It is beyond the scope of this book to present detailed histories of individual countries. The idea is to show that there are recurring themes across many decades and many countries that indicate the actual direction of U.S. Foreign Policy, rather than the noble fight for democracy and freedom that the U.S. profess through their loyal media.
There is always the temptation to think that because these events occurred yesterday, last week, last month, 30 years ago, that this is now all in the past. Even if it is all true, today is different, right? I researched most of the history compiled above in the 1990s. Twenty five years later, things must be different, mustn’t they? But as I have shown with more recent updates, there has been no decisive action from the World’s people and no epiphany on the part of its Rulers and so of course the problem is perpetual, the pattern persists, the wheel has not yet turned.
Let’s skip forward from the 1990s and take a look at the situations in Venezuela and Bolivia, the oil rich nations of South America, 20-30 years on.
Firstly, Venezuela. Hugo Chavez, a career military Officer and leader of the 5th Republic Movement, standing for a Bolivarian Revolution – a coalition of South American States resisting imperial incursions (Spain then the USA) to achieve independence, is elected as President in 1998, and again in 2000, 2006 and 2012. Chavez rolled back foreign ownership of Venezuelan Resources, nationalising key industries and used record oil revenues to implement his revolution, created participatory democratic Communal Councils and Bolivarian Missions to expand access to food, housing, healthcare and education. Improvements in living standards followed from 2003 and were not thrown into reverse until 2012.
Attempts in 2002 to restructure the National Oil Company (PDVSA) staff led to a military coup which arrested Chavez. New incumbent Pedro Carmona abolishes the Constitution. But the new Regime had no public support and large demonstrations lead to the resignation of Carmona and the re-instatement of Chavez. Chavez reinstated many staff at the PDVSA who then organised a Management Strike. 19,000 workers were fired and the lost expertise led to a rapid decline in oil revenues. But Chavez retained Public support. His intentions to lift the people out of poverty and illiteracy are evident and understood.
2012. Chavez dies and is succeeded by Nicholas Maduro, a former Bus driver then trade union leader then member of the National Assembly from 2000. Described in 2012 by the Wall Street Journal as the “most capable administrator and politician of Chávez’s inner circle”. Elected as president in 2013.
There is continual interference in Venezuelan affairs from abroad. The Venezuelan Government acts against this and is accused of human rights violations. As we have seen above, such violations are only reported if they are committed by your enemy. Any other country in the world, ally or enemy would act similarly to resist foreign interference, which would be referred to as “restoring order”, even if there were exactly the same number of casualties involved. There remains only the question of taking sides. Do you want the resources to go to the people or to Wall Street?
And so we see the rise of Juan Guaido, apparently elected to the opposition-led National Assembly while Maduro was elected to the Constituent Assembly. Note that in the previous year Maduro secured 5.8 million votes in the election and the Opposition Leader Henri Falcon 1.8 million.
While political attempts to further legitimise Guaido stalled, a coup was organised. An announcement was made at dawn on 30th April 2019 that the Military backed Guaido. US National Security Adviser John Bolton tells Venezuela to accept Guaido or US Military Options will not be taken off the table. What would the US have thought if Chavez had told US citizens to back Hilary Clinton or face a Venezuelan military attack on California?
But the Military were not behind Guaido. His supporters were put down (“restore order” / “brutal repression” take your pick) and as it turns out John Bolton had backed the wrong horse.
The US’s earnest attempts to bring freedom and democracy to Venezuela, by whatever means necessary, will continue. There was a gradual media build-up via the attempts to legitimise Guaido all the way through to the US supported coups. There will now be a period of silence while the US “National Security” team consider their next attempt to usurp Venezuelan sovereignty. Heads will be rolling in the Venezuelan Department of the US National Security Council. The former Head of the Department is probably now working as a Bus Driver, an entirely more honourable and socially useful profession.
They never stop trying. On 8th May 2020, we see this story reported. Ex-U.S. Green Beret Staff Sergeant Jordan Goudreau fails to abduct President Maduro to the U.S. He shows papers of the Agreement signed by opposition leader Juan Guaido, who unsurprisingly denies it’s his signature.
Quoting the Guardian… “The US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, raised eyebrows this week by denying “direct” involvement in the plot”.
Mike, Mike, Mike what you’re supposed to say is that you deny ANY involvement in the plot. The established link is between Goudreau and the Colombian Government, and then dear Mike puts his big, fat foot in it. Plausible deniability is a delicate operation for such clumsy operators.
Staff Sgt Goudreau is of course fully aware that the U.S. are posting a $15m reward for the capture of President Maduro.
So how do we feel about a foreign Government offering a bounty for the kidnapping and abduction of our elected President? Nothing illegal or dubious in that is there? No contradiction with U.S. claims about being Champions of Democracy throughout the world?
“We should cease to think about the sovereignty of other Nations…. “
In all of this, it is hard to work out how much of the resistance to the Bolivarian Revolution is from the Locals and how much is from the usual suspects abroad. But a country should be free to sort out its own problems without foreign interference. That is what Sovereignty is. The bottom line is that things may be difficult in Venezuela, and they are made worse by economic sanctions from the U.S., Canada and Panama (and no-one else), but if the locals want someone else then they will elect them.
In the meantime the US will always discredit any election that elects their enemy and accept any result that installs their favourite, whatever the evidence, and whether their favourite is elected or not. Sanctions also ensure that the U.S. withhold oil revenues from Venezuela.
At the time of writing, the latest ploy is for the US to instruct the UK to instruct the Bank of England to refuse to hand its deposits of $1.8billion dollars of gold back to Maduro’s Government, even though Maduro has said that the money will go directly to the UN to provide relief efforts against the coronavirus in Venezuela. The pretext is that the UK recognises Guaido as the rightful leader. Since then, Guaido has refused to stand in elections, fearing disfavour from the Venezuelan people, and instructing all his supporters not to vote. All very well, but now he has lost office he has no further legitimacy – Maduro wins 66% of the vote in a 30% turnout. And the US will be desperately scrambling around looking to support anyone except the elected President of Venezuela.
In the meantime, what excuse will the US now find to deny Venezuela their own money? And how many will die as a result of this, only for the blame to shifted by the loyal International media squarely on the shoulders of Maduro?
And, in the slavish service to their masters, the Bank of England take a serious hit – they can no longer be trusted to be the holder of another Country’s sovereign wealth.
So we arrive in Venezuela’s present. Do we now see an Enlightenment in the US that the sovereignty of other Countries should now be respected? A note of warning to Mr Maduro. Make sure that the US-backed candidate in your next election can only spend as much as you do. Any extra billboards will be torn down.
But maybe Venezuela’s just another one-off mishap, another accident, atypical. Maybe things will be different in Bolivia. One can become a little tired looking for exceptions to what we are now starting to see is a monotonously repeating pattern. Have a break but come back. Stick with it. The future is too important to ignore.