ARE BUSINESS INTERESTS INNOCENT BYSTANDERS IN THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT?

You don’t have to be a Marxist to realize that there is an economic war being waged by private capital against Venezuela. All you have to do is to recognize that the state is not “autonomous” but is inextricably tied to the existing economic system. Nearly all political scientists (from Robert Dahl to Guillermo O’Donnell, the exception being Theda Skocpol) recognize the tight nexus between the two. The opposition to the Venezuelan government by Washington under the Bush, Obama and Trump administrations has been overtly aggressive and unyielding. The same can be said of the commercial media, from “liberal” (NY Times, Washington Post and CNN) to ultra-conservative (Fox News).

If the connection between state and private sector is tight, then who can deny that the multinationals, as well as local private capital that is closely tied to the global chain, are also doing their best to create a situation of economic, social and political instability in Venezuela. Even without much knowledge about the specifics of Venezuelan politics, one can readily conclude that the private sector is not at all on the sidelines, but is acting in unison with international political actors such as the U.S. government, and that it is a major player in the economic war being waged in Venezuela.