What needs to be understood is that Venezuela is at a critical juncture, not only because its citizens are lacking food, medicines, and the most basic respect and tolerance for their human rights. But as importantly, due to the fact that the country has become a true criminal, narco-state, that has been invaded by Cuba, Hezbollah, Russia, China and drug traffickers. Thanks to 20-plus years of corruption and crime, courtesy of the Chavez and Maduro's regime, Venezuela is in dire need for an international community's intervention under the Responsibility To Protect, a United Nations well establish legal principle for cases like this. A genocide is being committed in front of our very eyes and unless and until a coalition of the willing acts, democracy and stability will not return...
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www.gregpalast.com
There is more oil in Venezuela than Saudi Arabia. This embargo and theft of Venezuelan assets is making the Koch brothers rich, (dirty refinery in Chorpus) Goldman Sachs (sanctions mean no taxes paid on stolen Venezuelan oil imports) and Saudi Arabia (don’t want the competition to keep oil prices up)
Meanwhile the Venezuelan people suffer for this greed and our dwindling water supplies here in the US are further threatened by the evil petrol oligarchs’ agenda; to pipeline dirty shale oil down from Canada to Chorpus right over our biggest acquifers.
Who is the horrible nation again?
3
Russia, Iran and Venezuela, which sits on the largest oil deposits in the world, should form their own cartel and sell their oil using a form of currency other than the Petrodollar.
1
Congress just stay home. You obviously have no input or decision-making capabilities needed in this term.
1
The moron-in-chief had the opportunity to use carrots instead of clubs, and he blew it. Sanctions will only inflame all of Central and South America because they know that this thuggish tool of Trumpian regime change will eventually be used against them too. It’s personal for Trump - he has to be the big kahuna, at least in HIS mind.
Trump will sink us. Between China, the EU and now the South we will have few trading partners and fewer friends. Do you like your fruits in the winter? Forget it. Do we want a friendly, positive, LASTING relationship with Mexico - forget that too. Trump is running out of both targets and arrows because HE IS A MORON and let’s Bolton and Miller (two mindless nihilist war mongers) get the last word. Hannity is too stupid to do anything helpful to anything but his propagandist pocketbook as is Countor. Our ship is steered by very bad and stupid people.
2
Sanctions on Iran, North Korea, China, Turkey, Europe, Venezuela, a bit on Russia. Is that the way the supposed world leader does business? This is bullying instead of dialogue and diplomacy.
2
Bolton and Pompeio publicly made it known months ago that America would force regime change on Venezuela before the end of the year. They have not forgotten and they will not let international law or the United Nations stand in their way. (You notice neither they nor Trump ever asked Congress or the U. S. citizens their opinion. Autocrats never do.)
1
At the time after World War II when communism was sweeping across Western Europe, the Marshall Plan showed that the best route to democracy was through the economic uplifting of the area through generous aide programs. Northing fought back against political agitation as well as middle class success.
Trump's policies throughout Latin America are making everything worse. It is no wonder that there are millions of refugees on the march in that area. He has done nothing but make a terrible problem worse. Millions of people, mostly out of sight to Americans, are in dire distress. It is a full scale disaster.
Trump revels in this mayhem. He has sent out 2,000 racially discriminatory ads on social media. He stokes up his rabid supporters with anti non-white rhetoric who then go out and shoot up people of color, or different religions or for no reason at all. All the while, Democrats huddle in confusion about what to do.
What would it take to initiate an Impeachment?
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These reporters could answer a simple question: are these and related sanctions illegal under either U.S. or international law, as Maduro has charged in this case, as reported here?
The answer appears to be "yes" in both cases.
Strange, that American media somehow manages to avoid mentioning the matter.... Is this what's meant by "bi-partisan consensus?
1
Sanctions are an act of war. They intend to starve the people and overthrow the government. We don't deserve to have the dollar be the world's currency. trump has thrown away any good will we had in the world and has use the power built up by previous presidents to try to bully and intimidate. The world is slowly turning against us because they all realize they can't trust trump.
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Sanctions are the economic equivalent of an embargo. Both are acts of war. It should be no surprise if Iran or Venezuela stroke back.
Why must brute force always be the root of our foreign policy?
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The Maduro regime appears to have decided that if the Assad regime could survive when it look as if it were doomed, then so can they. Unfortunately, the Maduro regime appears to be even more corrupt and incompetent than the Assad regime. But, as with Assad, as long as there are outside enablers (hello, Vovochka) and as long as those on top (and especially in the military) are convinced that they're too implicated in the regime's crimes to be ok if the regime were overthrown, then the regime probably will hang on, and ordinary people will be miserable--those of them who stay alive.
Trump and team once again swagger on the world stage.
Jeb Bush recently tweeted a list of looming international crises and concluded: "And to think many now believe that America's leadership in the world is not necessary."
https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-am-57f8d9bd-4d24-45b8-bd37-b41723e96105.html
Do “many now believe that America’s leadership in the world is not necessary”? Or do many now know that Trump’s America lacks international respect, is mistrusted by its allies and has forfeited all claim to world leadership? In short, do many now believe that America’s leadership in the world may be a necessity, but is no longer a possibility?
1
Its no surprise the Trump regime wants a lackey in charge of Venezuela and its oil, but neither the government nor the people of Venezuela have harmed Americans, there is no justification for the Trump regime to cruelly punish the people there. I hope the world will stand up to US bullying by helping and trading with Venezuelans.
3
Let's be clear, I despise Trump, but whatever is happening in Venezuela is Maduro's fault, not Trump's.
When we cut off the government’s main sources of revenue with the intent of starving the population into regime change, it is indeed the US’s fault. And do you think Trump is doing this because he cares about democracy?
Does this guy know anything besides sanctions and tariffs? Ever heard of talking?
2
One big problem in Venezuela is that the opposition has been waiting for an imminent USA invasion since 2003, because "Bush is not going to tolerate this".
Trump made the mistake, and I really don't blame him for it, of saying that all the options were open... that was read in Venezuela as "the invasion is ready".
In April some friends were describing in detail the position, size and targets of the thousands of USA troops surrounding Venezuela ready for action.
Since the USA was almost there the people stopped protesting because there was no reason to protest anymore.
Still people in the opposition write letters almost everyday asking Trump to invade. For them it is fine for american soldiers to die for Venezuela even if none of them voted for Chavez.
If our government really cared about the welfare of the Venezuelan people, we would end sanctions and send aid. Starving a suffering people into rebellion has never worked before, and won't work now.
4
The USA is already sending a Hospital ship to help the refugees.
The regime in general doesn't accept foreign aid because they have to control the food distribution to keep the people on check, if you protest you lose you right to get the CLAP bags.
A lot of the little foreign aid received rot on deposits and some was tainted with rat poison to "prove the fact " that the Empire wants to kill everyone.
Maduro is not like Fidel, he is more like Pol Pot in Cambodia.
We don’t have to send aid. Sanctions and freezing the nation’s assets are making the situation worse. We are trying to starve the people into overthrowing the government. That is as evil as anything the Maduro government is doing.
1
First, this new embargo is not an action against Maduro or the government, it's directed at the Venezuelan people to intensify their pain and suffering. The US cares NOTHING about democracy, since if it did it wouldn't support, much less sell deadly high tech weapons to Saudi Arabia and the other authoritarian Middle East bandit-monarchies.
Second, the embargo may not "create penalties for business with Venezuela altogether", but businesses will continue to interpret the sanctions, and now embargo, in the most conservative and restrictive manner in order to prevent any legal action against them. Suggesting it won't impact non-government entities and the populace is nonsense.
The Maduro government and opposition representatives continue to meet to attempt a peaceful resolution, while Trump and his genocide tainted advisers throw obstructionist red meat to frenzied right-wing Latin American Republicans in Florida.
The international community should do everything in their power to defeat the sanctions/embargo and promote a peaceful resolution to the political, economic and social crisis in Venezuela
1
Venezuela had a democratic election in May 2018, which President Trump refused to recognize as he doesnt like socialism. He chooses to impose economic and financial sanctions on Venezuela and Cuba and then when economic activity declines as a consequence he blames it on their economic system and political leadership. President Trump and National Security Adviser Bolton are bullies and Juan Guaido is a tool and has no political legitimacy inside Venezuela and to many countries around the world which are not sycophants to US foreign policy and its revived Monroe Doctrine. Unfortunately the government of Australia is one of those countries falling in line to US foreign policy objectives.
1
Trump and his war mongering neocon advisors do not care about democracy in Venezuela, but control of the worlds largest oil reserves and that control is critical for making the dollar the worlds reserve currency. Iraq, Syria, Libya, Iran and Venezuela all proposed not using the dollar for trading oil and thus have faced the wrath of our military. Trump is friends with the Saudis that are the largest financiers of ISIS and al Qaeda terrorist groups in the world, and are committing genocide in Yemen the world’s worst humanitarian disaster - they are certainly not a democracy. The US provides military assistance to 73% of the worlds dictators.
The sanctions against Venezuela are a UN war crime and an act of war - a blockade of products needed to run a country. Trump has frozen over $20 billion in US assets including Citgo and $1.6 billion in gold. Venezuela can pay for products if Trump would lift the economic blockade. Trump is even targeting the CLAP boxes of food and hygiene items given to every poor family. Beside controlling oil it is about the 2020 election where Trump wants to run against socialism, by creating a crisis in Venezuela and also stealing their heavy oil for the Koch Brothers ( major Trump donor) refinery in Texas ( can’t refine light Texas oil). Just like the poor and especially the poor people of color in the US - Trump’s racism is now targeting Venezuela.
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@steve Give it up. I am Venezuelan and people in my country are dying of starvation and lack medicine, there are no public services and the country is on a death spiral at the hands of narco terrorists who care nothing about people and a lot about their own pockets.
Trump is no saint. But he is right on this.
@steve
Hey Steve, if Venezuela is so fantastic why don’t you move there? I notice everyone who says what a wonderful country it is doesn’t live there.
Venezuela is a kleptocracy. The Chavez and Maduro governments have nationalized and appropriated virtually every sector of the economy, and promptly run every single one of them into the ground. This country has been in economic freefall since 2010, and you blame sanctions from 2018 and 2019?
The property and assets frozen in the US were stolen by Maduro and his henchmen from the Venezuelan people. Do you know who the richest woman in Venezuela is? Chavez’s daughter. Did you know the former defense secretary is a billionaire? That’s some income on a government job!
Ignorant fools like you are infuriating.
1
just who "is" this bloke, Juan Guaido?
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another nail in the Dollars demise as the global world currency
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Does that include the Trump tower properties?
3
Maduro and his ideological role model and predecessor Chavez have taken a cash cow and drained it dry. they have ruined a once prosperous democracy with failed socialist policies and the demonization of the wealthy and corporations. Now they are reaping the just rewards of their economic and social policies. The only solution is a revolution from within. But until the military cuts off its support of Maduro, he will hang on with the support of Cuba and Russia, and even Iran. The people of Venezuela must rise up against their oppressors, just as the people of Hong Kong are doing today.
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@paul
You do know there were vast gains for the majority poor in Venezuela under Chavez, on all the usual indices? Which is Chavez he easily won elections deemed fairer, less susceptible to fraud and more transparent than ours, despite being hated by the prior white rulers of the country -- the ownership classes.
It's also interesting to note that Venezuelan corporate media has for years advocated overflowing the Venezuelan government, long before the economic crisis under Maduro.
Imagine the U.S. letting one of the major networks urge a violent overthrow -- and remain in business. You can't, of course. Unless, maybe, it was Fox News advocating the overthrow an Democratic president -- you know, the one Trump insisted for years was born in Kenya.
Meanwhile, we Americans are worried over the fate of Venezuela. I wonder why? Could it be the oil?
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@paul
Paul, "the people of Venezuela must rise up against" the Maduro government forgets that several million people support Maduro and 1.5 million receive military training and are ARMED.
Let's get the democracy you say you want without starting another civil war.
Stay with negotiations.
Lift the sanctions--they make people more dependent on the government whose ouster Washington (and several million Venezuelan oppositionists) are seeking.
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@Paul
The reason you do not see people rising up to against their oppressors is that they already did that... in the last election. That's when people rose up and told the oligarchs, again, who used their country like their personal piggy bank, to stay away from them. THAT'S why you don't see any support for Guaido' and actually see mass support for Maduro.
Another sanction or embargo.
Our government has had huge success with those actions. Cuba has given in. Oops, no. Iran will soon negotiate. No.
Trump's friends in Russia are really suffering from their sanctions. No.
Embargoes and sanctions only hurt the people. The leaders just solidify their control by having a new and real enemy that binds them.
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@Dan It worked in South Africa.