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Saturday, January 26, 2019

On Venezuela .... USA Imperialism shows its blood-stained hands .... Part 2


Instead of taking pity on the working class in Venezuela and lifting some of the sanctions that would allow the government of Maduro to buy essential foods and medicines,  the dead empire walking, with its remaining last few dying breaths, is once again showing the world its monstrous face and how far it can go to manipulate, blackmail and bribe its minions like Canada and the EU to stand by its evil intentions while it starts yet another civil war on our planet.

There's no denying that Maduro AND Chavez before him have made several mistakes.  IMO, the moment the Chavistas came to the realization that the USA was gunning for them (watch the first vid below and listen to Paul Jay relate how the Canadian Embassy in Caracas, almost 15 years ago, were already in bed with Chavez's enemies (rich elite) and trying to influence reporters and media folks to their planned demonizing of the Chavez government) - they should have initiated all options for opening up avenues for self-sufficiency in their country.  They didn't.  I also feel that both China and Russia, known to be friends of the country,  also failed Venezuela because these two nations have the tools and knowledge on how to withstand the sanctions and restrictions on banking transactions and loan renewals,etc., probably didn't bother to impart those lessons to the Chavistas....or perhaps the Chavistas were too dumb and arrogant to take their advice.  We don't know the other side of the story which could come only from China and Russia ... but the optics of the empty shelves in grocery stores, the sacks of Venezuela currency sold on streets for grocery items and US dollars, remains with one and not easily forgotten and they are proof positive of the mismanagement of  the economy by the Chavistas.

The Chavistas came to power only because the inequality in  the country was out of bounds (just like how it is in present day USA and EU).  In such situations, Governments swing from one end of the pendulum to the other.  Those swings have  not been happening in USA because the main political are"Right" and "Left" in name only,  not in their fundamental beliefs which spell "We few Elites at the very top, the rest of you at the very bottom".

Whatever and however many mistakes the Venezuela government has made  and keep making, it's definitely not for anyone  but the people of Venezuela to improve or change those in power without outside interference.  PERIOD.   We wouldn't like USA or any other country dictating our destiny for us and our country,  so then how can you condone it for the peoples of other countries?

 

















Elias Marat at TheMindUnleashed
5 reasons crusade in venezuela will probably fail

Events in Venezuela shook the world on Wednesday, with many left wondering if January 23 was the beginning of the end for the government of President Nicolas Maduro and the beginning of a new chapter of U.S. interventionism.

Here are five reasons why it’s unlikely that this latest drama in the South American nation is the “endgame” that the mainstream media is hyping up......

 


Francisco Rodriguez at Foreign Policy  ( article from January 2018)
Why more sanctions won't help Venezuela
During the first year of his administration, U.S. President Donald Trump has taken an increasingly hard line against the government of Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro. Washington has tightened sanctions on Caracas and even suggested a military intervention to remove the Venezuelan leader from office. Twelve months into Trump’s term, Maduro seems even more entrenched in power, and Venezuela’s opposition is more fractured than ever.
U.S. foreign policy toward Venezuela is premised on a series of misconceptions. Perhaps the most widespread and serious one is the idea that Venezuela is a totalitarian dictatorship. While Maduro has certainly done many things to undermine democracy, Venezuela is no North Korea.....

......... An even more problematic idea driving current U.S. policy is the belief that financial sanctions can hurt the Venezuelan government without causing serious harm to ordinary Venezuelans. That’s impossible when 95 percent of Venezuela’s export revenue comes from oil sold by the state-owned oil company. Cutting off the government’s access to dollars will leave the economy without the hard currency needed to pay for imports of food and medicine. Starving the Venezuelan economy of its foreign currency earnings risks turning the country’s current humanitarian crisis into a full-blown humanitarian catastrophe.

That’s what began to happen in 2017. Last year, Venezuela’s export revenues rose from $28 to $32 billion, buoyed by the recovery in world oil prices. Under normal conditions, a rise in a country’s exports would leave it with more resources to pay for its imports. But in the Venezuelan case, imports fell by 31 percent during the same year. The reason is that the country lost access to international financial markets. Unable to roll over its debt, it was forced to build up huge external surpluses to continue servicing that debt in a desperate attempt to avoid a default. Meanwhile, creditors threatened to seize the Venezuelan government’s remaining revenue sources if the country defaulted, including refineries located abroad and payments for oil shipments.

U.S. economic sanctions have stopped Venezuela from issuing new debt and blocked attempts to restructure its existing debt obligations. Major financial institutions have delayed the processing of all financial transfers from Venezuelan entities, significantly hampering the ability of Venezuelan companies to do business in the United States. Even Citgo, a Venezuelan-owned subsidiary that owns 4 percent of the United States’ refining capacity, hasn’t been able to get U.S. financial institutions to issue routine trade credit since sanctions were imposed.

Ever since the Vietnam War, most American policymakers have understood that foreign policy is not just about outgunning your opponent but also about winning the hearts and minds of the people. But 56 percent of Venezuelans oppose U.S. financial sanctions; only 32 percent support them. When it comes to foreign military intervention in Venezuela, 57 percent of those surveyed were opposed, while 58 percent support dialogue between the government and the opposition — and 71 percent believe that those talks should focus on seeking solutions to the country’s economic problems.......



Posted by MariaS at 16:35
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