Since Hugo Chavez established Bolivarian social democracy in 1999, four US regimes—from the Clintons to Trump—sought to eliminate what they consider the “threat” of a good example.
Over two decades of US war on the Bolivarian Republic by other means is all about wanting the “threat” of social democracy the way it should be contained, prevented from spreading cross-border, and replaced by US-controlled fascist tyranny.
Aided by establishment media press agents, US propaganda war on Venezuela is relentless.
Nicolas Maduro is the country’s legitimate president—elected and reelected by an internationally monitored process Jimmy Carter earlier called “the best in the world.”
It’s polar opposite the US sham system. Lacking legitimacy, elections when held are farcical.
The US is a one-party state with two right wings, taking turns governing.
From inception, it’s been and remains a fantasy democracy—never the real thing, a notion its founders and current ruling class consider abhorrent.
Most everything establishment media publish about Bolivarian Venezuela consists of managed news misinformation, disinformation, mass deception, and Big Lies.
The same goes for pronouncements by the US ruling class.
Last week Pompeo defied reality, falsely claiming “Maduro definitely closed the electoral route [sic].”
“[O]ptions” being weighed by the Trump regime are all about what “will precipitate Maduro’s departure”—planned extrajudicially, he failed to add. Numerous earlier US coup plots failed.
The Trump regime “is trying to…restor(e) democracy” in the country (sic)—by going all-out to eliminate it Pompeo left unexplained.
Self-declared president/usurper-in-waiting/US designated puppet Guaido has no legitimacy.
Pretending otherwise changes nothing. Since attempting to unconstitutionally usurp power in January 2019, Guaido transformed himself into perhaps the most widely despised figure in the country.
An earlier 2020 poll showed only 11% of Venezuelans still “trust and support” him.
The vast majority of Venezuelans oppose intervention by the US in the country’s internal affairs—a flagrant UN Charter breach when this step is taken, what the US does repeatedly worldwide.
On all things Venezuela, Dems and Republicans are on the same page.
Biden and Dems are as hostile to social democracy the way it should be as are Trump and the GOP.
Governance of, by, and for everyone equitaby is banned in the US, the way it’s always been from inception.
Its ruling class wants all nations worldwide bending to its will under a system of government that’s subservient to US interests.
Sovereign independent governments like Bolivarian Venezuela are targeted for regime change by brute force if other tactics fail.
Washington considers nations it doesn’t control a threat to its national security—even though the USA faced no external threats throughout the post-WW II period, just invented ones to unjustifiably justify its imperial project.
Days earlier, Trump warned that “[s]omething will happen with Venezuela. That’s all I can tell you,” adding:
His regime “will be very much involved,” admitting at the same time that designated puppet Guaido “seems to be losing a certain power”—he never had.
Trump defied reality, falsely claiming “[f]or years, Venezuela has flooded the US with cocaine [sic].”
Most of it regionally comes from US ally Colombia through Mexico and allied Caribbean states.
Venezuela is the hemisphere’s leading anti-narco state, interdicting illicit drugs the CIA wants pouring into the US and other countries uninterrupted.
On Saturday, Venezuela’s Interior and Justice Minister Nestor Reverol stressed that the Bolivarian Republic “continue[s] to fight against drug trafficking and will continue to ensure prevention and international cooperation,” adding:
The Trump regime “pretends to blame Venezuela” for illicit drugs trafficking the US has long supported for decades, falsely blaming other countries for its own wrongdoing.
Separately, John Bolton claimed that Trump plans to meet with Maduro if reelected in November.
No plan for a meeting existed while Bolton was national security advisor.
The Miami Herald reported that Trump would only meet with Maduro to discuss his departure from office.
In late June, US SOUTHCOM guided missile destroyer USS Nitze conducted a provocative “freedom of navigation” intrusion close to Venezuelan waters.
The action was much like similar anti-Beijing provocations in the South China Sea that risk a clash between two nuclear powers.
Venezuela’s Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino denounced what he called “a clear defiant act” by the Trump regime, warning that if Pentagon warships conduct “military operations” in Venezuelan waters, it “will receive a forceful response from our armed forces.”
Maximum pressure is official US policy against its designated adversaries, wanting them weakened and isolated, their populations punished for being citizens of the wrong countries.
Last week, the Bolivarian National Armed Forces tweeted that it “neutralized” a US aircraft “with military jets according to protocols” after it entered Venezuelan airspace without authorization.
Posted photos showed the wreckage of an aircraft on fire, its tail number N339AV visible.
According to the US FAA, the aircraft is a Raytheon Hawker 800, owned by Delaware-based KMW FLIGHT LLC.
Padrino called the action taken part of Venezuela’s “battle against drug trafficking”—a longstanding CIA specialty, dating from the early 1950s, a source of Langley’s revenues, as well as a profit center for major Wall Street banks from laundering dirty money.
On Monday, Reuters reported that the Trump regime intends “turn(ing) (the) screws on (Venezuela’s) maritime industry to cut off (its) oil,” adding:
It warned of sanctions on maritime insurers of vessels engaged in trade with the Bolivarian Republic.
Trump regime envoy for regime change in Venezuela Elliott Abrams was quoted, saying, “What you will see is most shipowners and insur[ers] and captains are simply going to turn away from Venezuela,” adding, “It’s just not worth the hassle or the risk for them.”
“We have had a number of shippers that come to us and say, ‘We just had our insurance company withdraw the insurance, and the ship is on the high seas and we’ve got to get to port. Could you give us a license for one week?”
According to Reuters, the Trump regime “is pressuring classifiers to establish whether vessels have violated sanctions regulations and to withdraw certification if so as a way to tighten sanctions further,” citing an unnamed White House official.
“London-headquartered Lloyd’s Register (LR), one of the world’s leading ship classifiers, said it had withdrawn services from eight tankers that were involved in trade with Venezuela.”
It’s unclear if pressuring shipowners and insurers to cut off relations with Venezuela is what Trump meant last week by “something will happen” against the country—or if his regime means “something” belligerent.
Last week, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro international law research fellow Lucas Leiroz said the Trump regime “plans to invade Venezuela through Colombia,” run by “a pro-Washington government.”
Its current president Ivan Duque Marquez and his predecessors were and remain involved in narco-terrorism and widespread human rights abuses, along with maintaining close ties to the regional US imperial project.
Hundreds of Pentagon forces are based in the country.
In early 2019, US military transport planes flew to Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and other Caribbean states covertly.
Originating from US-based military facilities, they transported units of special operations and marines to the region.
At the time, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said the Trump regime deployed troops to Puerto Rico and Colombia, “preparing [(for] a military invasion on an independent state,” adding:
Indications are that it’s all about a plot “to overthrow lawfully elected [Venezuelan] President Maduro.”
What didn’t materialize at the time was attempted in May, a mini-Bay of Pigs invasion that failed.
A few dozen militants were involved, most captured, others killed.
The latest US anti-Bolivarian regime change plot failed like many earlier attempts.
Is another coming in the days or weeks ahead?
According to Leiroz, “Washington desperately tries to guarantee its power in Latin America, and, for that, it tries to overthrow Maduro,” adding, “Colombia provides support to the US in exchange for a mask for its own criminal activities, carried out in collusion by the government and criminal networks of drug trafficking groups – such activities will be falsely attributed to Maduro.”
“[W]hat seems clear now is that the US plans to invade Venezuela through Colombia.”
Whether so remains to be seen, along with whether US proxies and/or Pentagon forces will be involved if Leiroz’s assessment is right.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. His new book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.” Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
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