.


https://twitter.com/YonGoicoechea/status/1086793086406152193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1086793086406152193&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sott.net%2Fembed%2FXJAf819WQuSlz_F4JKWzuotyLHS


David Smolansky, also a member of the original Otpor-trained Generation 2007, became Venezuela's youngest-ever mayor when he was elected in 2013 in the affluent suburb of El Hatillo. But he was stripped of his position and sentenced to 15 months in prison by the Supreme Court after it found him culpable of stirring the violent guarimbas.

Facing arrest, Smolansky shaved his beard, donned sunglasses and slipped into Brazil (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-42270859) disguised as a priest with a bible in hand and rosary around his neck. He now lives in Washington, DC, where he was hand picked by Secretary of the Organization of American States Luis Almagro to lead the working group on the Venezuelan migrant and refugee crisis.

This July 26, Smolansky held what he called a "cordial reunion" with Elliot Abrams, the convicted Iran-Contra felon installed by Trump (https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/01/26/trumps-axis-evil-pompeo-bolton-abrams) as special US envoy to Venezuela. Abrams is notorious for overseeing the US covert policy of arming right-wing death squads during the 1980's in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala. His lead role in the Venezuelan coup has stoked fears that another blood-drenched proxy war might be on the way.


https://twitter.com/dsmolansky/status/1089233083839270915?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1089233083839270915&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sott.net%2Fembed%2FKwWHuK78zWowkFdHCB-FinOTmdk


Four days earlier, Machado rumbled another violent threat against Maduro, declaring (https://twitter.com/ErikaOSanoja/status/1087755816113967104) that if he "wants to save his life, he should understand that his time is up."

A pawn in their game
The collapse of Popular Will under the weight of the violent campaign of destabilization it ran alienated large sectors of the public and wound much of its leadership up in exile or in custody. Guaidó had remained a relatively minor figure, having spent most of his nine-year career in the National Assembly as an alternate deputy. Hailing from one of Venezuela's least populous states, Guaidó came in second place during the 2015 parliamentary elections, winning just 26% of votes cast in order to secure his place in the National Assembly. Indeed, his bottom may have been better known than his face.

Guaidó is known as the president of the opposition-dominated National Assembly, but he was never elected to the position. The four opposition parties that comprised the Assembly's Democratic Unity Table had decided to establish a rotating presidency. Popular Will's turn was on the way, but its founder, Lopez, was under house arrest. Meanwhile, his second-in-charge, Guevara, had taken refuge in the Chilean embassy. A figure named Juan Andrés Mejía would have been next in line but reasons that are only now clear, Juan Guaido was selected.

"There is a class reasoning that explains Guaidó's rise," Sequera, the Venezuelan analyst, observed. "Mejía is high class, studied at one of the most expensive private universities in Venezuela, and could not be easily marketed to the public the way Guaidó could. For one, Guaidó has common mestizo features like most Venezuelans do, and seems like more like a man of the people. Also, he had not been overexposed in the media, so he could be built up into pretty much anything."

In December 2018, Guaidó sneaked across the border and junketed to Washington, Colombia and Brazil to coordinate the plan to hold mass demonstrations during the inauguration of President Maduro. The night before Maduro's swearing-in ceremony, both Vice President Mike Pence and Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland called Guaidó to affirm their support.

A week later, Sen. Marco Rubio, Sen. Rick Scott and Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart - all lawmakers from the Florida base of the right-wing Cuban exile lobby - joined President Trump and Vice President Pence at the White House. At their request, Trump agreed (https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-call-from-pence-helped-set-an-uncertain-new-course-in-venezuela-11548430259?tesla=y&mod=djemalertNEWS) that if Guaidó declared himself president, he would back him.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met personally withGuaidó on January 10, according to the Wall Street Journal. However, Pompeo could not pronounce Guaidó's name when he mentioned him in a press briefing on January 25, referring to him as "Juan Guido."


https://twitter.com/dancohen3000/status/1088919163022819329?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1088919163022819329&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sott.net%2Fembed%2FLA0Ft46pUouSOBZ7ugPRlCjtTR7


By January 11, Guaidó's Wikipedia page had been edited (https://twitter.com/Naldoxx/status/1083847986143248384) 37 times, highlighting the struggle to shape the image of a previously anonymous figure who was now a tableau for Washington's regime change ambitions. In the end, editorial oversight of his page was handed over to Wikipedia's elite council of "librarians," who pronounced him the "contested" president of Venezuela.

Guaidó might have been an obscure figure, but his combination of radicalism and opportunism satisfied Washington's needs. "That internal piece was missing," a Trump administration said (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/without-a-road-map-trump-administration-pins-hopes-on-venezuelas-opposition/2019/01/24/e132b3c8-1ff6-11e9-8e21-59a09ff1e2a1_story.html) of Guaidó. "He was the piece we needed for our strategy to be coherent and complete."

"For the first time," Brownfield, the former American ambassador to Venezuela, gushed to (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/25/world/americas/venezuela-news-protests-noticias.html) the New York Times, "you have an opposition leader who is clearly signaling to the armed forces and to law enforcement that he wants to keep them on the side of the angels and with the good guys."

But Guaidó's Popular Will party formed the shock troops of the guarimbas that caused the deaths of police officers and common citizens alike. He had even boasted of his own participation in street riots. And now, to win the hearts and minds of the military and police, Guaido had to erase this blood-soaked history.

On January 21, a day before the coup began in earnest, Guaidó's wife delivered a video address (https://twitter.com/LlaneroDigitalV/status/1087502656950714368) calling on the military to rise up against Maduro. Her performance was wooden and uninspiring, underscoring the her husband's limited political prospects.

At a press conference before supporters four days later, Guaidó announced (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcGX37FlivY) his solution to the crisis: "Authorize a humanitarian intervention!"

While he waits on direct assistance, Guaidó remains what he has always been - a pet project of cynical outside forces.

"It doesn't matter if he crashes and burns after all these misadventures," Sequera said of the coup figurehead.

"To the Americans, he is expendable."

[Hervé]

The systematic destruction of the PDVSA (https://www.voltairenet.org/article204965.html)




Voltaire Network | 30 January 2019

https://www.voltairenet.org/squelettes/elements/images/ligne-rouge.gif
français (https://www.voltairenet.org/article204950.html) Español (https://www.voltairenet.org/article204953.html)italiano (https://www.voltairenet.org/article204955.html)






https://www.voltairenet.org/local/cache-vignettes/L400xH250/arton204965-363c3.jpg

The United States has just imposed a series of sanctions on the PDVSA, the state company tasked with exploiting and selling the hydrocarbons belonging to Venezuela. According to the US Treasury Secretary, Steven Mnuchin, “the Maduro Regime” was making use of the PDVSA to “control, manipulate and rob the people of Venezuela”. ‎

When the US Treasury Secretary talks about “manipulating the people” he is referring to the fact that the Bolivarian Republic was redistributing the profits of PDVSA among the country’s poor. ‎ Under the new US sanctions, from now on, US companies will no longer be able to pay the constitutional authorities of the Bolivarian Republic for Venezuelan oil. Instead, payment must be made to the self-declared “Acting President” Juan Guaidó. ‎

A collateral effect of this measure is that CITGO, the US subsidiary of PDVSA, will not be able to pay off the loans that the Russian giant Rosneft had granted it. Due to this, Rosneft could seize the three refineries that CITGO operates in the United States as well as its oil pipelines in this country. But the Pentagon will surely be opposed for “reasons of national security”.

Since PDVSA was established in 1976, the personnel of this company have lived detached from the rest of the Venezuelan people, with their eyes firmly fixed ‎on Washington. They are completely against the Bolivarian Movement.

During the Presidency of Hugo Chávez, PDVSA slowed down its production but its profits increased. Although the Venezuelan state wanted to provide refineries with facilities to treat the shale oil that had just been discovered, it restrained its zeal in pursuing this activity: President Chavez feared that such initiative might provoke a US invasion. ‎

Under the Presidency of Nicolas Maduro, a series of scandals followed, crippling the PDVSA: the managing team siphoned off millions and transferred them to Andorra before the State managed to discover the financial manipulation and prosecute the criminals. Most of the PDVSA’s employees support the coup of Juan Guaidó and sabotage the work of PDVSA by not turning up at work. This has triggered a fall in production which was reduced to a fifth of its capacities.

Translation Anoosha Boralessa (https://www.voltairenet.org/auteur126167.html?lang=en)

[Hervé]

Elliott Abrams makes a comeback (https://www.voltairenet.org/article204913.html)




Voltaire Network | 26 January 2019

https://www.voltairenet.org/squelettes/elements/images/ligne-rouge.gif
français (https://www.voltairenet.org/article204883.html) Español (https://www.voltairenet.org/article204891.html) italiano (https://www.voltairenet.org/article204914.html)عربي (https://www.voltairenet.org/article204919.html) Português (https://www.voltairenet.org/article204920.html)Türkçe (https://www.voltairenet.org/article204924.html) Deutsch (https://www.voltairenet.org/article204936.html)




https://www.voltairenet.org/local/cache-vignettes/L400xH250/arton204913-0edae.jpg
Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State has just appointed Elliot Abrams as Special Envoy for Venezuela.


Elliott Abrams is a hard-core neo-conservative. He wove himself into the tight-knit Jewish coterie surrounding Democratic senator Henry Scoop Jackson. He then unravelled himself and threaded into the Reagan Administration. Abrams married the step-daughter of Norman Podhoretz, editor-in-chief of the Commentary. He is one of the initiators of theo-politics.

He was the one who supervised the creation of NED – the National Endowment for Democracy. This is the agency tasked with pursuing in secret the goals of the CIA. When Reagan was president, Abrams was on the organizing committee of the war against Nicaragua and El Salvador, as well as the Iran-Contras matter. Then when Bush (son) was President, Abrams was on the advisory committee for “global democracy”. It is in this capacity that Abrams supervised the attempted coup d’état against Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez in 2002.

During the most recent presidential campaign, Abrams took a position against Donald Trump. Yet after Trump was elected to power, the Deep State tried to impose him as Secretary of State but President Trump would have none of it.

Abrams appointment as special envoy for Venezuela marks a radical shift in the Trump Administration’s policy.
« Elliott Abrams, le "gladiateur" converti à la "théopolitique" (https://www.voltairenet.org/article16215.html) », par Thierry Meyssan, Réseau Voltaire, 14 février 2005.
Translation Anoosha Boralessa (https://www.voltairenet.org/auteur126167.html?lang=en)

[perolator]

Perolator, what exactly is your point? That Maduro is corrupt to the core and cause chaos and suffering to Venezuelan citizens? I can agree with that.

Wonderful. That is 50% my point.



But you are also clearly supporting the group which is behind Guaido.


I do not deny it. I am against the Maduro regime and Chávez's before him. Please understand:

I am not supporting "a group".
I am not part of any agenda. All I want is restoration of democracy in Venezuela.
Nobody is funding me to post my opinion here. Moreover, this is the only place where I am posting my particular, objective point of view. RT, teleSUR, et. al. are NOT flooding the world with propaganda for free. That's for sure.
I don't care about global socialism, global communism, conspiracy theories, whatever. That's why I haven't posted before in this section of Avalon.
I am against the Bolivarian crap because it is the only form of "socialism" I know. FYI, it is pretty bad. Doesn't work. Could not work.




which means that if ever Maduro is ousted...


Bubu, Maduro's regime is not legit. it is a narco-dictatorship.



...and Guaido takes over he will be a front to those that back him up, the USA group which we both agreed creates chaos everywhere.


Agree, but... the USA group always has had presence in Venezuela and, you know what? All was okay. FYI, the U.S. has been supporting the Venezuelan government BECAUSE they are the only ones paying cash for oil. Russia and China had criminal onerous trade agreements with the treacherous regime that only benefit both superpowers. No "oil for the poor" but a HUGE debt for the Venezuelan people. also, we Venezuelans pay heavy taxes to support the regime.



Thus it follows that if Guaido succeed the USA group will be able to create chaos and suffering to your people. It does not add up because according to you you want your people to be in good condition.


Wait and see.



Unless of course you are just saying it regardless of your personal agenda. I know I know this is how politicians (expats included) work. Work for the people in public work for the pocket privately.


I don't want to discuss my personal agenda now. My captain is telling me my Gulfstream V is about to land.



No you dont fail miserably you have quite some good points I am just confuse with your seemingly double talk.


No double talk here. Please allow me to clarify anything you need.



My point Maduro most probably is to be ousted and replace but certainly not with Guaido if we are after the good of Venezuelan citizen. And that you are only supporting Guaido because you have a personal agenda to protect and not because you are thinking of good of your people. Its only my conclusion and not necessarily the truth

Prove me wrong please.

Bubu, I don't care WHO or WHOM "oust" Maduro and his people. That's my point. Russia and China are in Venezuela doing business, they won't help Maduro. All they want is their money.

Personal agenda. :facepalm:

Believe what you want. You are free to decide what is good and bad.

[AriG]

Ron Paul highlights the evil do-er John Bolton's continuing plans for world domination. They aren't even trying to hide the US backed coup and their intentions. No need for conspiracy "theories" here, these jerks are providing us with Conspiracy Facts!

Incidentally, I had a run in with John Bolton in 1995. He was a screaming red faced animal. Horrible human being. He was looking for his "daughter" and thought that I, as a Manager for a small city, somehow would have knowledge as to the whereabouts of his "daughter". Turns out, this person, who ended up being an exotic dancer (probably more) was not his daughter. Very interesting....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTE0SQA2jU8

[Hervé]

The Dan Cohen & Max Blumenthal article posted here (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?105808-Turmoil-in-Venezuela&p=1272285&viewfull=1#post1272285) (<---)

[ripple]

Ron Paul highlights the evil do-er John Bolton's continuing plans for world domination.


Bolton talks and behaves exactly as can be predicted from his past . Arguably a Super Soldier .

Time after time . And then some more , we hear of Trump appointments and ex-appointees behaving exactly as Deep State operatives have always done . Because they are Deep State . And even Percy the Pig knows the form .

" Trump is therefore either a Clown or complete Hostage " . Discuss .

Or , " The Left may be gripped by their insanity but their opponents are blind and deaf ". Take your pick .

[AriG]

Sorry Herve’. Didn’t realize that there was a long long thread on this. I used the post/thread checker tool and nothing came up. Mods please feel free to merge.


[Merge done, Hervé]

[ThePythonicCow]

Be careful what you wish for. The USA has just appointed "the savior you've been waiting for", Elliot Abrams (http://time.com/5513683/elliot-abrams-venezuela/).


Jesus, Dennis. That is a hell of a find and correlation.


Elliott Abrams makes a comeback (https://www.voltairenet.org/article204913.html)
Nancy Morgan Hart, of Headlines With A Voice (HWAV), presents some background on Elliott Abrams.

Abrams is one of the premier, criminal, interventionist, Neocons. His appointment by Sec of State Pompeo to be special envoy for Venezuela is a clear marker that the nation building destroying policies of the Imperial American Empire are in full play in Venezuela. Never mind and to hell with whatever Trump might want.
rt06j-HmOrg
The cure is sometimes worse than the disease.

Yes, perolator, the chavista disease of Maduro is bad, very bad.

But the American Imperialists have a long history of destroying nations, and Abrams is a premier Imperialist.

The American (Rockefeller, ...) allopathic doctors use the same strategy. They, along with their (formerly named) Monsanto and other "modern agricultural" associates, feed you toxic food and medicines until you get cancer. Then they scare the hell out of you with the cancer diagnosis and treat you with chemo and radiation until you die, very sick and very poor.

Either Juan Guaidó is the chemo, or, I suspect perhaps more likely, he and the calls for restoring democracy to Venezuela are dispensable bait, being used to bring down Maduro, before further destroying Venezuela and robbing it of its resources, or at least making sure that no one opposed to the American Imperial Empire (such as Russia and China) gets a hand on those resources.

¤=[Post Update]=¤


Sorry Herve’. Didn’t realize that there was a long long thread on this. I used the post/thread checker tool and nothing came up. Mods please feel free to merge.
That's ok. Herve’ did the merge. Our forum search and checker tools are not as good as Google's search tools ... but then again our connections with the CIA are not as good either.

[ThePythonicCow]

Either Juan Guaidó is the chemo, or, I suspect perhaps more likely, he and the calls for restoring democracy to Venezuela are dispensable bait, being used to bring down Maduro, before further destroying Venezuela and robbing it of its resources, or at least making sure that no one opposed to the American Imperial Empire (such as Russia and China) gets a hand on those resources.
As I just posted elsewhere (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?104156-QAnon-An-Opposing-Viewpoint-LARP-Psyop-Cult-or-Something-Even-More-Sinister&p=1272356&viewfull=1#post1272356):


Guaidó is the candy that the Rockefeller trained allopathic doctor uses to get you to start taking your chemo, after they have poisoned you enough that you have cancer. You end up very dead and very poor, poisoned and bankrupted by the chemo.

I would suggest that those with faith pray that this is not the path of Venezuela, that Venezuela is not on the path that Libya traveled. The collapse of Libya resulted in a flood of non-acclimated, non-acclimatable, migrants into Europe. Perhaps the Anglo-American Imperialists have the same fate in store for the United States?

[AriG]

Ron Paul highlights the evil do-er John Bolton's continuing plans for world domination.


Bolton talks and behaves exactly as can be predicted from his past . Arguably a Super Soldier .

Time after time . And then some more , we hear of Trump appointments and ex-appointees behaving exactly as Deep State operatives have always done . Because they are Deep State . And even Percy the Pig knows the form .

" Trump is therefore either a Clown or complete Hostage " . Discuss .

Or , " The Left may be gripped by their insanity but their opponents are blind and deaf ". Take your pick .

OR... Trump is draining the swamp by mechanism of ensuring that the lizards are actually in the swamp at the time it is drained. All the while playing buffoon and blowhard as a smoke screen. Recent indictments might suggest so. Or perhaps I am giving him too much credit. Either case, Bolton is the devil. He has served in every republican administration since he cut his teeth. The day he attacked me, the first words out of his mouth were (screaming) “do you know who I am”!! Had I been quicker on my feet I would have replied with, “ I think so, I smelled sulfur ten minutes before you walked In The door”. Hindsight...

[Bubu]

[...]
Believe what you want. You are free to decide what is good and bad.

Its more of what you believe than mine. My family is not in Venezuela.

I think Paul, sum up the whole situation very accurately. God help Venezuela. The battle ground between the two mammoth force on the planet is now in your place. I'm taking the side of China and Russia in any case. They dont have a record of deliberately destroying nations such as this one.

[Hervé]

About Bolton and the US very long tentaculous arms:

Senior UN judge resigns from The Hague citing 'shocking' interference from 'above the law' US (https://www.theguardian.com/law/2019/jan/28/international-criminal-court-icc-judge-christoph-flugge-quits-citing-political-interference-trump-administration-turkey)

Daniel Boffey The Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/law/2019/jan/28/international-criminal-court-icc-judge-christoph-flugge-quits-citing-political-interference-trump-administration-turkey)
Mon, 28 Jan 2019 21:59 UTC


https://www.sott.net/image/s25/508087/large/5c52101adda4c8e70a8b460f.jpg (https://www.sott.net/image/s25/508087/full/5c52101adda4c8e70a8b460f.jpg)
The International Criminal Court building in The Hague, The Netherlands © Reuters / Piroschka Van De Wouw


A senior judge has resigned from one of the UN's international courts in The Hague citing "shocking" political interference from the White House and Turkey.

[...]

Flügge said the attitude of the US administration to the international criminal court (ICC) in The Hague highlighted the danger:
"John Bolton, the national security adviser to the US president, held a speech last September in which he wished death on the international criminal court," he said.

"If these judges ever interfere in the domestic concerns of the US or investigate an American citizen, he said the American government would do all it could to ensure that these judges would no longer be allowed to travel to the United States - and that they would perhaps even be criminally prosecuted.

"The American security adviser held his speech at a time when The Hague was planning preliminary investigations into American soldiers who had been accused of torturing people in Afghanistan. The American threats against international judges clearly show the new political climate. It is shocking. I had never heard such a threat."
Flügge said the judges on the court had been "stunned" that "the US would roll out such heavy artillery".

"It is consistent with the new American line: 'We are No 1 and we stand above the law,'" he said.

[Flash]

Justlistened again t Edward Snowden movie.

Perolator and others, maybe listening to that movie would help understanding the USA and its tentacles. It is on Netflix

[ripple]

Justlistened again t Edward Snowden movie.

Perolator and others, maybe listening to that movie would help understanding the USA and its tentacles. It is on Netflix


And this brilliant expose by ZH today is an eye opener , even to a cynic like me

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-01-30/making-juan-guaido-how-us-regime-change-laboratory-created-venezuelas-coup-leader

What a remarkable piece of reporting .

Anybody who believes that The Trump is winning the battle with the Shadow Government and/or Deep State will probably hiccup for some time . My impression is that he is a complete hostage with Goldman Sachs and the Neo Cons dancing around him gleefully .

[5th]

Justlistened again t Edward Snowden movie.

Perolator and others, maybe listening to that movie would help understanding the USA and its tentacles. It is on Netflix


We fully understand (and deplore) US overseas policy and don't doubt that they are playing a hand in Venezuela right now. The point we are trying to make is that Maduro needs to be removed because he is destroying the country and its people. Often, using propaganda lies, the US engineers regime change when the leader is doing something good but is anti US or has an independent banking system but in this case, ANY change is better than carrying on with Maduro.

As I said before, sometimes there really is an evil dictator who needs to be removed. Even if Venezuela ends up fully in the hands of the US (which is actually still in doubt) it will be better for the Venezuelan people. At the present time, death is a daily possibility.

[Hervé]

[...]
And this brilliant expose by ZH today is an eye opener , even to a cynic like me
[...]
See post # 149 (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?105808-Turmoil-in-Venezuela&p=1272285&viewfull=1#post1272285) in this thread where it's already been posted in full...

[spade]

[...]
Believe what you want. You are free to decide what is good and bad.

Its more of what you believe than mine. My family is not in Venezuela.

I think Paul, sum up the whole situation very accurately. God help Venezuela. The battle ground between the two mammoth force on the planet is now in your place. I'm taking the side of China and Russia in any case. They dont have a record of deliberately destroying nations such as this one.

I beg to differ with China - where's Tibet, Hong Kong, the real Mongolia nowadays, (soon to consume the rest of South East Asia as they have tried to in the past) - have you seen the crazy new silk road initiatives? Pumping and dumping and cutting deals with corrupt governments with fake loans and forcing them to repay the debt incurred by infrastructure projects in South East Asia leaving the peasants continually destitute without any land compensation? Have you seen their housing developments in Africa? What about the take over of all the Philippines' waters? All these horrendous things by taking the same pages out of the Confessions of an Economic Hitman book.

[Carmody]

Justlistened again t Edward Snowden movie.

Perolator and others, maybe listening to that movie would help understanding the USA and its tentacles. It is on Netflix


We fully understand (and deplore) US overseas policy and don't doubt that they are playing a hand in Venezuela right now. The point we are trying to make is that Maduro needs to be removed because he is destroying the country and its people. Often, using propaganda lies, the US engineers regime change when the leader is doing something good but is anti US or has an independent banking system but in this case, ANY change is better than carrying on with Maduro.

As I said before, sometimes there really is an evil dictator who needs to be removed. Even if Venezuela ends up fully in the hands of the US (which is actually still in doubt) it will be better for the Venezuelan people. At the present time, death is a daily possibility.

The question is, in the minds of the masses who would make or tolerate moves made by the given players...WHO PUT THEM THERE?

Who and what exactly, put Venezuela in the condition it is in right now?

How, exactly and specifically, in fine detail, in the hidden aspects, the not obvious aspects....how did Venezuela arrive in the condition it is in right now?

THAT is the most critical thing to know, as that needed, powerfully needed detail work...that all points at the direction which is correct to go in.

Saying that Venezuela would be better of right now, with US interference and involvement, can be a lot like some hidden aspects of Stockholm syndrome, -- a case of identifying with dark forces from one's own jailers and killers.

Almost like saying "I know this guy shot and killed some of my relatives... and my kids and family are starving to death and some are going to die because of him and his actions, but he's our best hope for now and the future."


So when I see what is said in the post I'm quoting, I think to what I know of the US behaviour in the Latin and southern sphere and their history in such matters says my crazy sounding stuff is very likely quite true.

As that the the US history in all these things. Across the globe. A dozen times over. And actually far more than a dozen times. The record is one of fascist insanity inflicted on other countries, via clandestine means and clandestine channels. More times than anyone can count or find record of.

So what, exactly, would suddenly, out of the blue, prove that analysis wrong, when dealing with the most important country in the world right now, regarding global balance and US dark forces desperation - and in their at least 100 year record of involvement, in such noted ways.... in this exact area of the world??

[Dennis Leahy]

(cross-posting this, as I believe it also belongs in this thread)



Regardless of what you BELIEVE about trump, he is ACTING AS a deep-state globalist....
What if the deep state imperialists (Rockefeller's, Bush's, Clinton's, CIA, etc) had placed the current President Nicolas Maduro in power and had destroyed Venezuela, as they have done so often before, in Venezuela and so many other countries?This sounds like a Netflix movie plot for a fantasy good guy US president to swoop in...


What if Trump was actually working to dismantle this US imperialist intervention and to return Venezuela to the people of Venezuela?...
... and there it is. Fantasy good guy US president, an emancipator, not just an imperialist scumbag tool like all his predecessors, swoops in, saves the day. Nice. The Trump of which you speak must wear a cape and his underwear on the outside, and navigates by way of his glowing Sacred Heart. That's Supertrump, and his pit vipers Bolton and Abrams, swooping in to make sure that the people of Venezuela get the profits of the sale of that national Venezuelan resource, oil... hey, wait a minuto!

Back to this:
What if the deep state imperialists (Rockefeller's, Bush's, Clinton's, CIA, etc) had placed the current President Nicolas Maduro in power...

Problemo #1: Well, they didn't. Nor did they bring Chavez to power. Sorry, it blows the whole fantasy, but the neoliberals and neocons --> neoliberalcons, to coin a word, the modern flavor components of the deep state globalists, have been marking their territory for decades. We know full well what their footprint looks like. It ain't "socialist." It ain't a class uprising. But they have every reason to squash class uprisings and socialist movements.

There's that word again, "socialism", that word that has been disemboweled and torn to shreds and stitched back together and reanimated and used as a pejorative to describe its complete opposite. I know it gets confusing, and that's because that word was targeted for destruction. Socialism is the opposite of privatization and power, resource, and wealth ownership consolidation, not the opposite of capitalism. Privatization, and power, resource, and wealth ownership consolidation, on a global scale, is globalism.

Socialism is "of the people" and "sharing essential resources" and "sharing the commons" and "having decentralized government" and toward an "egalitarian society" or at least toward a society where everyone's basic needs are met. It is decentralized power that the globalists fear most - the loss of their centralized power that they have networked (with mobsters) and worked (clawed, manipulated, murdered) for decades to get political and military power under their mobster family control.

Globalism is private ownership (privatization)/dissolution of the commons. Globalism is about the autocratic consolidation of governance power and resources and wealth - and, on a global scale, that is the NWO goal. Value of individuals is based on how much they affect the globalists cash-flow, so the poor are ledger debits - ignorable, expendable.

Socialism emphasizes shared public ownership of a "commons", distribution of governance power (government decentralization - not autocracy but rather democracy), value of all individuals. Much flatter hierarchy and emphasis on local governance.

(Communism would seek to dissolve all private ownership. That does not describe socialism. Just wanted to make the point of what socialism isn't. While I'm here, I'll say that communism also would dissolve hierarchical governance, which is why communism has never happened anywhere, and couldn't happen in a social group larger than a large family/commune.)

Socialist uprisings and legitimate socialist movements are class wars. It's the "have not's", and those that have little, uniting to take control of their own governance and a share of the pie (if there is one.)

Have we yet established that the globalists are the bad guys? Do we agree there? So, if we see how they operate, their M.O., and recognize they are antisocialist, then we're not going to pretend that when we see class wars erupting all over the planet, that it's the globalists - with the most to lose with the success of any class war- fomenting it. Maybe the word "globalist" should always be followed by the word "mobster", so there is no warm and fuzzy "handshake around the globe" vibe in the word 'globalist.'



... when and if the US has done so, and another nation is currently in deep turmoil on account of such intervention, does not the US have a moral obligation to help the people of that nation throw off the tin-pot, banana-republic, dictators that it's imperialist policies placed there, and to allow and support the return of the control of that nation to its people?
...
No. The USA, INC. (the Deep State controlled, mobster government of the USA) is utterly incapable of helping Venezuela, or anyone. The USA, INC. has never ever ever helped another country (other than Israel.) Good examples include Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya, where the USA, INC. destroyed the country, killed from hundreds of thousands to millions of innocent humans,... and then says the USA, INC. is going to extract (steal) the minerals, steal the oil, steal the gold - ostensibly to pay for the USA, INC. "intervention"/destruction.


...I posted an "Opposing Viewpoint", more in line with the primary thrust of this thread, over at Turmoil in Venezuela -- Post #157 (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?105808-Turmoil-in-Venezuela&p=1272353&viewfull=1#post1272353&quot;).

In short, I posted there that Maduro is bad...
I believe I detect a thinly veiled "socialism is bad; Maduro is socialist; Maduro is bad" equivalency from reading a number of your posts.* In using "bad" you're not emphasizing 'incompetent' or 'myopic' or a bumpkin or an idiot... the implication (to me) of someone being "one of the bad guys", i.e., "bad", would be how deeply and thickly associated they are with the mobster class running the world - the globalists, the bad guys. If Maduro had some truly despicable uber-mobster buddies, people on the order of say, Abrams, Bolton, Giuliani, then I would be highly suspect that Maduro is a bad guy - a globalist mobster. So, I don't know, does Maduro have friends at that level of slithering evil? The most common two allegations are that Maduro is a "dictator", and that he is a colossal thief stealing from the Venezuelan commons, rather than admitting that he is a hapless victim of globalist-imperialist economic warfare that he lacks the sophistication and wherewithal to thwart. There is a big difference. Before declaring Maduro as belonging in the same bedpan as the globalist mobsters, "bad", his actual despotic and misanthropic acts would be examined (if they exist) and his sociopathy (if real) ought to be compared to the globalists that we KNOW are "bad", misanthropic, despotic, sociopathic/psychopathic mobsters.

*(I am actually keen to gain an understanding of the fears of this ideology, and I do appreciate that you and some others take the time to express your understanding of the pros and cons of any form of 'socialism.' I don't qualify as, nor do I want to be, the spokesperson for 'socialism' but I do want to understand which fears are grounded and which are not. All of us operate our home and family life 'socialist.' The foundations of friendship are also 'socialist', not as a political ideology but whom we share with and care for. So, why are the same concepts of taking care of one another in our families and friend circles suddenly frightening when applied to a wider circle of people?)

[Hervé]

Some excerpts (from here (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?25102-For-an-idea-on-the-big-picture&p=261690&viewfull=1#post261690)) to give an idea of the hatred of the globalists elite towards the goys/peasants/useless eaters:

The revised Auschwitz Labor concept of “Work N Starve” in Guatemala and Beyond

In the 1950’s, the CIA began overthrowing democratically elected leaders, setting up dictator puppet governments, and making a ghetto of the Third World. Their methodology was the same as the Skull and Bones and the Brown Shirts: undermining of international and national laws, intimidation, blackmail, torture, sexual exploitation, propaganda, racial profiling, and unquestioning obedience to authority. They used taxpayer’s money to economically enslave the world for their own private profit. The CIA was a direct continuation of their drugs, slaves, and weapons running operations from WWII and before.

One of the first things they did in the early 1950’s was to take thousands of daughters of loyal American officers that had beaten the Nazis and enslaved them as a kind of retribution in Operation MKULTRA.

When Allan Dulles headed the CIA, he covered-up Rockefeller’s illegal business operations. He also ran black-ops and overthrew the democratically elected leader of Guatemala, Arbenz, to help Rockefeller’s United Fruit Company in which he also owned shares. President Arbenz wanted to buy United Fruit’s unused land at market value to give it to the poor so that they could grow their own food (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbenz (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbenz)). United Fruit refused to sell. Children starved to death when their parents worked for United Fruit because the wages were so low. The Rockefellers wanted depopulation. Arbenz’s policies would have allowed the peasants to get out of having to work for United Fruit. Dulles’s overthrow of Arbenz meant decades of enslaved labor and starvation of children for the Guatemalan people. It also meant decades of massacres, torture, and over 100,000 deaths by CIA trained death squads to repress those who rebelled.

Note: The historians writing about the coup had their work overseen by David Rockefeller! […]

The coup even had the same CIA villain E. Howard Hunt, who lead this CIA campaign, appointed by Vice President Nixon. He was later in the WaterGate burglary of the Democractic Convention which ended in the resignation of Nixon. E. Howard Hunt figures prominently in the book Plausible Denial: Was the CIA involved in the JFK assassination? as a suspect for the assassination.

It was in their selfish interests to starve the peasants and to make them willing to work for next to nothing, as serfs dependent on them for their food. The CIA overthrew Arbenz to put their own puppet in power. That continued the severe poverty and starvation of children in Guatemala. The Guatemalan government carried out systematic massacres over decades against its indigenous peoples while the US government funded that with military aid and I know of instances in which US Generals were present at the massacres of whole villages down to every man, women, and child, in order to try to ensure a thorough job was done of it. Clearly, had that killing of the indigenous people been against what the CIA/Cabal wanted done, they would just have gone back in and changed the government again. But the Guatemalan government doing those massacres was in the CIA/Cabal’s good graces—they were doing what the Cabal wanted and the funding and military aid to do it kept flowing like a broad river towards it.
"Why should we worry about the death squads? They're bumping off the commies, our enemies. I'd give them more power. Hell, I'd give them some cartridges if I could, and everyone else would too...Why should we criticize them? The death squad - I'm for it."
-- Fred Sherwood, the former president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Guatemala, September 1980
[…]
“For decades, United Fruit had controlled Guatemala through pliable dictators” ...Rockefeller’s chosen PR man [Ed Bernays] said,

“The only way to deal with the public was to connect with their unconscious desires and fears. ...Instead of trying to reduce people’s fears of Communism, one should actually encourage and manipulate the fear." In such a way it became a weapon in the Cold War.
Larry Tye, Boston Globe Journalist stated--
“What United Fruit had to do was change this from being a popularly elected government which was doing some good things for people there, into this being a threat to American democracy close to its shores ...He transformed this into the issue of a Communist threat...taking United Fruit as a commercial client out of the picture and making it look like a question of American democracy and American freedom and values being threatened."
Regarding how the Rockefeller-engineered coup in Guatamala was intended, Howard Hunt says:
“What we wanted to do was have a terror campaign...to terrify Arbenz particularly, and his troops, much as the German Stuppabombers [Stukas] terrified the population of Holland, Belgium, and Poland at the onset of WWII and just rendered everybody paralyzed.” [Reminds me of “Shock and Awe” in Iraq].
It was as if the CIA had been created at the end of WWII precisely to allow those Americans who funded/profited from Nazi violation of human rights to continue their reign of death, terror, and enslavement. President Truman later said, “Had I known the CIA would become the American Gestapo, I never would have signed it into existence!” Not only did the CIA help many Nazi war criminals escape prosecution, it continued committing war crimes unabated!

[…]

Those at the top ordering the war crimes were desperate to keep the workers of countries from uniting and keep stealing from them their labor, their resources and their lives. To do that they keep up the perception of an external threat. Those in the West were told that the Russians and the Cubans were coming and that Communism was the threat. But at the same time the Rockefellers were instructing their people inside the Russian govt. and the KGB that the Americans and the British were the threat. By playing on the fears of each side they kept the workers from uniting to form true democracies and have the right to organize for fair wages. Europe was able to largely seek a middle ground of socialism, and some measure of rights and the rule of law. That is better than failing completely prey to the Robber Barons. But much needs to be done still to prevent the corporations from destroying the environment.
========================================


Those at the top ordering the war crimes were desperate to keep the workers of countries from uniting and keep stealing from them their labor, their resources and their lives.I would say the "Yellow Vests" are sensing that pincer coming in... hence the urge to drive cheap labor into various nations so as not to pay for pensions, welfare and fair wages... and get legitimate owners dispossessed.


Related:
No surprise! Defense of democracy is US pretext for seizing control of resources - all about the money (https://www.rt.com/op-ed/450065-venezuela-us-control-resources/)

[ThePythonicCow]

So, why are the same concepts of taking care of one another in our families and friend circles suddenly frightening when applied to a wider circle of people?)
Because that's exactly what is to be feared -- consolidation of power.

When one thinks of a large group of people as one big family, then some institution or individual ends up exercising the decision making powers so consolidated, and then there is an almost inescapable tendency for the most power hungry, psychopathic, sociopathic, ... individual(s) to spend the most effort seeking the reins of control of that centralized power.

Such centralized power should be splintered into a thousand pieces and scattered to the winds, to misquote JFK's comment about the CIA.

Where practical, individual people and families should retain the power to make decisions, and where common agreement or collective action is desirable, it should be incorporated into a wide number of institutions, each with a narrow scope of authority, operating as much as is practical independently from the others.

The difference between the individual and the nation IS the key difference.

[5th]

... and there it is. Fantasy good guy US president, an emancipator, not just an imperialist scumbag tool like all his predecessors, swoops in, saves the day. Nice. The Trump of which you speak must wear a cape and his underwear on the outside, and navigates by way of his glowing Sacred Heart. That's Supertrump, and his pit vipers Bolton and Abrams, swooping in to make sure that the people of Venezuela get the profits of the sale of that national Venezuelan resource, oil... hey, wait a minuto!


Trump is most certainly not like his predecessors and that's precisely the reason the MSN are desperately trying to get rid of him. Yes, he is a globalist but not for the current corrupt Banker backed economic system based on funny money, drug money, war and global crime in general. He is certainly on record as saying that the US policy of regime change must end. He is backed by the Corporatocracy who's economic model is based on trade and creating something tangible.

As Bill Ryan says, if the media hate him so much, he is obviously a good guy!

I suggest you listen to Daniel Estulin (Russian Think Tank adviser to both the US and Putin) if you want to understand how Trump is attempting to genuinely change US policy and introduce a new economic model to the world. If he doesn't succeed and is replaced by the likes of the old order as represented by Hillary Clinton, the only solution the Bankers have to an impossible several quadrillion worldwide debt is nuclear war.

So, we need SuperTrump and his cape to survive and win if we are to have any hope of a future...

[Bubu]

So, why are the same concepts of taking care of one another in our families and friend circles suddenly frightening when applied to a wider circle of people?)
Because that's exactly what is to be feared -- consolidation of power.


Good point both of you. Let me add my two cents. Socialism is good and not to be feared on a bigger scale if the people will learn how to be responsible and not have faith, or at least have faith based on transparency to the governing authority. And the governing authority should not have any power over the police or the police should be totally dissolve and arm the people. I recon the big majority of people 99% are good. How is the 1% going to win if armed equally. As of now implementation of new systems is impossible without first defeating and rounding up the 1%. This is where we should focus right now. Any consolidation of power whether its named socialist imperialist democracy not identified with Russia and China is of the globalist and should be shunned

[Bubu]

[QUOTE=Dennis Leahy;1272511]


As Bill Ryan says, if the media hate him so much, he is obviously a good guy!

.

That use to be the trick but not anymore. you see profiling is constantly at work and innovating follow its footprints. Maybe the majority of Americans now are aware of the lies of the media. so the media is acting in a different manner. You need to be one step ahead than one step behind one step is all it takes. "Lets hate Trump so much so that the people who are now aware of our garbage will think that Trump is not on our side".

[Bubu]

[...]
Believe what you want. You are free to decide what is good and bad.

Its more of what you believe than mine. My family is not in Venezuela.

I think Paul, sum up the whole situation very accurately. God help Venezuela. The battle ground between the two mammoth force on the planet is now in your place. I'm taking the side of China and Russia in any case. They dont have a record of deliberately destroying nations such as this one.

I beg to differ with China - where's Tibet, Hong Kong, the real Mongolia nowadays, (soon to consume the rest of South East Asia as they have tried to in the past) - have you seen the crazy new silk road initiatives? Pumping and dumping and cutting deals with corrupt governments with fake loans and forcing them to repay the debt incurred by infrastructure projects in South East Asia leaving the peasants continually destitute without any land compensation? Have you seen their housing developments in Africa? What about the take over of all the Philippines' waters? All these horrendous things by taking the same pages out of the Confessions of an Economic Hitman book.

Lets say china has its own demons I'll say its about 10% of what's with the globalist. Have you seen the map of the military bases of US globalist around China and Russia. Would not it be a dire need for them to to make a buffer zone. Do you remember when did China start claiming forcefully territories belonging to Philippines? Its only recently at the peak of the tension. They need a buffer zone. No I am not against China claiming Philippine territory In fact I welcome them and will assist in anyway I can. Its for world security indirectly. But the China must return it afterwards I mean after Globalist defeat,

[Dennis Leahy]

Oh, I fully assume Maduro is about to be ousted or killed. Once the "Americans" have it all wrapped up in Venezuela and have installed their temporary "interim" puppet, they will be forced to have another election. If the published election results were anywhere close to correct, and if the "Chavista Movement"/Bolivarian Revolution has anywhere near the real support that it appears to have, the American Globalists are going to have a problem. What if the new election results show that a different person (let's assume they "Noriega" Maduro) wins, that is socialist. Then what? What if more than 51% of the voters keep choosing socialism? Will the Globalist Mobsters, er, I mean the United States accept it? hahahahaha We all know the answer. Somehow, miraculously, the election results will be a victory for the Globalist Mobsters, and shortly thereafter, the USA, INC. will be "managing" the oil, you know, as a favor to Venezuela. Globalist Privateers, coming your way, Venezuela, and don't worry, socialism and democracy will be crushed as well. The Americanos can multitask.


pssssssst: The USA, INC. is a (or the) top-tier NWO Globalist mobster family. The US government has been completely taken over by mobsters. It is not US citizens. We US citizens have absolutely no control over anything that happens in either foreign or domestic policy. It makes no difference what we citizens think, we can't do anything. All we can do is to warn you, even though it probably is moot to warn you - you probably can't do anything either.

These mobsters have been coveting, and scheming towards, Venezuela's oil, the largest reserve of oil known in the world. Now there is an opening, an angle to cover their crimes, and blood in the water. Maybe some of the Venezuelan middle to upper (financial) class people don't care at all about the oil revenues - they don't see themselves as recipients, only the poor are the recipients. So, maybe they don't care and will unroll the red carpet for the globalists to come in and "bring law and order" down to the colony. Get things back to the way they were. Make Venezuela great again. Let Exxon have the oil, who cares, right?

But, for those Venezuelans that care about ALL Venezuelans: If you were walking and about to step near a poisonous viper, I'd try my best to warn you.

SNAKE! VIBORA!

[Hervé]

...


https://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/imagenes_sociopol2/globalelite_la82_00.jpg


Chavez Was a Formidable Opponent to US Imperialism (https://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica/sociopol_globalelite_la82.htm)


The US plans to overthrow Chavez I'm sure have been many more than we hear about, and there's a profound possibility his cancer was induced by CIA/Mossad operatives.

It's standard procedure, along with,




heart attacks

getting suicided

plane crashes,


...and the like.

Chavez was supposed to have been taken out after the staged 9/11 event (https://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/esp_sociopol_911.htm) as one Rockefeller confided to Aaron Russo, who also suspiciously died of an aggressive cancer after he blew the whistle on all this.



Here's Russo's talk to an interviewer...



Listen all the way through, it's one of the greatest exposes of the cold, calculated elite mindset you'll see from a first hand encounter and specifically mentions their designs for Venezuela:




7gwcQjDhZtI


[...]
Regarding how the Rockefeller-engineered coup in Guatemala was intended, Howard Hunt says:
“What we wanted to do was have a terror campaign...to terrify Arbenz particularly, and his troops, much as the German Stuppabombers [Stukas] terrified the population of Holland, Belgium, and Poland at the onset of WWII and just rendered everybody paralyzed.” [Reminds me of “Shock and Awe” in Iraq].
It was as if the CIA had been created at the end of WWII precisely to allow those Americans who funded/profited from Nazi violation of human rights to continue their reign of death, terror, and enslavement. President Truman later said, “Had I known the CIA would become the American Gestapo, I never would have signed it into existence!”

[...]

[ThePythonicCow]

These mobsters have been coveting, and scheming towards, Venezuela's oil, the largest reserve of oil known in the world.
Ron Paul, on The Liberty Report, agrees.

The US Neocons and oil interests (rhymes with Rockefeller) are hell bent on destroying the arrangements that Venezuela has made with China and Russia to trade Venezuela's oil for investment in Venezuela's economy and petro industry, and instead insuring that US Petro companies have that business.
WTE0SQA2jU8
So ... it seems to me: that Chavez was notoriously non-compliant with the American imperialists,
that covert US Neocon operators killed Chavez,
that Maduro is a populist, sometimes thuggish, follow on to Chavez,
that Maduro (and perhaps Chavez earlier?) had been developing stronger connections with China and Russia,
that the US had been actively working behind the scenes to destroy the economy of Venezuela,
that many Venezuelans really and legitimately want Maduro out of there, and
that the US Neocons are energizing and leveraging this crisis in Venezuela to regain control over it.

We're seeing the culmination of a many year effort by US Neocons to rape and pillage yet another nation.

[Hervé]

Awkward: Max Blumenthal confronts lawmakers on what America's doing in Venezuela - 'Are we meddling?' (https://www.rt.com/news/450309-max-blumenthal-trolls-lawmakers/)

RT (https://www.rt.com/news/450309-max-blumenthal-trolls-lawmakers/)
Fri, 01 Feb 2019 17:33 UTC


https://www.sott.net/image/s25/508330/large/5c5419d0fc7e9322708b4580.png (https://www.sott.net/image/s25/508330/full/5c5419d0fc7e9322708b4580.png)
© The Grayzone Project / YouTube


US members of Congress freeze, fumble and deliver bewildering answers to award-winning journalist Max Blumenthal as he asks Capitol Hill politicians what they think of the US' open support for Venezuela's opposition.

Many members of the US Congress are greatly concerned by supposed 'Russian meddling' in American affairs. But what do they think about Washington openly getting behind the opposition in Venezuela? In a video, published on his website, the Grayzone Project, Blumenthal asked lawmakers just that.

The politicians were visibly caught off guard by pretty simple and straightforward questions. Several lawmakers couldn't provide a definitive answer to whether the US public support for opposition leader Juan Guaido could be considered 'meddling' in a foreign nation's affairs.

"Haven't thought about that," a baffled lawmaker was heard saying when asked how he would react if Russia recognized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as president of the US.

Washington did something similar to that last week, when President Donald Trump recognized the speaker of Venezuela's opposition-controlled parliament, Guaido, as the legitimate leader of the country.


BrapYLtkBhY

Some, like Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez outright refused to answer questions on Venezuela, saying she is "working on a response." Others denied that the wholesale US support for Guaido against President Nicolas Maduro constitutes 'meddling,' albeit failing to coherently explain why.

"I think we're just supporting the people and supporting what they are deciding needs to happen, and so I think it's good of us since we are the bastion of freedom," Vicky Hartzler, a Republican from Missouri, stated.

Her Democratic colleague, Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, was passionate about protecting Robert Mueller's probe into the so-called 'Trump-Russia collusion.' When asked about meddling in Venezuela, she mumbled: "I don't know. There's been a lot against Maduro, who's awful."

Only Missouri Democrat Lacy Clay said that the US policy in South America and the Caribbean is "something we should not be proud of." He opposed the "embargo" on Caracas because its people "will suffer more." However, even he wasn't sure whether it was "good meddling or not," saying that Venezuela wasn't his "issue."

Alongside the US, Juan Guaido was recognized as the interim president of Venezuela by a majority of South American countries, including neighboring Colombia and Brazil. France, Spain and Germany vowed to follow suit unless Nicolas Maduro calls a snap election. Their ultimatum was firmly rejected by Maduro. States including Russia, China, Iran and Turkey continue to recognize Maduro as the democratically elected leader of Venezuela.

[Valerie Villars]

One said "The fact is that people are starving in an oil rich nation."

I thought, well hell, there are people here starving, in an oil rich nation.

I can't believe those liars and goons are in charge.

[ThePythonicCow]

We're seeing the culmination of a many year effort by US Neocons to rape and pillage yet another nation.
This Lew Rockwell article spells out in considerably more detail the effort by the US to build up Juan Guaidó, destabilize Venezuela, and regain control of its natural resources, especially oil: The Making of Juan Guaidó: How the US Regime Change Laboratory Created Venezuela’s Coup Leader (https://www.lewrockwell.com/2019/01/no_author/the-making-of-juan-guaido-how-the-us-regime-change-laboratory-created-venezuelas-coup-leader/).

[Dennis Leahy]

These mobsters have been coveting, and scheming towards, Venezuela's oil, the largest reserve of oil known in the world.
Ron Paul, on The Liberty Report, agrees.

The US Neocons and oil interests (rhymes with Rockefeller) are hell bent on destroying the arrangements that Venezuela has made with China and Russia to trade Venezuela's oil for investment in Venezuela's economy and petro industry, and instead insuring that US Petro companies have that business.

[utube video was here]

So ... it seems to me:

that Chavez was notoriously non-compliant with the American imperialists,
that covert US Neocon operators killed Chavez,
that Maduro is a populist, sometimes thuggish, follow on to Chavez,
that Maduro (and perhaps Chavez earlier?) had been developing stronger connections with China and Russia,
that the US had been actively working behind the scenes to destroy the economy of Venezuela,
that many Venezuelans really and legitimately want Maduro out of there, and
that the US Neocons are energizing and leveraging this crisis in Venezuela to regain control over it.


We're seeing the culmination of a many year effort by US Neocons to rape and pillage yet another nation.

(highlight emphasis on "many" and "Neocons" are mine)

on "many":
I'd say,
that some financially middle and upper class Venezuelans really and legitimately want Maduro out of there
(It makes logical sense: the people that do not need social services don't care about social services, or the Venezuelan oil revenue that is the source of those services. For them, their lives have been disrupted, they don't care who is really creating violence and just want the violence to end. The easiest thing for these financial classes to do is to pay the bosses of the local thugs to stop creating the scripted part of the violence: USA, INC. and its CIA. So, they welcome a "soft" takeover of Venezuela by the USA, and restoration of the pre-Chavez status quo.

It also makes sense that the word "some" is a much more honest representation than "many." for exactly the same reason that the Ruling Class Globalists have bought - taken control of - mass media: those with more money have exponentially amplified voices. I'm sure there really is a group of middle and upper financial class Venezuelans who were content with the pre-Chavez status quo, and they have used their means to greatly amplify their voices. I'll bet Western corporate media also logs EVERY negative comment, like "the violence must stop!" as an integer added to the "wants Maduro ousted" sum.)


on "Neocons":
Don't leave out the other half of the snake, the neoliberals. Or, is 'neocon' versus 'neoliberal' more of just a variation of strategy toward the same duopoly-globalist agenda, rather than an actual different political ideology? If we can really divide the factions of the US-based globalists into 2 piles, the other stinking heap would be the neoliberals, which maybe better describes the clintons and obama sect. Duopoly-D leaders pelosi and schumer, for example, act as old-school neocons, so are they now neocons or are they globalist-aligned duopoly members labeled as 'neoliberals', using formerly neocon tactics? My hunch is it is just a semantics word game, and just more of the kabuki theater of the pretense of the phony dichotomy within the duopoly. It is the duopoly (in US politics) that are the pampered handmaidens of Empire - they are all Globalist agents.

Anyway, I just didn't want the faction of duopoly labeled as "neoliberals' to avoid our microscope and our flyswatter. All of the Globalists, neocon and neoliberal in lockstep, are after Venezuela's oil and to undermine or crush nascent socialism/anti-globalism. Yes, socialism is anti-globalism, so the Globalists have to stamp it out.

[ThePythonicCow]

These mobsters have been coveting, and scheming towards, Venezuela's oil, the largest reserve of oil known in the world.
Ron Paul, on The Liberty Report, agrees.
...
We're seeing the culmination of a many year effort by US Neocons to rape and pillage yet another nation.

This Collective Evolution article comes to the same conclusion, with some more history and detail: Globalists Want Venezuela As The Next Jewel In Their Crown (https://www.collective-evolution.com/2019/01/30/globalists-want-venezuela-as-the-next-jewel-in-their-crown/).

Here are some excerpts from this article:

=================

Globalists Want Venezuela As The Next Jewel In Their Crown

Published January 30, 2019, By Richard Enos, Staff Writer

In Brief



The Facts: Juan Guaidó, the 35-year-old leader of Venezuela’s opposition-controlled national assembly, recently declared himself president of Venezuela, as part of a globalist-backed coup in attempt to overthrow recently inaugurated president Nicolas Maduro.

Reflect On: What are the ways in which we are continuing to condone these geopolitical activities? Are we having trouble separating Western propaganda from our basic human values?

The attempted coup taking place in Venezuela right now is very instructive for those seeking to better understand the current geopolitical power struggle, as it is one of the most transparent illustrations of the well-worn tactics employed by the forces behind Western hegemony.

Ideologies such as ‘socialism,’ ‘economic growth’ and ‘democracy’ continue to be bandied about in mainstream discourse with the highest degree of distortion. This is often intentional in order to justify political and military action that simply enriches the global elite at the expense of humanity at large. The problem is that much of the general public in the West continue to support these tactics by failing to see the thinly-veiled hypocrisy inherent in them.

What Is Happening In Venezuela

Venezuela under Hugo Chavez (1999-2012) was a thorn in the side of Western globalists, as Chavez became one of the greatest and most vocal critics of Western exploitation of his time. He named Nicolas Maduro as his successor in 2012. Maduro has been in power ever since, winning elections in 2013 and 2018.

While Maduro amassed over two-thirds (67.8%) of the popular vote in 2018, his inauguration a few weeks ago was soon followed by statements from the European Union and others that they did not accept Maduro as the legitimate president based on election ‘irregularities.’

In a move that seems impossible to justify on constitutional grounds, Juan Guaidó, the 35-year-old leader of Venezuela’s opposition-controlled national assembly, recently declared himself president of Venezuela, despite the fact that he did not even run in the presidential election.
...Battle Lines Drawn

The parameters of this battle are easily delineated. Those nations under the control of globalists–and we must include the United States in this until proven otherwise–are offering their support to Guaidó. This is simply because support for Guaidó is support for the Globalist agenda, which in this case is bringing Venezuela’s vast resources, including the largest proven oil reserves in the world, under the control of Globalist oligarchs.
...Meanwhile, it is those few nations who have resisted globalism that unsurprisingly support the autonomy of Venezuela and hence the constitutional right of Maduro to retain power.
...Nicolás Maduro Is No Saint

Supporting Nicolás Maduro’s constitutional right to serve out his term is not necessarily an endorsement of the man himself, his failed policies, or his allegedly unlawful suppression of dissent. But like Hugo Chavez before him, who espoused a form of socialism in an attempt to address the ills of poverty and economic disparity in his country, we could at least hold out hope that he is a leader with some regard for the welfare of his people.
...The main push behind this Western-backed attempted coup is the exploitation of a nation, which includes the enslavement of its people.

Yes, Venezuela is currently suffering economic hardship right now, and some blame has to be put on the government. But we should not forget the impact of sanctions from the Western world, who do everything in their power to bring about economic hardship to countries that are not aligned with imperialistic policies. The Globalists don’t want to support oil-rich nations benefiting economically from the oil industry unless they get the lion’s share.
...How We Continue To Enable Western Imperialism

By and large, the Western public continues to turn a blind eye to the attempts on the part of Western powers to use strong-arm tactics to ‘persuade’ countries like Venezuela to fall in line with the way the globalists want their country to operate. Why? Because many of us still believe that our political and economic systems are the best, and are more than willing to disregard the notion that other nations are sovereign if we can be convinced that forcing other nations to do things the way we do them will ultimately benefit us.

Ending this kind of behavior is not founded in defeating the globalists, but rather in gaining enough awareness as a collective to reject the pro-Western propaganda we are being fed. This falls in line with the message of John Perkins, author of the classic ‘Confessions of an Economic Hit Man.’ (https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/1734580):
“It is driven not by a small band of men but by a concept that has become accepted as gospel: the idea that all economic growth benefits humankind and that the greater the growth, the more widespread the benefits. This belief also has a corollary: that those people who excel at stoking the fires of economic growth should be exalted and rewarded, while those born at the fringes are available for exploitation.”The Takeaway

Our Western Powers, as invincible as they may seem, can only continue to perpetrate economic and political intimidation of sovereign nations as long as the majority of people in the West either approve of it or turn a blind eye to it. If indeed we want to create a world in which there is fairness, respect, freedom, and many of the other things that we value, then we have to look upon world events with a discerning mind, seeing through the propaganda enough to become fully aware of when the basic human values that we espouse are not being maintained.

=================

My current understanding agrees with this Collective Evolution article.

[ThePythonicCow]

From Larouche's Executive Intelligence Report, here is further insight into what's happening in Venezuela, that extends on the previous post just above: British Two-Part Operation in Venezuela Includes Interim President Guaidó, and Trump Is a Target (https://larouchepub.com/pr/2019/190130_brit_venezuela_op.html):

==========

British Two-Part Operation in Venezuela Includes Interim President Guaidó, and Trump Is a Target

Jan. 30, 2019 (EIRNS)—As investigative journalists Max Blumenthal and Dan Cohen demonstrate in an article published Jan. 29 by the Grayzone, Venezuela’s self-proclaimed “interim president” Juan Guaidó is really a nobody, something like a Manchurian Candidate. Far from being the savior of Venezuelan democracy, the unelected 35-year-old president of Venezuela’s National Assembly is a creation of the global, London-spawned “Project Democracy” apparatus—funded by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), USAID, and assorted George Soros-linked entities—for the sole purpose of launching a color revolution in Venezuela.

But what Blumenthal and Cohen fail to mention or understand is that the apparatus they accurately describe is only one part of a two-pronged assault on Venezuela which began with the installation of the London-created and -directed Jacobin operation in the 1990s, first with Hugo Chávez and continued by his successor Nicolas Maduro—an operation which EIR has thoroughly documented. “Chavismo,” which the leftist Blumenthal defends, forged a strategic alliance with the FARC cocaine cartel (also run out of London), and wrecked the country, economically and politically, setting it up for what is occurring today: a Gene Sharp color revolution, also run from London, in which Guaidó, and many others like him, are just useful fools carrying out their assigned tasks.

Nota bene: This is part and parcel of London’s coup against the U.S. President, as Trump is being urged to buy into the “defend democracy” fraud, perpetrated by the London-backed war-mongers in his cabinet—Pence, Pompeo, Bolton—and elsewhere. Trump today spoke to Guaidó by phone and congratulated him on his efforts.

==========

Yes - this sounds spot on to me.

Gain more control over a nation and its resources (something that the British empire is still quite adept at) by first wrecking that nation by installing a government that ruins it, economically and politically, and then operate some variation of a color revolution to overthrow that government with a puppet that you directly control.

If, along the way, this puts Trump in a bad spot, having his foreign diplomacy controlled by war-mongers operating contrary to both his preferences and the preferences of most Americans, then so much the better.

[ThePythonicCow]

on "many": I'd say that some financially middle and upper class Venezuelans really and legitimately want Maduro out of there
In support of your estimates, here's some polling data showing that 81% do NOT want the US economic and financial sanctions being applied against Venezuela to remove Maduro, 78% of Venezuelan's do NOT want international intervention to remove Maduro from power, and even more, 86%, do NOT want international military intervention to remove Maduro:

86% of Venezuelans Oppose Military Intervention, 81% Are Against U.S. Sanctions, Local Polling Shows (Information Clearing House) (http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/51006.htm)

Here also is a report that Venezuelan President Maduro, in an interview with Sputnik, complained that US National Security Adviser John Bolton (the war hawk with the unruly mustache) is refusing to pass along to US President Trump Maduro's request to speak with Trump. Maduro is convinced that if he and Trump could speak personally, then a better result could be worked out, and that he's quite willing to hold new parliamentary elections.

So ... both Maduro and over 80% of Venezuelan's do NOT want Maduro kicked out of office by the US war hawk neocons (operating apparently at the behest of their UK masters, not at the behest of US President Trump.)

[5th]

Given that we know Maduro imprisons many who oppose him and pays those who support him (often supermarkets only allow food to confirmed supporters) why should we believe this poll?

It would fit the pattern if Hinterlaces who made the poll and run by Oscar Schemel was paid to fix the results. You have to realise that everything is tightly controlled in Venezuela.

Of course it may be genuine but I object to the fact that 'evidence' is present as gospel if it confirms with your viewpoint and questioned if it does not. All mainstream information coming out of Venezuela is censured by the government and so certainly should be questioned. I agree it is most likely that Venezuelans don't want US intervention but I would be sure that more than 22% want international intervention to remove Maduro.

[Hervé]

...



It appears Maduro is responsible for Venezuela's condition. He put everybody on the payroll and then the oil price collapsed.

0SP2cXoeOxY

What's not said, is that the oil price collapse, orchestration and protracted implementation was designed to undermine Venezuela's oil revenues... along with the financial, import/export sanctions imposed on the country and which is detailed in this thread.

[5th]

https://www.caracaschronicles.com/2019/02/01/regime-cranks-censorship-up-to-11/


The tug-of-war between Juan Guaidó and Nicolas Maduro for recognition as Venezuela’s president has recently intensified, including a new offensive strategy against freedom of speech by chavismo. Just in the last couple of days, Nicolás Maduro’s regime arrested two Chilean journalists (who spent at least 14 hours detained, before being deported), two Venezuelan, two French (working for private TV channel TF1, both later deported) and their local contact, free at the time of publication.

Due process is not really a concern in the system Hugo Chávez built.
Three workers of the Spanish news agency EFE were arrested as well: two Colombian nationals, one Spanish and their Venezuelan driver. The EFE Newsroom Board demandedtheir immediate release, followed by the Spanish and Colombian governments. After several hours, they were released. EFE publicly condemned their deportation afterwards.

Maduro’s Foreign Minister, Jorge Arreaza, justifies all of this with the alleged enforcement of local laws, saying everything that’s going on against free press is really a “mediatic op.” Since we’ve covered similar cases in recent years, we can tell you: Arreaza’s claims are not just inaccurate, they’re pure bad faith.

State Telecom CANTV has imposed targeted blocks on social networks and even Wikipedia, showing the hegemony’s willingness to create a void on information so the red narrative holds on. NGO IPYS Venezuela confirms that the battlefield has certainly expanded to digital arenas.

“Chavismo has been building their communicational hegemony for 20 years, first by creating new outlets, then by censorship. Today, mainstream media is either dead, or self-censored due to harassment from CONATEL. The lack of newsprint was a deliberate part of it, and the one thing left are digital outlets and the foreign press. How come they don’t attack Televen or Venevisión? It’s because they’re already subdued.”

“If they can’t control it, they attack it.”

Journalist Luis Carlos Díaz has an even more Machiavellian theory:

“(This is) a system doing all it can for international recognition, including kidnapping and holding foreign citizens, so consulates and ambassadors are forced to recognize them as authorities for negotiation.”

[ripple]

Trying to move matters sideways , and I am a solid Maduro supporter for what I regard essentially as first principle reasons :--


Is it possible that the apparently appalling mistakes being made here by Trump are based on group think that it is easily the best option because Venezuela must not fall into Russian or Chinese hands ?

If that is a thought - out and joined-up strategy, I believe it cannot be lightly dismissed .

[Baby Steps]

To what degree does the boycotts that certain parties did in the last election de-legitimise the result, and Maduro's presidency?

[ThePythonicCow]

Here is a quite readable article describing Venezuela's oil reserves: Valuing Venezuela’s Orinoco Oil Belt (https://www.globalresearch.ca/valuing-venezuelas-orinoco-oil-belt/5667266).

In short - the reserves are Huuuge. There may be enough oil there to provide the entire world's oil needs for 30 years, and the reserves are in a geographic location, a warm climate and close to the ocean for shipping, that is quite convenient.

The British globalists and their "special" ally the Americans have spent the last century making sure they control the largest petroleum exporting regions. Now they are losing their grip on the Middle East, and have little control over Russian oil. They must control the two other largest reserves, the Canadian tar sands in Alberta and Venezuela’s Orinoco Oil Belt. This has no doubt been obvious to these globalists for at least a couple of decades. Thus they must destroy any independent nation-state in that region. Destroying independent nation states is a core competency of these globalists.

[TargeT]

interesting theory on how it may be about protecting the monopoly that the US has on V.'s oil (Venezuela has larger fields than saudi)

UpZRPOpnz3g

[ThePythonicCow]

Michael Hudson, who may be one of, if not the, smartest economist that I enjoy reading, reminded me of something that I had noticed sometime ago, and then forgotten.

Trump is destroying the American Imperial Empire, at record pace. With his various sanctions and erratic attacks on any nation that doesn't bow to his "Axis of Evil" John Bolton, Mike Pompeo and Elliott Abrams, Trump is driving other nations to build financial, trade, and infrastructure arrangements with each other, independent of the United States, as fast as they can.

The Yankees and their King Dollar, global intelligence networks, and sole remaining superpower military, are no longer to be trusted.

Or if you prefer Michael Hudson's lengthier, more erudite, version of this observation, see his new article at Trump’s Brilliant Strategy to Dismember U.S. Dollar Hegemony (CounterPunch) (https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/02/01/trumps-brilliant-strategy-to-dismember-u-s-dollar-hegemony/).

Here are four paragraphs from the middle of Hudson's article to wet your appetite:

=============
The Deep State is reacting with shock at how this right-wing real estate grifter has been able to drive other countries to defend themselves by dismantling the U.S.-centered world order. To rub it in, he is using Bush and Reagan-era Neocon arsonists, John Bolton and now Elliott Abrams, to fan the flames in Venezuela. It is almost like a black political comedy. The world of international diplomacy is being turned inside-out. A world where there is no longer even a pretense that we might adhere to international norms, let alone laws or treaties.

The Neocons who Trump has appointed are accomplishing what seemed unthinkable not long ago: Driving China and Russia together – the great nightmare of Henry Kissinger and Zbigniew Brzezinski. They also are driving Germany and other European countries into the Eurasian orbit, the “Heartland” nightmare of Halford Mackinder a century ago.

The root cause is clear: After the crescendo of pretenses and deceptions over Iraq, Libya and Syria, along with our absolution of the lawless regime of Saudi Arabia, foreign political leaders are coming to recognize what world-wide public opinion polls reported even before the Iraq/Iran-Contra boys turned their attention to the world’s largest oil reserves in Venezuela: The United States is now the greatest threat to peace on the planet.

Calling the U.S. coup being sponsored in Venezuela a defense of democracy reveals the Doublethink underlying U.S. foreign policy. It defines “democracy” to mean supporting U.S. foreign policy, pursuing neoliberal privatization of public infrastructure, dismantling government regulation and following the direction of U.S.-dominated global institutions, from the IMF and World Bank to NATO. For decades, the resulting foreign wars, domestic austerity programs and military interventions have brought more violence, not democracy.
=============

[ThePythonicCow]

Dmitry Orlov offers his own analysis of what's going on with the U.S. and Venezuela in this article: Why must Venezuela be destroyed? (InformationClearingHouse) (http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/51021.htm).

Dmitry also figures it's about oil, and that once the U.S. fracking efforts fail, which they will (I agree), then the US will once again be looking to import large quantities of oil. The U.S. used to blow up nations and steal their oil, but that's not been working so well lately. It failed in Syria, and Dmitry figures it will fail in Venezuela as well.

To these points, Dmitry writes:
A rather large oil shortage is coming, and it will rather specifically affect the US, which burns 20% of the world’s oil (with just 5% of the world’s population). Once fracking crashes, the US will go from having to import 2.5 million barrels per day to importing at least 10—and that oil won’t exist. Previously, the US was able to solve this problem by blowing up countries and stealing their oil: the destruction of Iraq and Libya made American oil companies whole for a while and kept the financial house of cards from collapsing. But the effort to blow up Syria has failed, and the attempt to blow up Venezuela is likely to fail too because, keep in mind, Venezuela has between 7 and 9 million Chavistas imbued with the Bolivarian revolutionary spirit, a large and well-armed military and is generally a very tough neighborhood.
Essentially in agreement with Michael Hudson (previous post above), Dmitry figures that the American Empire is collapsing.

Dmitry concludes his article with:
If Plan A (steal Venezuela’s oil) fails, then Plan B is to take all of your US dollar-denominated paper waste—cash, stocks, bonds, deeds, insurance policies, promissory notes, etc.—and burn it in trash barrels in an effort to stay warm. There is a definite whiff of desperation to the whole affair. The global hegemon is broken; it fell down and it can’t get up.
I agree with both Dmitry and Hudson ... and enjoy reading both of them.

[Dennis Leahy]

Michael Hudson, who may be one of, if not the, smartest economist that I enjoy reading, reminded me of something that I had noticed sometime ago, and then forgotten.

Trump is destroying the American Imperial Empire, at record pace. With his various sanctions and erratic attacks on any nation that doesn't bow to his "Axis of Evil" John Bolton, Mike Pompeo and Elliott Abrams, Trump is driving other nations to build financial, trade, and infrastructure arrangements with each other, independent of the United States, as fast as they can.

The Yankees and their King Dollar, global intelligence networks, and sole remaining superpower military, are no longer to be trusted.

Or if you prefer Michael Hudson's lengthier, more erudite, version of this observation, see his new article at Trump’s Brilliant Strategy to Dismember U.S. Dollar Hegemony (CounterPunch) (https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/02/01/trumps-brilliant-strategy-to-dismember-u-s-dollar-hegemony/).

Here are four paragraphs from the middle of Hudson's article to wet your appetite:

=============
The Deep State is reacting with shock at how this right-wing real estate grifter has been able to drive other countries to defend themselves by dismantling the U.S.-centered world order. To rub it in, he is using Bush and Reagan-era Neocon arsonists, John Bolton and now Elliott Abrams, to fan the flames in Venezuela. It is almost like a black political comedy. The world of international diplomacy is being turned inside-out. A world where there is no longer even a pretense that we might adhere to international norms, let alone laws or treaties.

The Neocons who Trump has appointed are accomplishing what seemed unthinkable not long ago: Driving China and Russia together – the great nightmare of Henry Kissinger and Zbigniew Brzezinski. They also are driving Germany and other European countries into the Eurasian orbit, the “Heartland” nightmare of Halford Mackinder a century ago.

The root cause is clear: After the crescendo of pretenses and deceptions over Iraq, Libya and Syria, along with our absolution of the lawless regime of Saudi Arabia, foreign political leaders are coming to recognize what world-wide public opinion polls reported even before the Iraq/Iran-Contra boys turned their attention to the world’s largest oil reserves in Venezuela: The United States is now the greatest threat to peace on the planet.

Calling the U.S. coup being sponsored in Venezuela a defense of democracy reveals the Doublethink underlying U.S. foreign policy. It defines “democracy” to mean supporting U.S. foreign policy, pursuing neoliberal privatization of public infrastructure, dismantling government regulation and following the direction of U.S.-dominated global institutions, from the IMF and World Bank to NATO. For decades, the resulting foreign wars, domestic austerity programs and military interventions have brought more violence, not democracy.=============

Somebody better tell the genius strategist guy in the white house that Venezuela CANNOT POSSIBLY maneuver their way out of the international noose that the American Empire has around them, so even if the author is correct, it's too late for Venezuela to network their way out of this. Collateral damage, I guess. Assuming this really was genius strategy and not just a "spin" on another imperialist takeover, like madeline albright, would trump say "It was worth it"? At the globalist level, this is just a board game (like "Risk (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risk_(game))") and human lives, environment, and even entire nations are expendable.

[Hervé]

...



https://i.ytimg.com/an/yvaZ2RHEDrgKXz43gz7CbQ/featured_channel.jpg?v=5ad110d4 Lee Camp - Redacted (https://leecamp.com/redacted-230-venezuela-fake-coup-truth-about-kamala-harris-yellow-vests/)


~230~ Venezuela Fake Coup, Truth About Kamala Harris, & Yellow Vests

BLkzE8-tQyk


https://yt3.ggpht.com/a-/AAuE7mDsFlaqPgGn2O9ICmFvSe5im7ze4S8Y5ueAgw=s48-mo-c-c0xffffffff-rj-k-no (https://www.youtube.com/user/redactedtonight)Redacted Tonight (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyvaZ2RHEDrgKXz43gz7CbQ)
Published on Mar 22, 2018

Lee Camp speaks with Eva Golinger about the disinformation surrounding Venezuela and how Western corporate media drop the ball when it comes to giving the context of Venezuela’s very real crisis. Then, he breaks down the ridiculousness of Trump promoting the execution of drug dealers.



AVUl9IbMFKw

[Hervé]

...



http://thepythoniccow.us/Venezuela_Maduro_vs_other_election_results.jpg

[5th]

My God Herve, it's embarrassing the propaganda lies you keep posting!

I can only conclude that you have OCD or are paid by the Russians...

And you're an Administrator? No wonder the membership is falling.

[Dennis Leahy]

My God Herve, it's embarrassing the propaganda lies you keep posting!

I can only conclude that you have OCD or are paid by the Russians...

And you're an Administrator? No wonder the membership is falling.

hahahahaha http://projectavalon.net/forum4/images/smilies/0103%20Big%20smile.gif I hear that Putin pays good money to post a meme poster with some comparison election (and non-election) stats. Hervé, could you please put a good word in for me at the Kremlin the next time you get your paycheck? Tell Vlad that I too have been following the Russian plan of warning Venezuela of Globalist attack and takeover, spearheaded by the USA, INC. and its CIA. I too deserve a paycheck.

[RunningDeer]

My God Herve, it's embarrassing the propaganda lies you keep posting!

I can only conclude that you have OCD or are paid by the Russians...

And you're an Administrator? No wonder the membership is falling.
5th, if you feel that way then why do you stay? If it was up to me, you'd been G-O-N-E weeks ago. https://i.imgur.com/kDShPyp.gif


R-E-S-P-E-C-T
6FOUqQt3Kg0

Avalon Forum Guidelines - Membership Guidelines (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/faq.php?faq=avalonguidelines#faq_membershipguidelines).





2. RESPECT

Disagreeing with various points or topics is natural, and has always been a healthy component of all human activity throughout history. However, we do require that all members are treated with respect. In very many cases, what matters is not what you say... but how you say it.


If a member’s conduct is seen to hurt the community spirit of the group, and persist even after warnings to please change the way they’re communicating, they’ll be unsubscribed. In most cases, for a member to be unsubscribed, this is the last resort after quite a lot of effort has been made by the moderators’ team to communicate privately with the member concerned.

Do understand that we all know that someone can ‘have a bad day’. (Or even, sometimes, a bad week!) We have a high tolerance for anyone who is upset, and feels the compulsion to express it. What we’re referring to here, when we talk of unsubscribing someone, is when it becomes clear that someone is not (or is no longer) a ‘good fit’ with the spirit and values of the community.
If someone is unsubscribed, it does not mean that they are in any way a ‘bad person’. We are not judging anyone in that way, and have no right to. What it does mean is that we’ve taken the executive decision that they are not (or are no longer) a good fit with the values and spirit of our particular community.

[5th]

5th, if you feel that way then why do you stay? If it was up to me, you'd been G-O-N-E weeks ago.



At least my comment was amusing - yours is just plain nasty.

[Hervé]

My God Herve, [...]
Congratulation, 5th: you made it to top troll of the week!


A few more of those and I'll be happy to comply with members and mods requests to send you on a well earned forum vacation.


:focus:

[RunningDeer]

5th, if you feel that way then why do you stay? If it was up to me, you'd been G-O-N-E weeks ago.



At least my comment was amusing - yours is just plain nasty.

Naw, nasty would be if I said you were: rude, condescending, arrogant, with a side order of holier-than-thou attitude. https://i.imgur.com/ZOHujJ9.gif

[avid]

5th, if you feel that way then why do you stay? If it was up to me, you'd been G-O-N-E weeks ago.



At least my comment was amusing - yours is just plain nasty.

Excuse me, but why are you so rude to respected members, and wish to cast aspersions on our forum? In fact, why did you join if you are so hyper-critical?

[5th]

...



It appears Maduro is responsible for Venezuela's condition. He put everybody on the payroll and then the oil price collapsed.

0SP2cXoeOxY

What's not said, is that the oil price collapse, orchestration and protracted implementation was designed to undermine Venezuela's oil revenues... along with the financial, import/export sanctions imposed on the country and which is detailed in this thread.


Oh, maybe you're not being paid by Putin because this I agree with!

However, I think you'll find that oil was forced down to harm Putin, not Venezuela.

[Hervé]

...

5th, you missed this:



Chavez was supposed to have been taken out after the staged 9/11 event (https://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/esp_sociopol_911.htm) as one Rockefeller confided to Aaron Russo, who also suspiciously died of an aggressive cancer after he blew the whistle on all this.



Here's Russo's talk to an interviewer...



Listen all the way through, it's one of the greatest exposés of the cold, calculated elite mindset you'll see from a first hand encounter and specifically mentions their designs for Venezuela:


7gwcQjDhZtI

[Valerie Villars]

I'm only 1:46 in, but want to say something related but off topic.

I went to renew my license, the day before my birthday, here in the United States. The state of Louisiana.

I have worked since I was fourteen. Busted my ass.

In 2013 I got laid off from both my jobs; one at the Tulane University Primate Center and the second waiting tables.

Fast forward to almost six years later. My license has been suspended because of state taxes I owe.

What I am saying is not only is the money chipped, but now your freedom is. Non ability to pay taxes is now linked to the ability to drive or not drive, thereby hampering your ability to drive to a job and earn money to pay their taxes. So they can take away more of your freedom.

Sorry, Herve', but it's all related and I had to relay it.

[wnlight]

It looks like the self-proclaimed, unelected, new president of Venezuela, Juan Guaido is being placed by the USA as a puppet. The rulers of the USA are learning how to take over nations without starting a war. Will they succeed? Here in Ecuador, the president Moreno, has recognized Guaido to be the Venezuelan president as a part of his Trump loving policy. It is totally disgusting to watch.

[ThePythonicCow]

It is totally disgusting to watch.
The Saker, who as usual seems quite well informed in such matters, agrees with you ... with 3900 words of more detail and not so wry humor: The US Aggression Against Venezuela as a Diagnostic Tool (http://www.unz.com/tsaker/the-us-aggression-against-venezuela-as-a-diagnostic-tool/).

Here's his opening paragraph:
The Neocons never cease to amaze me and their latest stunt with Venezuela falls into this bizarre category of events which are both absolutely unthinkable and simultaneously absolutely predictable. This apparent logical contradiction is the direct result of a worldview and mindset which is, I believe, unique to the Neocons: a mix of imperial hubris and infinite arrogance, a complete lack of decency, a total contempt for the rest of mankind, crass ignorance, a narcissist/sociopath’s inability to have any kind of empathy or imagine another guy’s reaction and, finally, last but most certainly not least, crass stupidity. There is so much which can be said about the latest US aggression on Venezuela that entire books could be (and will be) written about this, but I want to begin by look at a few specific but nonetheless very symptomatic aspects.
The Saker concludes that what the US Neocons, such Pompeo, Bolton and Abrams are up to in Venezuela is, like so many prior operations, really ugly, but the good news is that the US has become so incompetent in such operations that it will probably fail.

In particular, The Saker passes along a status report on the Venezuelan military, from a colleague of his who knows it well.

It's a good read -- I recommend it.

[Bubu]

finally, last but most certainly not least, crass stupidity.

couldn't agree more. And the only reason they had almost conquered the world is because they are the only ones with such ambition (not because they are smart) and the big majority being so different and opposite can not imagine that such entities could exist. But now that they have been expose its check mate IMO.

Just see how Russia disabled their state of the art warfare with a simple jamming device. stupidity?

[Hervé]

[...]

However, I think you'll find that oil was forced down to harm Putin, not Venezuela.
... you also missed this:
http://projectavalon.net/forum4/images/misc/quote_icon.png Posted by Hervé (here) (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?p=260553#post260553)
[...]

Rothschilds/John D. Rockefeller, Sr. funded the Bolshevik Revolution

Per his writings in the Archives, John D. Rockefeller helped fund the Bolshevik Revolution to get the wealth of the Czars, the labor of the Russian people, and much the Southern Oil fields in Russia. That wealth changed its name from Czarist, to Russian Government owned. Ignore the names, what happened to it? Did the people of Russia get it? No. The Rockefeller Archives show that he built a private army in Russia, much like the Brown Shirt army later. His accountant said that for each 2 cents that he spent to build that Army he got a dollar back. That Army was not staying up late to knit socks to sell. They were beating people up and committing assassinations, massacres, and mayhem to terrorize the populace into submission. And he was bribing officials to get what he wanted. He was apparently famous for that in the US as well. See www.reformation.org/rockefeller-bribery.html (http://www.reformation.org/rockefeller-bribery.html) .

[...]

In exchange, Rockefeller got some of the Czars crown jewels. The Rockefeller Family stored some of them in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. I was able to prove that to the satisfaction of the Director of CIA at the time. They also got most of the profits from the Southern Russian oil fields. In about 1994, I went on a tour of them with Rodman Rockefeller so I know that for a fact. In addition, the Rockefellers charged about 18% interest on the money that they loaned Lenin for the Revolution. The way that agreement was set up made all of the loot that Lenin could seize in Russia, the Rockefellers/Rothschilds.
=============================================

... so, losing a bit of pocket loose change in exchange for Venezuelan's oil fields falling into Exxon's arms looks like a good "investment."

[Tintin]

https://www.caracaschronicles.com/2019/02/01/regime-cranks-censorship-up-to-11/


The tug-of-war between Juan Guaidó and Nicolas Maduro for recognition as Venezuela’s president has recently intensified, including a new offensive strategy against freedom of speech by chavismo. Just in the last couple of days, Nicolás Maduro’s regime arrested two Chilean journalists (who spent at least 14 hours detained, before being deported), two Venezuelan, two French (working for private TV channel TF1, both later deported) and their local contact, free at the time of publication.

Due process is not really a concern in the system Hugo Chávez built.
Three workers of the Spanish news agency EFE were arrested as well: two Colombian nationals, one Spanish and their Venezuelan driver. The EFE Newsroom Board demandedtheir immediate release, followed by the Spanish and Colombian governments. After several hours, they were released. EFE publicly condemned their deportation afterwards.

Maduro’s Foreign Minister, Jorge Arreaza, justifies all of this with the alleged enforcement of local laws, saying everything that’s going on against free press is really a “mediatic op.” Since we’ve covered similar cases in recent years, we can tell you: Arreaza’s claims are not just inaccurate, they’re pure bad faith.

State Telecom CANTV has imposed targeted blocks on social networks and even Wikipedia, showing the hegemony’s willingness to create a void on information so the red narrative holds on. NGO IPYS Venezuela confirms that the battlefield has certainly expanded to digital arenas.

“Chavismo has been building their communicational hegemony for 20 years, first by creating new outlets, then by censorship. Today, mainstream media is either dead, or self-censored due to harassment from CONATEL. The lack of newsprint was a deliberate part of it, and the one thing left are digital outlets and the foreign press. How come they don’t attack Televen or Venevisión? It’s because they’re already subdued.”

“If they can’t control it, they attack it.”

Journalist Luis Carlos Díaz has an even more Machiavellian theory:

“(This is) a system doing all it can for international recognition, including kidnapping and holding foreign citizens, so consulates and ambassadors are forced to recognize them as authorities for negotiation.”

Juan Nagel who appears to be behind the Caracas Chronicles can be found corresponding with Stratfor operatives in the Wikileaks Global Intelligence files, here (https://wikileaks.org/gifiles/docs/89/89552_re-saludos-.html) and appears on their Excel spreadsheet of contacts/sources under the Attribution column (https://wikileaks.org/gifiles/docs/12/1225448_updates-.html).

Although by no means absolutely certain, there may be a serious conflict of interest with their coverage.

Footnote at 13:53 GMT (Tintin Q) - Row 23 on the Weekly Confederation Project updates spreadsheet details some very interesting regular activity.

Anyone interested in exploring the StratFor link to Juan Nagel and the Caracas Chronicles may find these Wikileaks files, although not voluminous by any means, really quite insightful.

[Praxis]

As Bill Ryan says, if the media hate him so much, he is obviously a good guy!




The Joker is the enemy of Batman.

Harvey Dent(as Two Face) becomes Batman enemy as well.

So by your logic they are now friends?


Lets put it in a better and more real and concrete example.

Early 1900s, in the Phillipines.

For a long time, the Spanish(which isnt it delightful that the example that jumped to my mind was about your people?) have run the many islands and have not been very pleasant to the Local Filipinos.

So Here comes the Spanish American war. So America comes to "Liberate" the filipinos. Many Filipinos are happy and openly embrace the Americans and fight with them, Thinking as you do "The enemy of my enemy is my friend"

They Kick the Spanish out. HURRAY. Happiness abounds. NOPE

Filipinos realize the Americans are just replacing the Spanish not setting up liberty and equality and justice for all(you know like the American system).

Then they Turn on the Americans and start a guerrilla war (btw this is where waterboarding started to be standard practice for the military)

So time goes by and now a new enemy of the enemy emerges: Japan.

So the filipinos believe the propaganda that the Japanese are spreading about Pan Asianism and the Greater Co Prosperity Sphere and they are here to liberate from the Americans.

I am sure you know what happens next.

Hopefully our walk down history lane was informative for the people who dont seem to realize: Just because the MSM doesnt like someone doesnt make them divine.

[ripple]

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-02-04/italy-thwarts-eu-plans-recognize-guaido-legitimate-leader-venezuela


Whoopee .
Cat among pigeons .
Our Lords and Masters will hate that .
Apoplectic I imagine .
Next ? US sets sets sail for Rome . Brussels implodes . UK usual asre licking self .

[perolator]

My God Herve, it's embarrassing the propaganda lies you keep posting!

I can only conclude that you have OCD or are paid by the Russians...

And you're an Administrator? No wonder the membership is falling.

@5th,

Let's not offend moderation or administrators. I think nobody is being paid in this forum. Please stick to the topic. We really know what is happening, for instance, we know Hinterlaces is not a credible poll source, but they don't.

So, let's post what we think is right and allow them to post what is "left" (pun intended).

¤=[Post Update]=¤

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-ol-le-juan-guaido-venezuela-president-20190202-story.html

The guy wasn't "self proclaimed". He is using constitutional rights. By the way, Chavismo did exactly the same once.

[spade]

Maybe this thread title should be changed to "Maduro Supporters gather here". and another should be started, "Maduro's got to go!" to be fair.

On the other hand - I'm surprised people who haven't lived in or been to Venezuela and experienced the entirety of Venezuelan life, culture and politics are on the side of a government that has starved its own country. I'm very sad to know many people who treasure opinion, dogma and ideologue above real life experience and being grounded, down to earth living through current events.

Jim's blog, which this thread was originally based on and as POSTED By our dear Herve, and just stated on his blog :

"I had just gotten finished telling Claudia how Maduro had to be legitimate because Venezuela uses positive ID including fingerprint and the people can go and see how they voted. Claudia then said: "I have a friend in Venezuela who's dead mom votes, and she can go into the records and see her mom does!!!!
So it looks like Venezuela needs a little practice to match the Dems in America. And to hell with a confirmed vote I guess. Maduro may not be legit after all."

[Hervé]

...

... about that article 233:
As Professor Laughland writes (http://ronpaulinstitute.org/archives/featured-articles/2019/february/02/moral-disgrace-eu-parliament-lectures-world-on-rule-of-law-then-destroys-legality-in-venezuela/):
The resolution (http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+MOTION+P8-RC-2019-0082+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN) voted by the European Parliament is actually worse than President Trump’s 'recognition (https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/statement-president-donald-j-trump-recognizing-venezuelan-national-assembly-president-juan-guaido-interim-president-venezuela/)' of Guaido on January 23. Four political groups in the European Parliament, acting independently of one another before later agreeing on a common resolution, sat down to formulate their texts, in legal language, which state that Juan Guaido is the legitimate president 'according to Article 233 of the Venezuelan constitution.'
...
No one who has ever read Article 233 (https://venezuelanalysis.com/constitution/title/5) of the Venezuelan constitution could possibly conclude that it says anything of the kind.

On the contrary, Article 233 is precisely what Juan Guaido violated when he performed his little stunt of proclaiming himself president in a public square in Caracas on January 23.

Most countries’ constitutions have articles like Article 233 of the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. It deals with what happens if the president of the Republic does not, or cannot, fulfill his duties.

It lists six circumstances in which his term can be cut short: if he dies; if he resigns; if he is removed from office by a ruling of the country’s supreme court; if he is proclaimed physically or mentally unfit after a formal medical procedure validated by the National Assembly and by the supreme court; if he abandons his office; or if he is impeached by a popular referendum.

Not a single one of these conditions has been fulfilled:


President Maduro has not resigned;



he is not dead or unfit;



he has not been impeached by the courts or by the people.

Worse, Article 233 goes on to say who takes power if the presidency falls vacant – which it has not – and, guess what? It specifies that it is the vice-president who takes over, in this case Mrs Delcy Rodriguez, not the president of the National Assembly (Guaido).

The only circumstance in which the president of the National Assembly takes over is if the president has not been inaugurated. As Maduro has been president since 2013, it is impossible to pretend that this is the case. He took the oath of office for his second term on January 10, in front of the president of the Supreme Tribunal of Justice.=================================

... that's about that!

[Praxis]

Maybe this thread title should be changed to "Maduro Supporters gather here". and another should be started, "Maduro's got to go!" to be fair.

On the other hand - I'm surprised people who haven't lived in or been to Venezuela and experienced the entirety of Venezuelan life, culture and politics are on the side of a government that has starved its own country. I'm very sad to know many people who treasure opinion, dogma and ideologue above real life experience and being grounded, down to earth living through current events.

Jim's blog, which this thread was originally based on and as POSTED By our dear Herve, and just stated on his blog :

"I had just gotten finished telling Claudia how Maduro had to be legitimate because Venezuela uses positive ID including fingerprint and the people can go and see how they voted. Claudia then said: "I have a friend in Venezuela who's dead mom votes, and she can go into the records and see her mom does!!!!
So it looks like Venezuela needs a little practice to match the Dems in America. And to hell with a confirmed vote I guess. Maduro may not be legit after all."

Do you not see the irony in your post?

Have you, presumably from Indonesia, ever been to Venezuela or any of the things you have mentioned? What your being there for a year? Two years? Gives you enough insight that you make claims like you do? Do you Speak Spanish? Do you speak Venezuelan Spanish(lest we assume all Spanishes are the same)? If you live there and have been for several years and speak the language, then you will put me in my place and I will take your opinion more seriously in the way I see the world. But if these are not true, how are you different than the people you are surprised by?

Wouldnt you probably take issues if I started Supporting Jokowi because he is cleaning up Jakarta and because I like the idea of moving the Government out of Java and putting it Borneo. Also, I think the government killed many of those anti corruption people on that plane crash recently, but I dont think it was Jokowi but actually the family of Suharto secretly behind the scenes. I think the Suharto deep state in Indonesia is slowly strangling your country to death. Furthermore, Black pink is not immodest and the people in Indonesia who were getting mad about K POP are silly reactionaries.

Feels strange when foreigners have opinions about your politics and make claims without really being able to source them, doesnt it?

[wnlight]

I do not like President Maduro and what he has done to Venezuela. There are many good Venezuelans here in Ecuador who have fled their homeland because of Maduro. Yet Juan Guiado is clearly a puppet president want-to-be planted by the USA and the EU. If asked, I would not support either man for president. So much in that country has been destroyed that there will be no simple solution.

[Hervé]

WSJ confirms: Trump-appointed Guaido would inflict neoliberal capitalist shock therapy on Venezuela's people (https://grayzoneproject.com/2019/02/03/wsj-venezuela-coup-leader-juan-guaido-neoliberal-capitalist-shock-therapy/)

Ben Norton The Grayzone (https://grayzoneproject.com/2019/02/03/wsj-venezuela-coup-leader-juan-guaido-neoliberal-capitalist-shock-therapy/)
Mon, 04 Feb 2019 18:14 UTC


https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507309/large/juan_gaido_872_571_1706270.jpg (https://www.sott.net/image/s25/507309/full/juan_gaido_872_571_1706270.jpg)
Juan Guaido © Agence France-Presse


Venezuela's US-appointed coup leader Juan Guaidó plans to privatize state assets and give foreign corporations access to oil, the Wall Street Journal admitted.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Venezuela's US-appointed coup leader Juan Guaidó (https://grayzoneproject.com/2019/01/29/the-making-of-juan-guaido-how-the-us-regime-change-laboratory-created-venezuelas-coup-leader/) has already drafted plans for "opening up Venezuela's vast oil sector to private investment" and "privatizing assets held by state enterprises."

The report confirms what The Grayzone previously reported (https://grayzoneproject.com/2019/01/25/venezuela-us-coup-leader-juan-guaido-state-oil-company-imf/).
"Juan Guaidó, recognized by Washington as the rightful leader, said he would sell state assets and invite private investment in the energy industry," read the Wall Street Journal's (https://www.wsj.com/articles/venezuela-opposition-leader-outlines-plan-to-revive-nation-11548976950?mod=e2tw) January 31 article.
The paper noted that Guaidó plans "to reverse President Nicolás Maduro's economic polices," explaining:

"Mr. Guaidó said his plan called for seeking financial aide from multilateral organizations, tapping bilateral loans, restructuring debt and opening up Venezuela's vast oil sector to private investment. It includes privatizing assets held by state enterprises ... He also said he'd end wasteful state subsidies and take steps to revive the private sector." In other words, Guaidó plans to implement the neoliberal capitalist shock therapy that Washington has imposed on the region for decades.

Using funding from US-dominated international financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Venezuelan coup leader seeks to adopt an aggressive "structural adjustment" program, enacting the kinds of economic policies that have led to the preventable deaths of millions of people (https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2009/1/18/685673/-) and an explosion of poverty and inequality in the years following capitalist restoration in the former Soviet Union.

In a speech, Juan Guaidó even echoed rhetoric that is popular among US conservatives: "Here, no one wants to be given anything."

It is clear that the coup leader's priorities reflect those of Venezuela's capitalist oligarchs and right-wing politicians in the United States. Economic liberalization is the Venezuelan opposition's first and most important goal; democracy is just a pretense.
Ben Norton is a journalist and writer. He is a reporter for The Grayzone, and the producer of the Moderate Rebels (http://moderaterebelsradio.com/) podcast, which he co-hosts with Max Blumenthal. His website is BenNorton.com (http://bennorton.com/), and he tweets at @BenjaminNorton (https://twitter.com/BenjaminNorton). Related:


The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism (Documentary) (https://www.sott.net/article/273007-The-Shock-Doctrine-The-Rise-of-Disaster-Capitalism-Documentary)



Disaster Capitalism: Ukraine crisis used by corporations to capture fertile soil (https://www.sott.net/article/298424-Disaster-Capitalism-Ukraine-crisis-used-by-corporations-to-capture-fertile-soil)



More confessions of an economic hitman: This time they're coming for your democracy (https://www.sott.net/article/317418-More-confessions-of-an-economic-hitman-This-time-they-re-coming-for-your-democracy)



UK Academic: 'Everything the Mainstream Media Tells You About Venezuela Is Lies' (https://www.sott.net/article/390097-UK-Academic-Everything-the-Mainstream-Media-Tells-You-About-Venezuela-Is-Lies)



The Making of Juan Guaidó: How The US Regime Change Laboratory Created Venezuela's Coup Leader (https://www.sott.net/article/406034-The-Making-of-Juan-Guaido-How-The-US-Regime-Change-Laboratory-Created-Venezuelas-Coup-Leader)



Imperialism - How America carries out Latin American coups in the New Political Era (https://www.sott.net/article/283650-Imperialism-How-America-carries-out-Latin-American-coups-in-the-New-Political-Era)

[perolator]

@Hervé,
your Professor Laughland is plain wrong.


...
Most countries’ constitutions have articles like Article 233 of the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. It deals with what happens if the president of the Republic does not, or cannot, fulfill his duties.

It lists six circumstances in which his term can be cut short: if he dies; if he resigns; if he is removed from office by a ruling of the country’s supreme court; if he is proclaimed physically or mentally unfit after a formal medical procedure validated by the National Assembly and by the supreme court; if he abandons his office; or if he is impeached by a popular referendum.


Maduro is clearly unfit to be president. Just 2 reasons:


He could not prove he is Venezuelan by birth.
Elections were rigged.




Worse, Article 233 goes on to say who takes power if the presidency falls vacant – which it has not – and, guess what? It specifies that it is the vice-president who takes over, in this case Mrs Delcy Rodriguez, not the president of the National Assembly (Guaido).



Wrong.

The National Assembly President is the designated by the 1999 Venezuelan Constitution as the person who has to be incumbent president while new elections are held.



Spanish: Cuando se produzca la falta absoluta del Presidente o Presidenta de la República durante los primeros cuatro años del período constitucional, se procederá a una nueva elección universal y directa dentro de los treinta días consecutivos siguientes. Cuando se produzca la falta absoluta del Presidente electo o Presidenta electa antes de tomar posesión, se procederá a una nueva elección universal, directa y secreto dentro de los treinta días consecutivos siguientes. Mientras se elige y toma posesión el nuevo Presidente o Presidenta, se encargará de la Presidencia de la República el Presidente o Presidenta de la Asamblea Nacional.

While election and inauguration of the new President (man) or the new president (woman), will be in charge of the Presidency of the Republic the President (man) or President (woman) of the National Assembly.


Source (https://microjurisve.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/constitucion-presidenciales.pdf)

Incredible as it seems, there is no official PDF of the Venezuelan Constitution online. The source I am referring to is a condensed version, having articles referred to the Presidential elections. A lot of webpages in spanish has the text where should say "President of the National Assembly" changed to "Vicepresident of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela" (!). That IS not true.

Absolute fault was declared after the evidently rigged 2018 elections.

Diosdado Cabello declared himself president in 2002, under the Article 233 of the Constitution. 2 days later, when Chavez was re-instated as president, Cabello was promoted to Vice-President, replacing Jose V. Rangel.



The only circumstance in which the president of the National Assembly takes over
... that's about that!


Constitution works for Socialism but not the other way?

[perolator]

Do you not see the irony in your post?

Have you, presumably from Indonesia, ever been to Venezuela or any of the things you have mentioned? What your being there for a year? Two years? Gives you enough insight that you make claims like you do? Do you Speak Spanish? Do you speak Venezuelan Spanish(lest we assume all Spanishes are the same)? If you live there and have been for several years and speak the language, then you will put me in my place and I will take your opinion more seriously in the way I see the world. But if these are not true, how are you different than the people you are surprised by?


I am Venezuelan. I cannot see any irony in @spade's words.
Ironic is having sympathy for Maduro (or Chavez) just because (they) claimed to be socialist.

[Tintin]

@Hervé,
your Professor Laughland is plain wrong.


...
Most countries’ constitutions have articles like Article 233 of the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. It deals with what happens if the president of the Republic does not, or cannot, fulfill his duties.

It lists six circumstances in which his term can be cut short: if he dies; if he resigns; if he is removed from office by a ruling of the country’s supreme court; if he is proclaimed physically or mentally unfit after a formal medical procedure validated by the National Assembly and by the supreme court; if he abandons his office; or if he is impeached by a popular referendum.


Maduro is clearly unfit to be president. Just 2 reasons:


He could not prove he is Venezuelan by birth.
Elections were rigged.




Worse, Article 233 goes on to say who takes power if the presidency falls vacant – which it has not – and, guess what? It specifies that it is the vice-president who takes over, in this case Mrs Delcy Rodriguez, not the president of the National Assembly (Guaido).



Wrong.

The National Assembly President is the designated by the 1999 Venezuelan Constitution as the person who has to be incumbent president while new elections are held.



Spanish: Cuando se produzca la falta absoluta del Presidente o Presidenta de la República durante los primeros cuatro años del período constitucional, se procederá a una nueva elección universal y directa dentro de los treinta días consecutivos siguientes. Cuando se produzca la falta absoluta del Presidente electo o Presidenta electa antes de tomar posesión, se procederá a una nueva elección universal, directa y secreto dentro de los treinta días consecutivos siguientes. Mientras se elige y toma posesión el nuevo Presidente o Presidenta, se encargará de la Presidencia de la República el Presidente o Presidenta de la Asamblea Nacional.

While election and inauguration of the new President (man) or the new president (woman), will be in charge of the Presidency of the Republic the President (man) or President (woman) of the National Assembly.


Source (https://microjurisve.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/constitucion-presidenciales.pdf)

Incredible as it seems, there is no official PDF of the Venezuelan Constitution online. The source I am referring to is a condensed version, having articles referred to the Presidential elections. A lot of webpages in spanish has the text where should say "President of the National Assembly" changed to "Vicepresident of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela" (!). That IS not true.

Absolute fault was declared after the evidently rigged 2018 elections.

Diosdado Cabello declared himself president in 2002, under the Article 233 of the Constitution. 2 days later, when Chavez was re-instated as president, Cabello was promoted to Vice-President, replacing Jose V. Rangel.



The only circumstance in which the president of the National Assembly takes over
... that's about that!


Constitution works for Socialism but not the other way?

These questions are asked of Perolator, a citizen, directly:

Okay, and it's a serious question: what would YOU suggest as a solution if you were given some sort of power for, for example, a day? It's a serious question, and not at all rhetorical or provocative. I genuinely mean it.

I REALLY would love to know how you would choose to resolve this, if you were in charge for a while? How would you try and improve things?

[perolator]

These questions are asked of Perolator, a citizen, directly:

Okay, and it's a serious question: what would YOU suggest as a solution if you were given some sort of power for, for example, a day? It's a serious question, and not at all rhetorical or provocative. I genuinely mean it.

I REALLY would love to know how you would choose to resolve this, if you were in charge for a while? How would you try and improve things?

@Tintin:

Thank you for your concern.

In all fairness, one day is not enough because the destruction has been going on 24/7 for 20 years. But, is good to dream every now and then. To know what to do is difficult, even using just the imagination.

Here is a non-ordered list.
NOW:

Take humanitarian aid all over the country: food, medicines, especially for chronic diseases and vaccines.
Restore/repair power and infrastructure.
Creation of a new national identity council, elections council and ID system.
Full census and new electoral registry.
Presidential elections.


Short-term:

Create employment, reconstruct the country.
Dissolution of all branches of the military.
Creation of a professional police to protect borders, national parks, coastline and forests.
Creation of a special police (i.e. SWAT) to fight and eradicate crime.
Elimination of the currency control (variable exchange rate).
Free market economy.
Removal of Cubans/Russians/Turkish/Chinese of all strategic/power positions in the country. Venezuela should be managed by Venezuelans.
End of onerous treaties with Maduro's "allies".
End of Cuba aids and oil supply.
Regulation of minerals extraction.
Removal of ELN, FBL, FARC guerrillas from the country.


Long-term:

Constitution reform: To restore/modify articles referred to private property, free market, decentralization and freedom of speech. 1999 constitution amended most of those articles (52 total).
Penal Code reform: Jails are the worst of the hemisphere. To remove "steal for hunger allowance", modernize to punish severely rape, illegal drug possession and sale, murder, corruption.
Education: Restore educational system, severely damaged by chavismo.


So much to do, Venezuela is a failed country.

[perolator]

[snip]
I'd say,
that some financially middle and upper class Venezuelans really and legitimately want Maduro out of there
(It makes logical sense: the people that do not need social services don't care about social services, or the Venezuelan oil revenue that is the source of those services. For them, their lives have been disrupted, they don't care who is really creating violence and just want the violence to end. The easiest thing for these financial classes to do is to pay the bosses of the local thugs to stop creating the scripted part of the violence: USA, INC. and its CIA. So, they welcome a "soft" takeover of Venezuela by the USA, and restoration of the pre-Chavez status quo.


Mr. Leahy,

The "financially middle and upper class" in Venezuela, right now, is composed of a unusually high percentage of Chavistas and Maduro supporters. They can travel all over the world and live the bolivarian dream. Basically, the middle class no longer exists. There are several levels of poverty: from extreme poverty (people living on the streets, with no money, food or shelter) to poor (those who still has a salary, have an apartment, what used to be the middle class).

Every Venezuelan is prone to suffer:

Power outages (daily), several times a day in some places, 1 day or more in suburban or rural zones.
Lack of running water (tap water is undrinkable; an analysis by international standards may make it unsuitable for human beings). Bottled water is more expensive than gasoline.
Gas shortages.
Lack of spare parts for cars, trucks and buses.
Scarcity of food.
Scarcity of medical supplies, medicines, medical infrastructure and personnel.


Social services? Nothing works there. No social service works as intended there. People struggle to get a box with foul food. That is humiliating. ¿Barrio Adentro? no señor.

Your picture of chavismo is completely different than the real life. That's why 5th gets angry reading your posts and knowing the truth.

[Dennis Leahy]

[snip]
I'd say,
that some financially middle and upper class Venezuelans really and legitimately want Maduro out of there
(It makes logical sense: the people that do not need social services don't care about social services, or the Venezuelan oil revenue that is the source of those services. For them, their lives have been disrupted, they don't care who is really creating violence and just want the violence to end. The easiest thing for these financial classes to do is to pay the bosses of the local thugs to stop creating the scripted part of the violence: USA, INC. and its CIA. So, they welcome a "soft" takeover of Venezuela by the USA, and restoration of the pre-Chavez status quo.


Mr. Leahy,

The "financially middle and upper class" in Venezuela, right now, is composed of a unusually high percentage of Chavistas and Maduro supporters. They can travel all over the world and live the bolivarian dream. Basically, the middle class no longer exists. There are several levels of poverty: from extreme poverty (people living on the streets, with no money, food or shelter) to poor (those who still has a salary, have an apartment, what used to be the middle class).

Every Venezuelan is prone to suffer:


Power outages (daily), several times a day in some places, 1 day or more in suburban or rural zones.
Lack of running water (tap water is undrinkable; an analysis by international standards may make it unsuitable for human beings). Bottled water is more expensive than gasoline.
Gas shortages.
Lack of spare parts for cars, trucks and buses.
Scarcity of food.
Scarcity of medical supplies, medicines, medical infrastructure and personnel.



Social services? Nothing works there. No social service works as intended there. People struggle to get a box with foul food. That is humiliating. ¿Barrio Adentro? no señor.


Your picture of chavismo is completely different than the real life. That's why 5th gets angry reading your posts and knowing the truth.

I know it's bad. Worse, it's going to get worse - the people doing all this promised it will get worse until you see things differently. You cannot win, it is futile. Give up. Let the USA, INC. have what it wants, the oil, and control of the oil production, and control of the oil destination. Don't fight Uncle Sam, or you'll be tortured and imprisoned indefinitely without any cause - LEGALLY in the USA, INC., just like "American" citizens! Or, they will kill you. That's really the 2 options you have left - death or imprisonment with torture, if you, Venezuela, continue to try to resist assimilation into the Borg. Stop resisting arrest! It's for your own good. Just relax and enjoy it, the rape and pillage of Venezuela. It's just too big a responsibility to own and control all that oil, so just let American Interests (that's what we call them, here, in America, "American Interests") take care of all your domestic civil problems, with just a couple of signatures on some documents that have been drawn up. The USA, INC. promises to stop paying mercenaries and agents provocateur, allow your gold to be repatriated if you want (but you don't want that - just let those UK bankers hang onto it), drop all sanctions, gain the cooperation of all the large corporations in Venezuela, ... hey, things will be running smoothly. The USA, INC. is the only country that could make you such an excellent deal. Take it. They won't take "no" for an answer. They got this. Don't worry, be happy. Your eyelids are getting heavy. Don't resist. You are so weary. Let it go. God bless America! No, not the whole North and South American continents, I mean God bless the USA, INC.
Sing it with me, "♫♪ ♫♪♫♪♫♪ Gob blesssssss the Youuuuu Essssssss Ayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy ♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪" Your eyelids are getting heavy. Don't resist. You are getting so sleepy. You are completely and deeply asleep now. I am going to count to three, and when I say "three" you will awaken refreshed and relaxed, and will have no resistance at all to American Interests.

One.

Two.

Three.

[Helvetic]

Michel Chossudovsky | Venezuela: From Oil Proxy to the Bolivarian Movement and Sabotage

Source: gunsandbutter.org (http://gunsandbutter.org), globalresearch.ca (http://globalresearch.ca)

E9w8IzAL8UY

We discuss the economic and political crisis in Venezuela, its history as an oil proxy nation since the discovery of oil in 1918, through successive dictatorships, coups d’etats, a fake nationalization of the oil industry, the Chavista movement and destabilization through financial warfare, with a special emphasis on Michel Chossudovsky’s personal experience there conducting a study on poverty in 1975 as Advisor to the Venezuelan Minister of Planning. -gunsandbutter.org

[Hervé]

^^^ highly recommended interview ^^^


... echoing Aaron Russo's depiction of the elite mindset: (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?105808-Turmoil-in-Venezuela&p=1272616&viewfull=1#post1272616) "What do you care for these people?" itself an echo of another Rockefeller's (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?25102-For-an-idea-on-the-big-picture&p=1259322&viewfull=1#post1259322) : “[people] Of course, they are. They are as unnecessary to this planet as extra bolts in a factory which is done making the equipment. There is nothing left to do with them than throw them out when one is done with their usefulness.”


Related:
Interview with Ex-CIA Collaborator: “The CIA’s Plans in Venezuela Are Far Advanced” (https://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/10533)

[spade]

I know it's bad. Worse, it's going to get worse - the people doing all this promised it will get worse until you see things differently. You cannot win, it is futile. Give up. Let the USA, INC. have what it wants, the oil, and control of the oil production, and control of the oil destination. Don't fight Uncle Sam, or you'll be tortured and imprisoned indefinitely without any cause - LEGALLY in the USA, INC., just like "American" citizens! Or, they will kill you. That's really the 2 options you have left - death or imprisonment with torture, if you, Venezuela, continue to try to resist assimilation into the Borg. Stop resisting arrest! It's for your own good. Just relax and enjoy it, the rape and pillage of Venezuela. It's just too big a responsibility to own and control all that oil, so just let American Interests (that's what we call them, here, in America, "American Interests") take care of all your domestic civil problems, with just a couple of signatures on some documents that have been drawn up. The USA, INC. promises to stop paying mercenaries and agents provocateur, allow your gold to be repatriated if you want (but you don't want that - just let those UK bankers hang onto it), drop all sanctions, gain the cooperation of all the large corporations in Venezuela, ... hey, things will be running smoothly. The USA, INC. is the only country that could make you such an excellent deal. Take it. They won't take "no" for an answer. They got this. Don't worry, be happy. Your eyelids are getting heavy. Don't resist. You are so weary. Let it go. God bless America! No, not the whole North and South American continents, I mean God bless the USA, INC.
Sing it with me, "♫♪ ♫♪♫♪♫♪ Gob blesssssss the Youuuuu Essssssss Ayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy ♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪" Your eyelids are getting heavy. Don't resist. You are getting so sleepy. You are completely and deeply asleep now. I am going to count to three, and when I say "three" you will awaken refreshed and relaxed, and will have no resistance at all to American Interests.

One.

Two.

Three.

Gosh Dennis, I didn't know you hate your own country so much - why don't you move to another country?

[Tintin]

Gosh Dennis, I didn't know you hate your own country so much - why don't you move to another country?

Your question wasn’t directed at me, but it might have as well been. Our government is at war with its people. I love my country, but hate what has become of the government. If you don’t understand that, then it’s not worth explaining further.

Well said Joe. :highfive:

Patriotism as opposed to nationalism :nerd:





"A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government." - Edward Abbey

[perolator]

Looks like Mr. Leahy is out of arguments.



I know it's bad. Worse, it's going to get worse - the people doing all this promised it will get worse until you see things differently.


Me? Worse than socialist/communist bolivarian enchilada?
Nothing is worse than that!
I decided to move away for good. Would you do the same, i.e. moving away from the evil U.S.?



You cannot win, it is futile. Give up. Let the USA, INC. have what it wants, the oil, and control of the oil production, and control of the oil destination. Don't fight Uncle Sam, or you'll be tortured and imprisoned indefinitely without any cause - LEGALLY in the USA, INC., just like "American" citizens! Or, they will kill you. That's really the 2 options you have left - death or imprisonment with torture, if you, Venezuela, continue to try to resist assimilation into the Borg. Stop resisting arrest! It's for your own good. Just relax and enjoy it, the rape and pillage of Venezuela.


Your propaganda is depicting what Cuba, Russia and the "your ideology allies" have been doing for years in my country. Zzzzzzzz.



It's just too big a responsibility to own and control all that oil, so just let American Interests (that's what we call them, here, in America, "American Interests") take care of all your domestic civil problems, with just a couple of signatures on some documents that have been drawn up. The USA, INC. promises to stop paying mercenaries and agents provocateur, allow your gold to be repatriated if you want (but you don't want that - just let those UK bankers hang onto it), drop all sanctions, gain the cooperation of all the large corporations in Venezuela, ... hey, things will be running smoothly. The USA, INC. is the only country that could make you such an excellent deal. Take it...

Do you know why that Venezuelan gold was in the U.K. in the first place? Do you know what a Gold Reserve is?

I'm scared! I am starting to see the light! Fortunately, the Venezuelan army has a large amount of russian junk ready to fight the U.S., Colombia and Brasil coalition invasion. They will stop the U.S. and Trump will have his Vietnam.

Please. I can change my mind, but your arguments are futile.

[perolator]

Gosh Dennis, I didn't know you hate your own country so much - why don't you move to another country?

Your question wasn’t directed at me, but it might have as well been. Our government is at war with its people. I love my country, but hate what has become of the government. If you don’t understand that, then it’s not worth explaining further.

@Joe: You just defined in simple words what is happening in Venezuela. Exactly.

[Dennis Leahy]

I know it's bad. Worse, it's going to get worse - the people doing all this promised it will get worse until you see things differently. You cannot win, it is futile. Give up. Let the USA, INC. have what it wants, the oil, and control of the oil production, and control of the oil destination. Don't fight Uncle Sam, or you'll be tortured and imprisoned indefinitely without any cause - LEGALLY in the USA, INC., just like "American" citizens! Or, they will kill you. That's really the 2 options you have left - death or imprisonment with torture, if you, Venezuela, continue to try to resist assimilation into the Borg. Stop resisting arrest! It's for your own good. Just relax and enjoy it, the rape and pillage of Venezuela. It's just too big a responsibility to own and control all that oil, so just let American Interests (that's what we call them, here, in America, "American Interests") take care of all your domestic civil problems, with just a couple of signatures on some documents that have been drawn up. The USA, INC. promises to stop paying mercenaries and agents provocateur, allow your gold to be repatriated if you want (but you don't want that - just let those UK bankers hang onto it), drop all sanctions, gain the cooperation of all the large corporations in Venezuela, ... hey, things will be running smoothly. The USA, INC. is the only country that could make you such an excellent deal. Take it. They won't take "no" for an answer. They got this. Don't worry, be happy. Your eyelids are getting heavy. Don't resist. You are so weary. Let it go. God bless America! No, not the whole North and South American continents, I mean God bless the USA, INC.
Sing it with me, "♫♪ ♫♪♫♪♫♪ Gob blesssssss the Youuuuu Essssssss Ayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy ♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪" Your eyelids are getting heavy. Don't resist. You are getting so sleepy. You are completely and deeply asleep now. I am going to count to three, and when I say "three" you will awaken refreshed and relaxed, and will have no resistance at all to American Interests.

One.

Two.

Three.Gosh Dennis, I didn't know you hate your own country so much - why don't you move to another country?

Hello spade,

What on Earth does exposing the USA, INC. have to do with hating my country? Do you even know who I am talking about? Let's do a quick review of recent US history:

Lets start in 1963. Quite obviously (reference the public craniotomy of JFK, 'secret society' speech, cover-up in media and Warren Comm., etc. etc.), we can now look back and see what JFK did not see: the bad guys had already taken over the US government in 1963. Up until November 22nd of that year, the "bad guys", the cabal, the 'shadow government' had risen to a level of power that controlled most aspects of the US government. On that day, they went public. The only logical reason the hit was done in "broad daylight" was as a message, a warning, a show of force/control. On November 22, 1963, the psychopaths behind the curtain peeked out and declared themselves rulers of the USA (with global takeover aspirations.)

I often refer to this cabal as "the USA, INC.", a literary and literal nod to the incorporation of the USA in 1913, by the predecessors of the new psychopaths. I use the "INC." to remind people that this cabal is fascist (as per Mussolini's definition.) The people who took control of the USA were international bankers plus the next level of the pyramid, the nascent globalist corporatists who were/are fascistic.

Unfortunately for the citizens of the USA and the citizens of the world, the same group of psychopathic monsters is still in power. They fund israel and the zionist agenda. They have murdered an estimated 20 million innocent human beings in my lifetime - so far! Having gained control of the USA military, the USA, INC. inserted nearly 1000 military bases around the world, as global muscle. Walter Cronkite told us that these wars were all necessary to help the people around the world. We believed him, and I'd guess he believed it too. The sad truth is that the cabal, the USA, INC. is a globalist mobster organization that only has self-interests. I have spent a lot of time - at one point dedicating 18 months to its study - trying to figure out how the citizens of the USA can take control of the USA and oust the entire USA, INC. cabal from power.

Another way to answer your comment is to ask where could I run to? What country? Where could I go where the globalist cabal that I call the USA, INC. (and, that is based primarily in the USA and that controls the USA military and alphabet agencies), will leave me in peace? Wouldn't it be cowardly of me to run from these mobsters? Shouldn't I stay and try to figure out how to fight them, to defeat them?

The next snack on the USA, INC. globalist cabal's plate is Venezuela. I will be utterly ineffective at stopping the USA, INC. "appropriation" of Venezuela's riches, but I damn sure won't be silent about it.

[Hervé]

It’s not just Venezuela: Nicaragua & Cuba also on the way of American imperialism (https://www.rt.com/op-ed/450711-us-venezuela-nicaragua-cuba-coup/)

– K. Livingstone

RT
Published time: 5 Feb, 2019 15:17
Get short URL (https://on.rt.com/9nrr)


https://cdni.rt.com/files/2019.02/xxs/5c599cd7fc7e9375068b45a0.JPG
A masked anti-government protester shouts slogans to riot police during a protest against Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega's government in Managua, Nicaragua September 16, 2018 © Reuters / Oswaldo Rivas


Both historical and current experience in Central and Latin America shows the social progress and people’s rights are not things that are on the agenda of US-installed regimes.

The crisis in Central America continues to escalate. Last week, President Maduro of Venezuela released a Facebook video (https://www.facebook.com/NicolasMaduro/videos/616514302112932/) warning that leaders of the US empire were conspiring “to get their hands on our oil – just like they did in Iraq and in Libya.” The US can’t accuse Venezuela of accumulating weapons of mass destruction, as they said about Saddam Hussein in Iraq, but instead they are behind a fake news campaign to try and justify intervening in Venezuela which has the world’s largest oil reserves, Maduro stated.

Maduro warned (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/30/venezuela-maduro-accuses-us-of-trying-to-get-hands-on-oil-donald-trump)
“If the US intends to intervene against us they will get a Vietnam worse than they could have imagined. We do not allow violence. We are a peaceful people…. I ask that Venezuela be respected and I ask for the support of the people of the US so there isn’t a new Vietnam, least of all here in our America.”
Whilst it still seems such a war can be avoided, the right-wing governments of Colombia and Brazil would be prepared to be part of a US-led coalition against Maduro.

For those of us old enough to remember the long bloody war in Vietnam, it was alarming to see that John Bolton, the US National Security Adviser, was photographed holding a legal pad with the words ‘5,000 troops to Colombia’ which made us all fear that Trump is actually considering the option. But 5,000 would not be enough as we all remember that the invasion of Panama required 27,000 US soldiers.

There has clearly been US backing for the street protests organized to try and drive Maduro out of office and bring an end to the socialist administration started by Hugo Chavez in 1998. Since the assembly member Juan Guaido announced he was in effect the real president of Venezuela he has had backing not just from the US, but the UK, France, Spain, Colombia, Canada, Australia, Brazil and the European Parliament.

Guaido is clearly no more than a puppet of Donald Trump and could easily be the key player in a coup to overthrow the democratically elected regime. Last week, Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodriguez accused America of conspiring to topple her president in order to seize the country’s oil reserves. She announced that their response would be “Get your Yankee hands off the oil industry.”

Given the number of European countries lining up behind Trump’s plot, it was good to see the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn coming out strongly against the call for sanctions: “We oppose outside interference in Venezuela… there needs to be a dialogue and a negotiated settlement to overcome the crisis.”



https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/868124921402150912/V0SkMhCD_normal.jpg (https://twitter.com/jeremycorbyn) Jeremy Corbyn ✔ @jeremycorbyn
(https://twitter.com/jeremycorbyn)
The future of Venezuela is a matter for Venezuelans. @Jeremy_Hunt (https://twitter.com/Jeremy_Hunt)'s call for more sanctions on Venezuela is wrong. We oppose outside interference in Venezuela, whether from the US or anywhere else.

There needs to be dialogue and a negotiated settlement to overcome the crisis.

24.1K (https://twitter.com/intent/like?tweet_id=1091370347650260992)
6:19 PM - Feb 1, 2019 (https://twitter.com/jeremycorbyn/status/1091370347650260992)But it’s not just Venezuela. On December 20, Trump signed into law the NICA act (Nicaraguan Investment Conditionality Act). This act seeks to use the US’s “voice, vote and influence” within international financial institutions such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the Inter-American Development Bank to stop them providing (https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/1918/text?format=txt)“any loan or financial or technical assistance” to Nicaragua’s government.

This is of course extremely significant as the US is a strong and at times dominant voice in these institutions and a voice that many other governments do not want to be at odds with. The act also gives Trump the authority to impose targeted sanctions on Nicaraguan government officials, former officials, or people purportedly “acting on behalf of” the government in Nicaraguan’s capital Managua.

The US Secretary of State is instructed by the act to submit a report to congressional committees within six months as to whether the Nicaraguan government is complying with a range of US demands including a demand for early elections. The US demand for an early election is outrageous given that Nicaragua’s elected president Daniel Ortega is less than halfway through his constitutional term of office, having won the last presidential election in 2016 with 72 (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-37892477) percent of the vote on a turnout of around 65 (https://elpais.com/elpais/2016/11/07/inenglish/1478509107_984140.html) percent.

By incorporating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the NICA act also paves the way for President Trump to go even further in infringing Nicaraguan’s sovereignty. Powers granted to Trump under this act enable him to block and prohibit financial and other asset transactions and deny or revoke visas and similar measures have been the precursor for further US interventions in countries when they want to see left-wing governments overthrown.

The legislation is a clear violation of international law and the Charters of the United Nations and the Organization of American States, both of which condemn such actions. The campaign behind the NICA act within the US was largely led by recently retired ultra-conservative Florida congressional representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, with help from senators Marco Rubio (https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/rubio-disputes-that-the-united-states-would-participate-in-a-coup-in-venezuela/2019/01/27/0a976050-2255-11e9-ba08-caf4ff5a3433_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.97cd7f1d3136) and Ted Cruz (https://twitter.com/SenTedCruz/status/1090772753903480832). Their political history includes aggressive support (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/27/trump-cuba-ted-cruz-marco-rubio-fidel-castro) for the blockade of Cuba and sanctions against Venezuela.

The NICA act supporters hope it will cut off financial loans to Nicaragua from the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and other lenders. Loans (https://morningstaronline.co.uk/a-3c95-nicaragua-is-once-again-in-sights-for-us-intervention-1) to Nicaragua are currently running at $250 million a year and are invested in education, social programmes, electrification, roads, and other infrastructure initiatives.

One such project that might be jeopardized is a $60 million World Bank-funded project (https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2018/03/15/banco-mundial-reafirma-apoyo-en-salud-carreteras-y-regularizacion-de-tierras-en-nicaragua) to strengthen the health care system in Nicaragua, part of a drive to improve health and education services. Additionally, there is a danger that donor nations may use the negative IMF loan decisions to guide their own bilateral aid and loans, creating a multiplier effect and cutting off some European aid as well.

The NICA act will be a heavy additional blow to what had been achieved under the Sandinista government’s poverty reduction programme, under which the poverty rate (https://knoema.com/atlas/Nicaragua/Poverty-rate-at-national-poverty-line) was cut from 45.8% of the population in 2005 to 24.9% in 2016. These sanctions will hit the poorest hardest, whether or not they support their current government. Trump clearly hopes it will spark a revolt that overthrows the government.

History in the region and elsewhere shows US sanctions exacerbate a country’s divisions rather than help move countries forward. This is why the NICA act has been opposed by a wide range of voices including business and trade unions in Nicaragua. The reality is that the NICA act has nothing to do with human rights, democracy or the rule of law. It is only about US interest in its economic involvement in each country.

The act is designed to help Trump’s administration achieve regime change, not just in Nicaragua but they hope also in Venezuela and in Cuba with Brazil (https://www.rt.com/op-ed/442633-brazil-bolsonaro-pinochet-election/) having been delivered back into the hands of a pro-US extreme right-winger, following the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, and the jailing of Lula (https://www.rt.com/op-ed/443266-bolsonaro-right-left-brazil/), who was the front runner in the presidential elections before charges against him were cooked up to take him out of the contest.

Statements by White House National Security Adviser, John Bolton, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo make this abundantly clear. On November 1, 2018, Bolton denounced (https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/bolton-promises-to-confront-latin-americas-troika-of-tyranny/2018/11/01/df57d3d2-ddf5-11e8-85df-7a6b4d25cfbb_story.html) Nicaragua, Cuba, and Venezuela as a “troika of tyranny” and saying that he looks forward to watching their governments fall.

But the simple fact is that it is against international law for the Trump administration to decide who should be the government of any other country. Both historical and current experience in Central and Latin America shows us the social progress and people’s rights are not things that are on the agenda of US-installed regimes.

There is a wide range of views on recent developments in Nicaragua within the left internationally, but whatever one’s views, sanctions from Trump that will damage living standards of ordinary people are not the answer.

For almost thirty years the United Nations has voted annually by about 190 to two to call on the US to lift its sanctions on Cuba. Each year only America and Israel oppose this motion. Cuba pointed out that in the last financial year those sanctions cost (https://www.un.org/press/en/2018/ga12086.doc.htm) their economy $4.3 billion. For a small country, this is intensely damaging and it’s time for the world to stand up against this new form of imperialism.

The old empires of Europe ripped off the people they controlled but were overthrown or driven out after the Second World War. The US has been much more clever in controlling so much of the third world, by hiding behind and supporting military coups and far-right candidates who, when they come to office, will give America all that it wants.

Ken Livingstone is an English politician, he served as the Mayor of London between 2000 and 2008. He is also a former MP and a former member of the Labour Party. Related:
Neocon Bolton is committed to punishing apostates who dare resist the writ of Washington (https://www.rt.com/op-ed/450245-neocon-bolton-washington-guaido/)

Chorus of EU states, incl UK, Spain, Austria recognize Guaido as Venezuela’s interim leader (https://www.rt.com/news/450590-uk-spain-france-guaido-president/)

Is Brazil's Bolsonaro a Pinochet or a populist? – George Galloway (https://www.rt.com/op-ed/442633-brazil-bolsonaro-pinochet-election/)

[Dennis Leahy]

Michel Chossudovsky | Venezuela: From Oil Proxy to the Bolivarian Movement and Sabotage

Source: gunsandbutter.org (http://gunsandbutter.org), globalresearch.ca (http://globalresearch.ca)

E9w8IzAL8UY

We discuss the economic and political crisis in Venezuela, its history as an oil proxy nation since the discovery of oil in 1918, through successive dictatorships, coups d’etats, a fake nationalization of the oil industry, the Chavista movement and destabilization through financial warfare, with a special emphasis on Michel Chossudovsky’s personal experience there conducting a study on poverty in 1975 as Advisor to the Venezuelan Minister of Planning. -gunsandbutter.org

I have a very difficult time taking-in presentations that are just audio, (visual learner), but I would urge everyone who is interested in Venezuela to listen to this interview. Thank you, Helvetic, for adding such depth and weight to this subject by posting it here.

[perolator]

I have heard you say anything is better than what you have now, and I’m not so sure about that. My greatest fear is that Venezuela may get stuck in open civil war, terrorism, and narcotics drug wars (a la Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria.)

To wage a war, at least two sides are needed. In Venezuela, Maduro has all the weapons: All branches of the Military, militias, guerrillas, organized crime, "colectivos" and common criminals. Opposition, as such, is not an armed movement. That's why we (those who oppose goverment) want international help. We want intervention like Panama's, not Iraq et al.
Maduro's army and political police have demonstrated how powerful they are against unarmed people.



Given what we know about the sorcerers is that may very well be what they have in mind for your people. To keep Venezuela (and the rest of the region) in perpetual conflict and influence you to kill each other off while they jack off to the murder and mayhem.

I do hope I am wrong and change brings the prosperity you desire and deserve.


I also hope change brings prosperity and peace.

[onawah]

REMOVE THE GLOBALIST SYSTEMS, THEN CONTROL THE CENTRAL BANK
https://forbiddenknowledgetv.net/remove-the-globalist-systems-then-control-the-central-bank/
2/5/19
"Dave from the X22 Report gives the Alternative News view on the rapid de-dollarization under way and the situation in Venezuela. It’s almost a through-the-looking glass view of events, compared to the official narrative but not nearly as unlikely as the stories we heard yesterday from Max Igan about “stolen history.”

Trump’s agenda appears to be to purposefully break up the American Empire. What most people don’t understand is that the American Empire was never truly American. Over the course of the 20th century, America was made into a franchisee and the enforcer of the Globalist bankster “petrodollar world order”. Mainstream pundits insist that it’s the other way around and complain that Trump is crazy. Trump knows exactly what he’s doing.

Recall for the millionth time that the dollar is printed by the US Federal Reserve Bank, not by the US Treasury nor by any branch of the US government but by a private corporation owned primarily by European aristocrats. Trump is peeling America off from this parasitic alliance.

We’re in a period of dramatic transition, of de-dollarization and we’re moving into a new energy paradigm. Petroleum will not be the dominant source of energy forever. The petrodollar and the wars of aggression for the control of petroleum resources will likewise end.

Over the decades, other energy technologies were suppressed to maintain this petrodollar world order. In the not so distant past, people in possession of alternative technologies who were deemed a threat to this order (i.e., Stan Meyers) were killed but now we see that alternative technologies are coming out and their inventors are not dying in mysterious accidents.

Interestingly, Trump’s uncle, John was an MIT physics professor who the FBI put in charge of studying the Tesla/" target="_blank">Nikola Tesla papers that were seized upon the latter’s death in 1943. John Trump was in charge of determining what to do with Tesla technology.

Some believe that Trump has his hands on some of it. If so, that might even better explain why he doesn’t hesitate to let the already-doomed, debt-encumbered petrodollar, based on a dying energy paradigm die (and to rack up all kinds of debt with military spending beforehand, like the bankruptcy veteran that he is). In this video, Dave goes into more details about this transition.

As for Venezuela, the Bolivarian Revolution has been in control for about 20 years. It only “worked” while there was a commodities boom (until around 2012-2013) – if by “working”, you can call stealing peoples’ businesses and nationalizing them and encumbering these businesses with wasteful, inefficient bureaucracies.

US economic sanctions were originally placed on Venezuela by Barack Obama and the latest rounds of sanctions did not begin in earnest until 2017, after Maduro dissolved the legislative branch of his government and replaced it with a small tribunal of judges whom he personally selected, in what international observers called a “self-coup”.

Maduro is in breach of the Venezuelan constitution, plain and simple. He and his cohorts have already stolen billions. Still, this is not enough of a reason to interfere with Venezuela and I disagree with the sanctions against the people of that country – but to blame all of what’s happening on Trump, when the situation has been developing for decades is very disingenuous.

I don’t like US interventionalism but I also don’t like reports I’ve read that Iran is training the Venezuelan forces that support Maduro. As a dual citizen of the US and Brazil, I don’t want the Iranian military in South America, any more than I want them in North America! I definitely don’t want to see the war in Syria imported to the region.

Hopefully, things won’t escalate and I don’t think they will, because Trump doesn’t want a war. I see this Venezuela action the same way I saw his widely-publicized bombing campaigns of Syrian assets. He’s throwing the the Neocons a bone by letting them engage in their shows of force but he’s actually having them return the gold to Venezuela – the opposite of what was done by Obama in Ukraine and Libya, when the US straight-up stole their gold."

X22Report
Published on Feb 4, 2019
h4v48glyUdk

[5th]

I’ve kept away for a few days but now I’m back.

The reason I am angry is that Herve can post pages and pages and pages of propaganda from sites we know are funded by the bankers to produce fake news. The Obama administration gave $2,000,000,000 dollars to be used encouraging the media (and alternative media) to produce fake news against Trump because he is against the current order controlled by the banking elite. He is also against regime change.

After two years of lies about Trump (no he’s not perfect but then no president was a saint) the job has been done and many people believe he is a puppet of the bankers like every president before him.

So, I post something that I (and percolator) know is true about Venezuela from the Caracas Chronicles and they go into discredit mode against me. Tintin spent a long time trying to find something and came up with one email from 8 years ago that proves nothing.

And yet Herve can post stuff from the Wall Street Journal, yes the WSJ, which is obviously baker controlled propaganda and it never gets questioned!

We know that the alt. media was approached with bribes and there is evidence, for example, to suggest that Joe Rogan was being paid vast sums every month to sell out – which he did. 100% clearly this forum was also targeted (you can do a LOT with two billion).

So even if Herve hasn’t sold out, he and others like Tintin are spouting the bankers propagnda and well meaning sheep like Dennis Leahy are following (do the research and start thinking for yourself). Now, Tintin is an unusual name but actually has a connection to Herve. Anyone remember the original Tintin series on TV or the books? It was always ‘Herve’s Adventures of Tintin’. OK, the author was really Herge but it’s pretty close. So here we can Herve and his protégé Tintin.

I’ve noticed that if anyone doesn’t agree with the main point of any thread they are gently attacked and ridiculed. If they don’t stop they are called a Troll. That’s how social pressure propaganda works to form public opinion and it’s alive and kicking in this forum.

So, I may be the Troll of the week but Herve, you are the Troll of the decade.

Cancel my membership, I don’t want to be part of a forum that has sold out.

[avid]

For goodness sake 5th, Tintin’s original name was Tintin Quarantino - a brilliant name don’t you think? His name changed after becoming a moderator. Herve has been here for many years as Amzer Zo.
Items are published because they exist in the theme of things, not necessarily to narrow one’s view.
If you are so unhappy, please take your leave, as some of the accusations you have made are rude and insulting....

[Hervé]

[...]
Cancel my membership...
...

Done :)

[Tintin]

^^^ highly recommended interview ^^^


... echoing Aaron Russo's depiction of the elite mindset: (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?105808-Turmoil-in-Venezuela&p=1272616&viewfull=1#post1272616) "What do you care for these people?" itself an echo of Rockefeller's (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?25102-For-an-idea-on-the-big-picture&p=1259322&viewfull=1#post1259322) : “[people] Of course, they are. They are as unnecessary to this planet as extra bolts in a factory which is done making the equipment. There is nothing left to do with them than throw them out when one is done with their usefulness.”


Related:
Interview with Ex-CIA Collaborator: “The CIA’s Plans in Venezuela Are Far Advanced” (https://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/10533)

:bump:

This interview with the ex-CIA collaborator is a must read.

Related note: Lest it be forgotten (or possibly unknown to some) that USAID mentioned herein, is tied absolutely to Serco, a British company (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?98272-The-Crown-A-brief-overview&p=1221965&viewfull=1#post1221965)

[Tintin]

I’ve kept away for a few days but now I’m back.

The reason I am angry is that Herve can post pages and pages and pages of propaganda from sites we know are funded by the bankers to produce fake news. The Obama administration gave $2,000,000,000 dollars to be used encouraging the media (and alternative media) to produce fake news against Trump because he is against the current order controlled by the banking elite. He is also against regime change.

After two years of lies about Trump (no he’s not perfect but then no president was a saint) the job has been done and many people believe he is a puppet of the bankers like every president before him.

So, I post something that I (and percolator) know is true about Venezuela from the Caracas Chronicles and they go into discredit mode against me. Tintin spent a long time trying to find something and came up with one email from 8 years ago that proves nothing.

And yet Herve can post stuff from the Wall Street Journal, yes the WSJ, which is obviously baker controlled propaganda and it never gets questioned!

We know that the alt. media was approached with bribes and there is evidence, for example, to suggest that Joe Rogan was being paid vast sums every month to sell out – which he did. 100% clearly this forum was also targeted (you can do a LOT with two billion).

So even if Herve hasn’t sold out, he and others like Tintin are spouting the bankers propagnda and well meaning sheep like Dennis Leahy are following (do the research and start thinking for yourself). Now, Tintin is an unusual name but actually has a connection to Herve. Anyone remember the original Tintin series on TV or the books? It was always ‘Herve’s Adventures of Tintin’. OK, the author was really Herge but it’s pretty close. So here we can Herve and his protégé Tintin.

I’ve noticed that if anyone doesn’t agree with the main point of any thread they are gently attacked and ridiculed. If they don’t stop they are called a Troll. That’s how social pressure propaganda works to form public opinion and it’s alive and kicking in this forum.

So, I may be the Troll of the week but Herve, you are the Troll of the decade.

Cancel my membership, I don’t want to be part of a forum that has sold out.

(and thank you avid too for your kind and supportive comments (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?105808-Turmoil-in-Venezuela&p=1273413&viewfull=1#post1273413))

My view: having observed some of the extraordinarily illogical and nonsensical conclusions drawn here (I'm actually gobsmacked to be honest), and conclusions equally alarmingly just plain misguided and, actually, wrong, married to what most certainly appears to be an arching panoply of logical fallacies too many to cite here, maybe it is best that 5th has left the building, but, and this is sincerely kindly meant, it is with a slightly heavy heart to know that that has happened actually, and I wish him well.

It's a shame.

It does none of us harm to enliven debate and spar with another even if common ground is difficult to find. It helps to be insightful enough to understand the arguments being put forth, and to debate them reasonably.

It's on record that I take absolutely no offence at all from 5th's really very odd misunderstanding of what we are trying to do here on this thread, and in support of the wider community here in general.

:flower:

[Tintin]

From "War is a Racket" (https://ratical.org/ratville/CAH/warisaracket.html) by General Smedley Butler (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smedley_Butler), 1935:




"I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested. Looking back on it, I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents."

[Ernie Nemeth]

There was a time when moderators were encouraged to use their real name...

[Hervé]

If there were any proof for a global, planet wide orchestration ever needed, here is one: the "filtering" of "news" by the giant social media entities:

Twitter shuts down pro-Maduro accounts as it greenlights Venezuela's pro-opposition online blitz (https://www.mintpressnews.com/twitter-greenlights-venezuela-pro-opposition-online-blitz-shuts-down-genuine-opponents/254616/)

Alexander Rubinstein Mint Press News (https://www.mintpressnews.com/twitter-greenlights-venezuela-pro-opposition-online-blitz-shuts-down-genuine-opponents/254616/)
Wed, 06 Feb 2019 10:48 UTC


https://www.sott.net/image/s24/495671/large/5bde1040dda4c8e22c8b45d1.jpg (https://www.sott.net/image/s24/495671/full/5bde1040dda4c8e22c8b45d1.jpg)
© Global Look Press / Jaap Arriens


As the U.S.-backed coup attempt in Venezuela continues to take shape, shady anonymous actors are waging an information war manipulating social media with automated posts in an apparent attempt to manufacture a faux consensus for regime change in the online theater.

If you've been on Twitter since January 23, you could be forgiven for thinking that the only pastimes in Venezuela are protesting and replying to anyone and everyone on the platform critical of Washington's clear collusion with the Venezuelan opposition in its quest for regime change.

Juan Guaido - who had a mere 90,000 followers (https://web.archive.org/web/20180116015826/https://twitter.com/jguaido) on Twitter around the time of the coup attempt one year prior, and 340,000 around January 23, 2019 - has since skyrocketed on the platform, currently enjoying a following of more than 1,100,000.

While the phenomenon has not yet been linked to manipulation by the opposition, it raises questions about the online influencers who have tried to turn the previously little-known figure into a household name the world over.

An "immense campaign" and Twitter's perverse response
Meanwhile, Twitter disinformation researcher and data visualization artist Erin Gallagher (https://medium.com/@erin_gallagher) uncovered an immense campaign sympathetic to the right-wing Venezuelan opposition that used a variety of tools and applications (https://medium.com/@erin_gallagher/social-media-automation-information-warfare-by-the-venezuelan-opposition-9cdb407492f8) to artificially inflate the reach of certain posts.
"The Venezuelan opposition is far from censored on Twitter," she wrote.

"To the contrary, their trends generate billions of impressions every day."
Gallagher's bombshell report was dropped on Thursday. The following day, Twitter took action - but not against the pro-opposition network. The company banned "764 accounts located in Venezuela" that it said used "spammy" political content "similar to that utilized by potential Russian accounts" and 1,200 accounts it said "appear" to be "engaged in a state-backed influence campaign targeting domestic [Venezuelan] audiences." Those accounts have been characterized online as "pro-Maduro."

The apparent double standard wasn't confined just to Twitter, however. The Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRL), often the mainstream media's go-to institution of "experts" on such matters, claimed in a blog post that it "did not find clear evidence of automated amplification of hashtags trending around the protests" against Maduro on January 23 (#23E), the day of Maduro's inauguration, Gallagher noted.

The DFRL post (https://medium.com/dfrlab/protests-go-viral-in-venezuela-28491d3f4a94), entitled "Protests Go Viral in Venezuela," primarily took aim at the government for allegedly censoring the web and perhaps gaming hashtags on Twitter.

DFRL is an arm of the neoconservative Atlantic Council think tank, which is funded by NATO, Gulf monarchies, and the arms industry. Twitter has previously worked closely (https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2018/10/17/new-data-show-how-iran-tried-manipulate-public-opinion-twitter/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.d0fb67f16016) with the DFRL in countering alleged state-backed disinformation campaigns.

Gallagher wrote that she was "shocked at the contrast between the way DFRLab portrayed Venezuelan social media versus what I've been monitoring for 1.5 years."

In that time, Gallagher discovered a hashtag - #TeamHDP - that was "used by an anonymous group of right-wing political hackers who have attacked the Venezuelan government, leaked documents online," and doxxed Chavistas. Another hashtag employed by the network was #LaListaJustin, (Justin's List, which is named after a fake Justin Bieber account that was a primary pusher of #TeamHDP). The #LaListaJustin released hacked documents showing personally identifiable information (such as home addresses, etc.) of Maduro supporters, members of the military, police, and their spouses and families.

The revelation is particularly troubling because the Venezuelan opposition has used vigilantism to enact violent retribution on Chavistas and public officials.

Apparently spearheading the #TeamHDP hashtag is a Miami-based company called DolarToday, which is used by financial websites and media to report on black market exchange rates (https://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/venezuela-blocks-bitly-website-article-1.1538448) for Venezuela's currency, the bolivar. Maduro has previously accused (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUujbXqrc0w) DolarToday of manipulating exchange rates and fueling an economic war against his country

Between January 24 and January 28, DolarToday was a "central influencer of the #23E hashtag," Gallagher wrote.

The company's own Twitter account "averages" 349 tweets per day, but picks up steam around uprisings in Venezuela. Gallagher found more than 1,000 tweets per day around the attempted coup.

Beyond its own Twitter account, DolarToday's tweets are reposted by a network of other accounts. One such artificially amplified message accused the late president Hugo Chavez of being a "perverted drug addict."

DolarToday has two applications, SWAT Comunicacional and another named after itself. The apps allow users to log in and allow DolarToday to automatically repost the company's tweets.

Gallagher wrote that she has "never seen anything with such a tremendous reach" as the Venezuelan opposition #TeamHDP hashtag, which was associated with hacking and doxxing (which is against Twitter's terms of service.)

The researcher concluded that "Venezuelan opposition social media networks are engaging in inauthentic coordinated activity on Twitter." Such "coordinated inauthentic activity," it should be noted, has been the primary explanation given by social-media giants such as Twitter and Facebook as their reason for purging tens of thousands of accounts, including those of independent reporters.

A double standard beta-tested in Syria
Twitter and the DFRL appear to be turning a blind eye to violations of Twitter policy from pro-opposition networks while taking aim at allegedly pro-government disinformation operations, while neither has provided evidence of such a campaign by the government.

In many ways, the war in Syria served as a testing ground for propaganda tools - from the U.S.-funded (https://www.mintpressnews.com/who-funds-the-syrian-civil-defense/241586/) "civil defense" group White Helmets to U.S.-backed (https://www.mintpressnews.com/us-loads-up-kurdish-forces-with-weapons-ammo-ahead-of-syria-withdrawal/253551/) Kurdish fighters, who were portrayed as defenders of an anarchist commune in the north.

But Venezuela today exists in an even more precarious position online due to the advent of institutions and "experts" that have made a name for themselves in the frenzy that has followed allegations that Russia used coordinated inauthentic behavior to sway the 2016 presidential elections; even more so because social-media giants like Twitter and Facebook have acquiesced.

For example, back in July, Twitter and Facebook were unaware (https://sputniknews.com/us/201807191066488957-Social-Media-Anyone-Russia-Meddled/) of any state actors manipulating social media besides Russia. Since then, they have levied such accusations against Iran, and now Venezuela.

With these institutions now revealing their allegiances to the U.S. regime-change machine, and the usual suspects (the Atlantic Council, for example) in full lockstep, it becomes incumbent on social-media users to ignore the "experts" and come to their own conclusions about the facts on the ground in Venezuela.
About the Author
[I] Alexander Rubinstein is a staff writer for MintPress News based in Washington, DC. He reports on police, prisons and protests in the United States and the United States' policing of the world. He previously reported for RT and Sputnik News.

[petra]

There was a time when moderators were encouraged to use their real name...

Unless the moderator is a robot, in which case they can use whatever name they like!
@Hervé, Just kidding Hervé, the rate at which you're pumping out information seems just a little bit inhuman ;-)

[guayabal]

Alexander Rubinstein is a staff writer for MintPress News based in Washington, DC. He reports on police, prisons and protests in the United States and the United States' policing of the world. He previously reported for RT and Sputnik News.

Alexander Rubinstein... RT and Sputnik news? Don't make me laugh. Herve is clearly interested in spreading pro-maduro/russian political propaganda.

[perolator]

My view: having observed some of the extraordinarily illogical and nonsensical conclusions drawn here (I'm actually gobsmacked to be honest), and conclusions equally alarmingly just plain misguided and, actually, wrong, married to what most certainly appears to be an arching panoply of logical fallacies too many to cite here, maybe it is best that 5th has left the building, but, and this is sincerely kindly meant, it is with a slightly heavy heart to know that that has happened actually, and I wish him well.

It's a shame.

It does none of us harm to enliven debate and spar with another even if common ground is difficult to find. It helps to be insightful enough to understand the arguments being put forth, and to debate them reasonably.

It's on record that I take absolutely no offence at all from 5th's really very odd misunderstanding of what we are trying to do here on this thread, and in support of the wider community here in general.

:flower:

@Tintin, if I wrote extraordinarily illogical and nonsensical conclusions and fallacies, please let me know exactly which ones.

Is a shame 5th left.

[perolator]

There was a time when moderators were encouraged to use their real name...

Also, there was a time where moderators just moderate forums in an unbiased way.

[Bubu]

Alexander Rubinstein is a staff writer for MintPress News based in Washington, DC. He reports on police, prisons and protests in the United States and the United States' policing of the world. He previously reported for RT and Sputnik News.

Alexander Rubinstein... RT and Sputnik news? Don't make me laugh. Herve is clearly interested in spreading pro-maduro/russian political propaganda.

Nope Herve is bringing on the table a well known fact (on the alternatives) on huge posts with huge number.

"@Hervé, Just kidding Hervé, the rate at which you're pumping out information seems just a little bit inhuman ;-)"

[guayabal]

Alexander Rubinstein is a staff writer for MintPress News based in Washington, DC. He reports on police, prisons and protests in the United States and the United States' policing of the world. He previously reported for RT and Sputnik News.

Alexander Rubinstein... RT and Sputnik news? Don't make me laugh. Herve is clearly interested in spreading pro-maduro/russian political propaganda.

Nope Herve is bringing on the table a well known fact (on the alternatives) on huge posts with huge number.

"@Hervé, Just kidding Hervé, the rate at which you're pumping out information seems just a little bit inhuman ;-)"

The article is just using this "well known fact" to launch pro-maduro propaganda. It doesn't state facts at all, it is just "appear" "apparently" and son on. And considering Rubinstein's background... it is blatant propaganda. Kind of strange you can't see it.

[Joe Akulis]

It's on record that I take absolutely no offence at all from 5th's really very odd misunderstanding of what we are trying to do here on this thread,

Yes, I think the folks who are from Venezuela or have friends and relatives in Venezuela were trying to use the thread to inform the rest of us as to what life is like in Venezuela, from their perspective.

It also seems to me that the purpose of the thread, for everyone else who isn't from Venezuela and doesn't know anyone from Venezuela, is to make sure that everyone knows it's better to starve and die in misery than to shake hands with the US.

MESSAGE RECEIVED. Jeez.

Seems easy to say when you're eating a nice dinner every evening.

That's really the way this thread has come across to me. A little upsetting. Sorry.

[guayabal]

Alexander Rubinstein is a staff writer for MintPress News based in Washington, DC. He reports on police, prisons and protests in the United States and the United States' policing of the world. He previously reported for RT and Sputnik News.

Alexander Rubinstein... RT and Sputnik news? Don't make me laugh. Herve is clearly interested in spreading pro-maduro/russian political propaganda.

Ad Hominem/Guilt by association logical fallacy. I guess we should start pointing them out, but it might derail the thread.

https://www.logicallyfallacious.com/tools/lp/Bo/LogicalFallacies/10/Ad_Hominem_Guilt_by_Association

oh man, it is not just because of Rubinstein's background that I say it's propaganda, that would be a weak argument as you point out. Have you read the article? There aren't facts in there. The fallacy is on the side of Rubinstein by using a "well known fact" to push a bunch of appearances as facts (thanks to Bubu for pointing this out).

[Bill Ryan]

Just for the record, here's an article yesterday (5 Feb, 2019) from an English-language Ecuadorian newsletter.


https://cuencahighlife.com/some-venezuelans-head-for-home-unable-to-find-jobs-and-to-escape-discrimination-in-ecuador

Some Venezuelans head for home, unable to find jobs and to escape discrimination in Ecuador

More than 160 Venezuelans left Quito Friday for their homeland on four buses under Caracas’ program to repatriate migrants who have struggled to find work in Ecuador and who are worried about what they claim is a rising tide xenophobia. More are expected to leave for home this weekend.

https://cuencahighlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/chl-venezuelans2.png
Venezuelans in Quito wait for a bus to take them back to Caracas.

Sassone, Venezuela charge d’affaires, told reporters that his government decided to charter buses as a supplement to the existing aerial repatriation effort, which has carried 2,245 people back to Venezuela from Ecuador since Sept. 5. Sassone did not mention, however, that almost 350,000 Venezuelans have entered Ecuador during the same period, most of them continuing to Peru and Chile.

Venezuelan officials concluded that the four flights scheduled for this month would not be enough to meet the demand among Venezuelans who want to go home, he said.

“We are going to see how things go,” Sassone said.

An estimated three million Venezuelans have emigrated in recent years to escape high inflation, shortages of basic goods and political turmoil in their homeland.

Some Venezuelan expats are not content in Ecuador, Sassone said, noting that many of his compatriots – even those with advanced degrees and professional qualifications – have been unable to obtain permanent employment and find themselves reduced to eking out a living at odd jobs.

The migrants also feel a “sensation of unease” over a wave of xenophobic attacks that followed the murder by a Venezuelan man of his pregnant Ecuadorian girlfriend, the diplomat said.

More than 20,000 expats have traveled back to Venezuela on repatriation flights from Peru, the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Chile, Argentina and Colombia, Sassone said.

The charge d’affaires, who remains loyal to beleaguered Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, insisted that the exodus from Venezuela is “economic migration” and not a reaction to political persecution.

The Venezuelan opposition and its international allies denounce the Maduro government as a “dictatorship” and numerous foreign governments have recognized the Jan. 23 claim of National Assembly speaker Juan Guaido to be the country’s interim head of state.

Addressing the political situation in Venezuela, Sassone said that the Maduro administration is the country’s only government.

Guaido has named ambassadors to the nations that have recognized him, including Ecuador, but for now, Sassone remains the accredited representative of Venezuela.

“We aspire to continue serving Venezuelans,” he said, adding that his future in Quito “depends strictly on the Ecuadorian government.”

[DeDukshyn]

...

It's a shame.

It does none of us harm to enliven debate and spar with another even if common ground is difficult to find. It helps to be insightful enough to understand the arguments being put forth, and to debate them reasonably.

It's on record that I take absolutely no offence at all from 5th's really very odd misunderstanding of what we are trying to do here on this thread, and in support of the wider community here in general.

:flower:

The really odd misunderstandings, and the major brash assumptions being made by 5th in many areas (not just this thread), did absolutely nothing to help us see the perspectives he sees. I do hope that he is able to see that this attitude only serves to diminish confidence in his opinions.

As far as posting news articles ... articles are posted not as "god given fact!", but for exploration and discussion of ideas and perspectives. A breadth of sources and articles and perspective is needed to help one get a broader view and make discernments for them-self. Its a shame that 5th doesn't see it this way.

It appears to me that perhaps strong political polarization has once again claimed another victim ...


Seems I was a bit late for this commentary ...

:focus:

[perolator]

The U.S. want the oil... Okay, suppose I am convinced. They're after the oil. But, as part of their Venezuela domination and submission, they also (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-47143492) want to help bringing humanitarian aid.


Venezuelan soldiers have blocked the crossing ahead of a delivery arranged by opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who has declared himself interim president.

President Nicolás Maduro, who has the support of the army, has rejected letting it into the country.

In a tweet, Mr Pompeo demanded Mr Maduro let the aid through.

"The Maduro regime must LET THE AID REACH THE STARVING PEOPLE," the post reads.


https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DyvL061XQAAQ82M.jpg

Maduro's army is blocking the roads to disrupt the delivery of humanitarian aid.

If the aid is delivered successfully with the least number of casualties, the U.S. may take the oil. If my country is freed, I don't care. Take all my oil.

[Ernie Nemeth]

Better you folks rise up on your own. The Americans do nothing for anybody. They always have an angle...