It is suspicious to me that Maduro would seek dialogue with the Pope. If he wants to do the right thing he doesn't need the Pope, he needs to feed the people, provide medicine and decrease their suffering. Simply put, step down. Anything less is not just political, but inhumane & torturous.
Some facts to consider:
https://fair.org/home/us-media-ignore-and-applaud-economic-war-on-venezuela/
Venezuela is next. Since World War II, the United States military has killed or helped kill some 20 million people, overthrown at least 36 governments, interfered in at least 84 foreign elections, attempted to assassinate over 50 foreign leaders, and dropped bombs on people in over 30 countries. The United States is responsible for the deaths of 5 million people in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, and over 1 million just since 2003 in Iraq.
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@scarooni say, what if the EEUU never goes to Venezuela? Right now, in average, 73 Venezuelans die every day because of the sheer violence that rules their country. Do you think it's better to keep asking politely? How many months or years? How many more have to die before something changes?
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@Dany Worse than that. Venezuelans are dying because of lack of medicine and care.
This is even a UN sanctioned mission to save the innocent.
It is true, I am from Colombia and I have seen a lot people from Venezuela here, despite that they have their houses, jobs, material goods and professional careers, it is imposible survive in a country without food and medicene, I have talked with venezuelan people and they said that is better hard work here (in some cases begging on the street) that to see their childrens and relatives die, Maduro's government only is worried about, how does he keep in power, that to offer solutions to repair the Venezuelan economy.
Thanks all countries that have sopported to help venezuelan people, and I hope that military intervention don't be the way to finish Maduro's dictatorship, it is not good for our region another armed conflict.
Postscript: I am sorry for my bad english.
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Putin is sending in 400 "Military Contractors" (Speznatz special forces troops ) to shore up the Maduro Regime. President Trump should ask Putin if these special forces personnel can provide security for these supplies, so that they are not siphoned off by the corrupt officials of Venzuela. If he declines, then Trump should ask Colombia and Ecuador if their military forces can provide security.
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Another country devastate by far left economics. The polices this government has enacted have been idiotic.
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What's going on here? A proto fascist right wing coup or a genuine reponse to a humanitarian crisis? No way for us to tell...
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@Richard
Definitely an opposition to Maduro, and a hope that an alternative will be better than current disaster.
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@Richard There's all kind of theories, but from following this conflict since the times of Chavez (in Spanish) and talking to Venezuelan people, most people close to the conflict will summarize it as follows:
1. Venezuela was swimming in oil when Chavez became at 1998, so he was able to buy the support of the country's poor by promising free gas, food, education, water, etc. and he did so.
2. To stay in power, he gave free-everything in exchange of votes. He also bought the support of Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Nicaragua, China, and Russia by selling them super cheap oil (sometimes free).
3. Free everything required lots of money, so Venezuela started borrowing money from Russia & China.
4. EEUU discovered a cheap method of fracking that made oil cheaper worldwide.
5. Since Venezuela spent all of the oil revenue into buying the people's votes and neighbor countries instead of diversifying their industry, they went bankrupt.
6. Blame the evil EEUU who buys 90% of Venezuela's oil (to re-sell it), and also bought part of their debt until Trump forbid it.
7. Everyone profits: China, Russia, EEUU. No one wants anything to change.
8. Venezuela now is so in debt everyone knows they can't pay it. China and Russia want to harvest, EEUU doesn't want to lose his part.
But people is dying for real. They don't care about left or right, they care about living another day.
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Best wishes to the Venezuelan people for a speedy end to these terribles ties. Mucho suerte!
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“We are not beggars.” Yes, in fact you are. Maduro's willingness to watch his people starve while rejecting aid that could save lives tells you everything you need to know. If the opposition wants to use aid as a political weapon, more power to them. Dispense of this evil tyrant by any means necessary.
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@Jesse The U.S and company could just provide the aid without any political considerations if humanitarian aid was their real goal. But they’ll only provide it if it goes through one side of the conflict. That’s evil.
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@Jesse
You are aware that the US has been illegally sanctioning Venezuela since 2017, right.
The US contributed to this humanitarian crisis quiet a lot.
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@rdp really illegally sanctioning
That the problem ???
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People in Venezuela are desperate for aid and they’re concerned about using aid as a political weapon? Are you kidding me? Only people who have everything they need and live relatively luxurious lives could think like that. Unbelievable!
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@Mike L the Catholic Church in Venezuela also became corrupt, as an institution their leaders were forced to support the government or leave the country. Thank God Catholicism is not only their bureau leaders, but also the priests and people that know what's going on and have piety.
This will be an interesting story to watch. The lure of corrupt administration of the food and medicine will be overwhelming for those who have lived under the Cuban influenced black market under socialism model.
Sadly, it would take people with guns, ie the military, to keep pilfering minimal.
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Lets take a rational look at the whole situation. The poor are only now turning against the government due to corruption and mismanagement. The three most popular social programs in Venezuela all have US equivalents.
Mission Mercal; low cost food for poor = Food stamps, SNAP, USA
Mission Robinson; basic educ. = Gov't funded primary ed. USA
Mission Barrio Adrento; healthcare for poor = Medicaid, CHIP, USA
Last year almost 70 billion dollars was spent on SNAP (food stamps) in the USA.
The US as part of an OAS initiative should pay the costs for 5 years of the successor program to Mission Mercal that the new government sets up after Maduro leaves power. After initial humanitarian needs are met. This must be accompanied by a concerted effort to revitalize agricultural production as continued high levels of food importation will only lead to the same spiral of economic instability in the future. Doing this would allow the citizens and government of Venezuela breathing room to undertake all the other needed changes to get the country on its feet again.
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@Scott that and promising the evil Venezuela military that all of their crimes will be forgiven, cause boy have they killed their own people... If they don't end up in jail, Venezuelan citizens might end up killing them themselves, they must be very angry their own militia kills their sons and daughters, the students.
Those guys are not stepping out willingly, they know they have no other option.
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Yes, humanitarian aid is political. Does anyone think the Berlin airlift wasn't political? People are grateful when they don't starve to death or die needlessly of a curable illness and they know who helped them and who didn't. What is the purpose of a government if not to help people? If Maduro must buy support with aid, then for that reason alone he should go. Whoever helps people on the basis of need, whether they are supporters or not, is truly acting as the government.
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Of course this 'aid' is nothing, but a crass, cynical political manouvre by Washington and its 'allies'. It will not help the poor and the hungry, because for that you need a full-fledged logistical plan to distribute aid, exactly like in a natural disaster zone. And that will not be available, unless the government and the opposition work together.
So the question is: why wouldn't Guaidó accept neither Maduro's nor the Pope's offer to mediate?
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@waldo Please review previous dialogues between Maduro and the opposition, including the last one mediated by the Vatican. The Maduro regime uses dialogue to cool down the situation, do nothing, and continue with their nefarious policies. There's no more time for dialogue, it's time for Maduro to go.
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@waldo please read a bit about the previous attempts of the opposition to negotiate, which were used by Maduro to buy time and send their leaders to jail without them commiting any crime (a few of their presidential candidates are in jail right now, the most popular ones). He is a lying serpent.
Yes, you can send people to jail just cause you want in a dictatorship. And also they change the Constitution anytime they want thanks to the "Asamblea constitucional". Maduro is well over the law and can rewrite it without asking for anyone's permission.
I'm disappointed at the pope, but understand that by Roman law they can't take a stand. But I assure you, all of Latin America wants that dictator to step out. We're getting the refugees everywhere, doctors and engineers begging in the street.
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I can understand the Red Cross's hesitancy. Their primary goal is to get aid to the people who are most in need of it, regardless of whose in charge of that particular piece of real estate.
They've never had any qualms in the past about dealing with authoritarian governments and rebel groups. They deal with whoever happens to be charge. It's the only realistic way they can move their deliveries into many of the world's worst places.
But this is a different ball game. The opposition is not yet fully in control of the country. If they're seen as being in cahoots with a government in waiting and that government fails to take control; they can end up being locked out of the country for decades by a vengeful Maduro.
It has actually little to do with politics and more to do with realpolitik.
Humanitarian aid is *always* a political tool. I've worked in Africa for years in a related field and aid is always used to either bribe, undermine or otherwise influence whoever the opponents of those who control the aid flow are. There is no such a thing as 'nonpolitical humanitarian aid'.
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Aid IS a political weapon, no doubt about it. Chavez and Maduro appreciated that from day one. Getting aid past military border controls is a problem, considering the military's desire for money. But will be even tougher is making sure aid finds its way to the hungry and does not fall into the blackmarket for resale situation. I'm sure aid organizations are well aware of the siphoning effect of a blackmarket. Let's see how well they do.
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