Above photo: Venezuelans protest Trump’s threat of US intervention in 2017. PSUV.
On Saturday, February 23, there will be demonstrations in Venezuela and around the world against foreign intervention and military threats against the Maduro government. This is the one month anniversary of the United States-led attempted coup and the same day the self-declared coup puppet president, Juan Guaido, has declared that “humanitarian aid” from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) will be brought into Venezuela possibly from Colombia, Brazil and the Netherland’s ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao).
The day is being set up for a conflict at the borders to justify military intervention by the United States and its allies. The US is setting up supply lines for a war on Venezuela under the guise of humanitarian aid. Already, a US airline company has been caught bringing weapons into Venezuela from Miami to arm the opposition. The same airline company has been tied to the CIA for participating in the torture-rendition program, which flew people to “black sites” for interrogation.
In fact, an incident occurred this morning at the Venezuelan border with Brazil where a 42-year old woman was allegedly shot and killed by a Venezuelan soldier. It is too early to tell what actually happened. We must reserve judgment until the facts are available as the United States has shown it will do anything to undermine the Maduro government.
The Myth of a Humanitarian Crisis
The United States is setting up a false scenario. There is no humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. There are shortages of goods and medicines, but that is because the US is preventing Venezuela from having access to billions of dollars that it has in the US and the UK and has imposed economic sanctions on Venezuela. When the Venezuelan government tried to buy supplies, it was told that it could not purchase them but that it could have them as humanitarian aid.
This is a set up because if Venezuela accepts humanitarian aid, that would open the door for outside countries to intervene under the US-influenced Organization of American States. Chuck Kaufman of the Alliance for Global Justice explains that there are shortages, but they fall short of being a humanitarian crisis.
The Grayzone Project is in Venezuela covering the situation. Max Blumenthal published a video of his trip to a grocery store in Caracas to show there is plenty of food and other necessities. Even the Red Cross of Colombia declared that what the US is doing is not providing humanitarian aid because it is tied to a political agenda. Two days ago the Maduro government received 7.5 tons of medical supplies from Russia, which Maduro had requested.
To understand the foundation of the economic struggles in Venezuela, here are two articles about them, one from Steve Ellner in Consortium News and the other in Mision Verdad, which provides a timeline of the financial blockade.
Venezuela Defending Against US Invasion
The United States and its allies, especially Canada and the European Union, recognized Juan Guaido as the president of Venezuela and offered to ease US sanctions if Guaido is given control of Venezuela’s oil. Of course, this is because the United States created the puppet Guaido and wants control of Venezuela’s oil, gold, and minerals. We interviewed Dan Cohen about the rise of Guaido on the Clearing the FOG podcast. Lee Camp writes that “foreign intervention in civil conflicts is 100 times more likely if the country has a great deal of oil, versus none.”
The Maduro government is taking steps to protect itself from interference and invasion. Juan Guaido and his ambassadors are under investigation by the Venezuelan Attorney General for violating the Constitution and trying to usurp power. Guaido is not allowed to leave the country and his assets have been frozen. And this week, Venezuela denied entry to six members of the European Union Parliament who sought a meeting with Guaido.
As tensions mount this weekend, Maduro ordered the closure of the border with Brazil and may shut down other borders too. Venezuelan troops are being sent to the borders and the popular militia, which has 1.6 million members, has been activated. Today, China and other Venezuelan allies announced opposition to US military aggression against Venezuela.
If the US invades Venezuela, it could set off a long and bloody war that could bring Russia, China, and other countries to Venezuela’s defense. It is critical that people in the United States show opposition to coups, sanctions, and wars against Venezuela. Find a demonstration near you. There will also be a national march in Washington, DC on March 16. We plan to be there after returning from a peace delegation trip to Venezuela March 10 through 15.
Haiti Erupts in Protest Over Venezuela
Haiti and Venezuela have had a long relationship. After Haiti gained independence in 1804, it assisted Simon Bolivar in the liberation of South America. Hugo Chavez was inspired by Haiti’s success in ousting Jean Claude Duvalier and electing Jean Bertrand Aristide as president in 1990. Chavez set up the Petrocaribe Alliance of 17 countries in 2004 to provide assistance to Haiti and others through low price fuel and loans for hospitals, schools and more.
The attempted coup in Venezuela has inspired mass protests in Haiti. Haitians appreciate Venezuela for its support and were angered when their current president, Jovenel Moïse, voted to recognize Juan Guaido as president of Venezuela in the Organization of American States. Haitians are also protesting President Moïse’s embezzlement of $4 billion in PetroCaribe funds and are calling for him to step down.
This week, five mercenaries from security firms in the United States were arrested in Port-au-Prince when they were discovered to have guns and military equipment. They were turned over to US authorities and their disposition is unknown. We interviewed Kim Ives for the upcoming Clearing the FOG podcast about the arrests and what is happening in Haiti. It will be available on Monday.
Popular Resistance goes to Iran
We leave for Iran on Saturday to participate in a peace delegation led by CODE PINK. As the United States continues its belligerence with Iran, we believe it is critical to go there to see first hand what is going on and to be able to report on it. Popular Resistance opposes US imperialism and is dedicated to reporting about countries that are threatened with US aggression.
Donate today to support Popular Resistance’s Iran Report.
While we are on the trip, we will do our best to keep Popular Resistance up to date. We apologize in advance if there are any disruptions in our daily flow of news while we are away.