WASHINGTON DICTATES THE TERMS FOR LIFTING INTERNATIONAL SANCTIONS AGAINST VENEZUELA, CONTINGENT ON “DEMOCRATIC TRANSITION.”

Violation of Venezuelan sovereignty? Compare this with the innocuous Facebook pitches posted by Moscow that led to the Russia Gate scandal. Is there any comparison?
https://www.state.gov/democratic-transition-framework-for-venezuela/

IMF REJECTS VENEZUELA’S REQUEST TO FIGHT THE CORONAVIRUS: SAVING LIVES IS NOT A CONSIDERATION

by Steve Ellner

Latin America Advisor (publication of the Inter-American Dialogue), March 30, 2020


Public opinion surveys indicate that even prior to the outbreak of the coronavirus most Venezuelans favored prioritizing solutions to the nation’s pressing economic problems, as opposed to focusing on political issues. This preference has increased as a result of the coronavirus. In this moment of desperate need, Venezuelans are likely to condemn and long remember the IMF’s rejection of President Maduro’s loan request to help combat the coronavirus scourge. Given the U.S.’s veto power of the Fund’s decision making, the negative response will also add to resentment against Washington world-wide. Already, the European Union has urged the IMF to reconsider its decision with regard to both Venezuela and Iran, while  EU’s foreign affairs chief and Spain’s former Foreign Minister Josep Borrell attributed the “very difficult situation” facing both countries mainly “to U.S. sanctions that prevent them from having income by selling their oil.” 


A “moderate” faction of the Venezuelan opposition, which in recent months has consolidated itself as a bloc within the National Assembly, supports the need to focus all attention on immediate problems. Claudio Fermín, the main spokesman for the moderates, has stated "no one should obstruct this [loan] request," adding "it's the hour of unity." In contrast, Juan Guaidó has stated that the Maduro government "lacks the capacity" to confront the coronavirus crisis, and calls on the armed forces -- as he has in the past -- to take control of the nation's ports and airports to allow for entry of humanitarian aid. By maintaining his insurgent position, Guaidó risks alienating opposition members who support Fermín's plea for unity and the suspension of political confrontation in the context of what is nothing less than a national emergency.

LOS ALEGATOS DE TRUMP QUE MADURO ES UN TRAFICANTE DE DROGAS CARECEN DEL SENTIDO COMUN

Solamente un poco de sentido común desbarata las últimas acusaciones del gobierno de Trump referente al “narco-terrorismo” de Maduro, involucrándolo en el tráfico de droga a una gran escala. Según Washington el llamado “Cártel de los Soles” dirigido por Maduro y Diosdado Cabello ha inundado el mercado norteamericano de la cocaína. Esto es literalmente imposible. El tráfico de droga es por naturaleza una operación clandestina. ¿Hay en Colombia o México un jefe de un cártel de drogas que sea una figura pública? Además, la historia de ese negocio demuestra que conduce a guerras sangrientas constantes entre “las “familias” mafiosas o los cárteles de droga que llegan a ser de conocimiento público.

Solamente hay que ver la película el “Padrino” o leer en Wikipedia acerca de los cárteles mexicanos y colombianos. Wikipedia provee un gran número de hechos específicos acerca de los líderes de los cárteles referente a sus operaciones, por ejemplo, las rutas, etc. Luego trata de buscar información equivalente acerca de Venezuela. No aparece. ¿Por qué? Porque no existe. Y los medios de comunicación corporativistas norteamericanos, que hacen tanto chequeo de hechos sobre las aseveraciones de fake news de Trump contra los políticos del partido Demócrata, se mantienen silenciosos sobre los cargos obviamente falsos en contra del gobierno de Maduro. 


Además, al ofrecer 15 millones de dólares por información que conduce a la captura de Maduro por ser un narco-terrorista, el gobierno de Trump está explícitamente mezclando la guerra contra las drogas y el terrorismo con los objetivos políticos. Esto es insólito y peligroso porque resta de la seriedad de los esfuerzos de combatir tanto el tráfico de drogas como el terrorismo, un esfuerzo que tiene que ser necesariamente apolítico. En caso contrario pierde credibilidad. Obviamente Trump y sus aliados están despreocupados acerca de esas consecuencias no deseables.
https://www.aporrea.org/actualidad/a288655.html

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S LATEST CLAIMS AGAINST NICOLAS MADURO DEFY COMMON SENSE

Just an iota of common sense debunks the accusation by the Trump administration that Nicolas Maduro is a “narco- terrorist" and involved in large-scale drug trafficking. According to Washington, the so-called "Cartel de los Soles" which Maduro supposedly heads has inundated the U.S. cocaine market. This is literally impossible. Drug trafficking is by its very nature a clandestine operation. Is any important drug trafficker in Colombia or Mexico a public figure? Furthermore, the history of the business demonstrates it leads to constant bloody wars among mafia “families” or drug cartels which become public knowledge. Just watch the “Godfather” or read Wikipedia entries on the Mexican or Colombian cartels. Wikipedia provides numerous specifics about cartel leaders, routes, etc. Then try to get equivalent information about Venezuela. It's not there. Why? Because it doesn't exist. And the mainstream media, which does so much fact-checking on Trump's fallacious claims against the Democrats, stay silent about this obviously fabricated charge against the Maduro government.

Furthermore, by offering a 15 million dollar reward for the capture of Nicolas Maduro as a “narco- terrorist," the Trump administration is explicitly mixing the war on drugs and terrorism, with political objectives. This is outrageous and dangerous because it detracts from the seriousness of the efforts to combat both drugs and terrorism, an effort which needs to be non-political. Otherwise it loses all credibility. Trump and his cohorts are obviously unconcerned about such damaging side-effects.  

THE MEDIA PLAYS DOWN OR COMPLETELY IGNORES DEADLY SANCTIONS AGAINST IRAN AND VENEZUELA

On “Democracy Now,” Amy Goodman asked why Iran has been so hard hit by Coronavirus, and not one word about the U.S.-imposed international sanctions in her Friday’s hour and a half program about the pandemic. Obviously, the sanctions have impeded Iran’s ability to face the coronavirus problem, but instead the interviewer attributed Iran’s problem to religious concentrations. Nor did Amy Goodman reference sanctions in her mention of coronavirus in Venezuela. Why is this? Particularly in the case of Venezuela, the criminal international sanctions and the aggressive moves of the Trump administration, especially in the context of the coronavirus, is a no-topic. Why? It would seem that the interest of the commercial media is confined to issues that directly affect the U.S. I very much appreciate “Democracy Now” and listen to it nearly every day, but this is an issue that Amy Goodman needs to take up in a big way in order to compensate for the failure of the commercial media to report on the concrete effects of the sanctions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrCZzE1QA6Y&t=10s

WASHINGTON TIGHTENS INTERNATIONAL SANCTIONS AS THE CORONAVIRUS RAVAGES THE WORLD

President Nicolás Maduro asked Trump to lift the sanctions against Venezuela in order to help the nation face the coronavirus. Trump’s response was to reinforce them by ordering even harsher ones. Yesterday the U.S. froze the assets of a company in the Middle East that was “caught” purchasing petroleum from Iran. It is mind blogging and outrageous that Washington is actually stepping up sanctions against both Venezuela and Iran, especially given the fact that the latter nation is one of the world’s hardest hit by the coronavirus, an occurrence which itself is the result of the sanctions. Some of the progressive media that I access skirts this issue. For instance, a few days ago the Young Turks (whose podcast I often download and like a lot) made reference to the conflict between Iran and the U.S. in the Middle East with no mention of the sanctions. This video by Code Pink’s Michelle Ellner lays the facts out clearly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrCZzE1QA6Y&t=10s

ENDLESS WARS (AFGHANISTAN, IRAQ, SYRIA, etc. etc.) WITH NUMEROUS NEFARIOUS SIDE EFFECTS

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have had such multiple horrific effects. It’s not just Iraqi lives lost, it’s not just Iraqi civilians displaced, it’s not just the injured, it’s not just the loss of lives of U.S. soldiers (including 20 suicides by veterans every day), it’s not just the trillions of dollars wasted, it’s not just the exacerbation of conflict in the zone and the rise of terrorist groups… the list goes on and on. This Code Pink Video by Michelle Ellner covers most of the nefarious aspects. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsvnFzuvx3c&fbclid=IwAR2r3HGfyjHHiD5OHd3ph1Hx4L-M1egi-Ym6bswC2It3lP2Su3U7Qspd6uQ

TRUMP’S CHEAP POPULISM HAS MUCH TO DO WITH THE CURRENT PREDICAMENT OF THE ECONOMY

Standard practice is to maintain higher interest rates when the economy is in its expansion phase and lower interest rates when times are bad in order to stimulate recovery. The Federal Reserve lowered interest rates after the 2008 crash in order to get us out of the Great Recession. However it made no sense to maintain low interest rates during the subsequent years of unprecedented expansion. Interest rates in savings accounts and even CDs were a small fraction of one percent as opposed to inflation which ate away at savings. It forced people to place their savings including retirement savings in stocks and bonds, and it turned us all into gamblers. That meant gambling with our future and the security of our families. The policy gave a boost to the stock market, as did the practice of the economic elite, awash in cash, to buy up the stock of companies they controlled. But the dance of millions had to end. The coronavirus was just the spark. 

About a year ago, in the midst of unprecedented stock market gains, the Federal Reserve finally decided to increase interest rates. Trump pressured the Fed to lower them again. Now the Fed lacks one of the most effective instruments to mitigate against the crash of the last week. Trump, of course, when he opposed higher interest rates, wasn’t thinking of the medium and long term economic stability of the nation, he was only concerned about maintaining Wall Street prosperity until November, 2020.      

Latin America's Pink Tide and the Right-Wing Pushback

Now that the right-wing pushback in Latin America has shown its true colors in the form of racist regimes like that of Bolsonaro in Brazil and Añez in Bolivia and repressive neoliberal regimes such as that of Duque in Colombia, Piñera in Chile and Moreno in Ecuador, an objective analysis of the gains and breakthroughs, but also the errors, of progressive Pink Tide governments is very much in order. The following is a review of my edited “Latin America’s Pink Tide: Breakthroughs and Shortcomings" published in Canadian Dimensions.

https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/a-continent-of-resistance-latin-americas-pink-tide-in-the-empires-scopes