No matter which side of the political aisle you stand on, or which two-headed false dialectic mainstream media you try to get news from, you're going to get some the same general position on Venezuela. A heavy dose of bashing Maduro, and this also comes with a large portion of how great America is in all of this.
Source
The neocons and neoliberals are often lockstep in their agendas, and Venezuela appears to be another where things along, as they pull the 2-party politics into their falsified worldview. All of America's perceived enemies are blamed for the troubles along with Maduro. This includes Russia and China, but the U.S. is always the hero in this fable.
FOX recently had Trish Regan come out and lay blame to China for what's happening in Venezuela. According to her deluded mind, China is using Venezuela to "stick it" to the U.S. She said on twitter:
We MUST stay committed to the end of #Maduro’s BRUTAL socialist regime. He MUST step aside so that #Democracy can be restored in #Venezuela. And for countries like #China that want to STICK IT to the U.S. by supporting a dictator?! SHAME ON YOU!
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How clever. Anyone trying to help Venezuela or Maduro fend off the U.S. coup or help the country stay afloat amidst U.S.-imposed sanctions, is the bad guy. Only the U.S. or other western allies can be seen as "heroes", that is if they are against Maduro.
Some politicians and the mainstream media has this absurd proposition that Venezuela is in the U.S.' "backyard" or something, as if that allows the U.S. to do whatever they want because apparently, the whole Western continental mass belongs to the U.S.? What absurdity is that!?
Regan is one that argues similarly, saying that China is interested in the Venezuelan oil, as is the U.S., but apparently only the U.S. can claim it. Selling oil to China is not allowed, because of it being in the U.S.' "back yard". She says "It matters that the others (China) don’t get it." LOL. No, you don't get how stupid you are.
Claims of Venezuela's recent election being rigged or corrupted, are a major talking point to justify the removal of Maduro. Yet, in 2017 the Latin American Council of Electoral Experts (CEELA) said "Venezuela’s voting system remains one of the most reliable in the world" and the "country’s electronic voting system boasts some of the world’s best checks and balances, and is both ‘safe and reliable.’"
The conservative and liberal media are both spreading corporate propaganda, leaving alternative media as the only sane place to understand what's happening in Venezuela. The former bother demonize Maduro as a dictator with Guaido as the only legitimate leader of the country, even though he was never elected. If you see an "alternative" news source touting that line, you know they are part of the propaganda machine.
Ted Snider of Anti-War clears up the mess:
"The coup that is unfolding in Venezuela is not an American backed coup: it is an American coup. Mainstream media coverage paints the events only as American recognition of a legitimate constitutional correction of government. Even in the left wing and alternative media, where writers condemn the American intervention, many of them feel the need to establish their credibility by conceding that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is an authoritarian leader, or even a dictator, who won a second term in office in elections that were illegitimate."
Regan also mentions another lie about the poverty being Maduro-created, alleged "95% poverty rate". This is not accurate, but there has been an increase, due to the U.S.-imposed sanctions and coup. Socialism may be a historically-repeating failure, but that's not the reason for the current hardships facing most Venezuelans, and it's not at Maduro's hand either, as Garikai Chengu noted:
"Over the past five years, American sanctions have cut Venezuela off from most financial markets, which have caused local oil production to plummet. Consequently, Venezuela has experienced the largest decline in living standards of any country in recorded Latin American history."
"America’s media is unquestionably the most corrupt institution in America. The nation’s media may quibble about Trump’s domestic policies but when it comes to starting wars for oil abroad they sing in remarkable unison. Fox News, CNN and the New York Times all cheered the nation into war in Iraq over fictitious weapons of mass destruction, whilst America was actually using sanctions of mass destruction on the Iraqi people. They did it in Libya and now they are doing it again in Venezuela."
The talking heads play a nice game of divide and conquer on smaller issues. But when it comes to the big game, they march by the same tune and follow the mainstream script to force-feed the American demands, often by bullets and bombs.
Source
References:
- What the Media Won’t Tell You About the Venezuelan Coup
- Fox News Doubles Down on the Big Lie and Venezuela
- Sanctions of Mass Destruction: America’s War on Venezuela
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The US is the world record holder in toppling democratically elected leaderships, often to install a dictator.
If they really topple a dictator it is only coincidentally.
But either way, it is not about democracy or some other virtue (or even vice), it is about control.
There were quite some stupid things done in Venezuela that resulted in the big financial troubles after the oil price drop, but half of the problems are made by foreign powers - and I don't mean China here.
And yeah, the "backyard" rhetoric. The whole world is a backyard to the US, as you can see on the proud- swelled soldiers that tell you that the US can kill anyone in a matter of hours, even in Antartica.
The US is an Empire, and while some Empires fell to even bigger rivals, most fell by internal corruption and (mostly economic) injustice.
If you look at the state of the US, especially under Trump, there is a very sick elephant indeed.
Yup, control over the nation, the resources, and power. Haha, yeah the whole world in the backyard to the crazy people who want to control everything. The more this madness goes on, the harder the fall :/
I'll explain with an example I hope my English is well interpreted.
Imagine that you live in a large urbanization and in this urbanization there are around many houses about 100 or so and all of them must follow rules and laws to live in community.
However, internally, each house must follow laws and regulations so that life inside those houses is carried out in good terms.
What would you do if you know that the manager of that house, mistreats and kills those who live inside that house, but when he goes out of that house, it gives the appearance that everything inside is very beautiful and he gives reports to his neighbors that everything works well and those neighbors are created everything that says the report delivered by the person in charge of that house only because it gives money so that they believe everything that happens inside.
The nearest neighbors every day hear the cries for help from many who are inside, what goes on in there and none do anything just turn their faces and look the other way, because the housekeeper keeps giving money good money that is generated not because he is a good administrator of the resources he has, the good money is generated because those who live inside that home make products that are sold in markets that pay good money now the ones we live in do not have the He blames that the product in international markets goes down in price. Those of us who live inside do not have the fault that the manager has stolen all the money that went into that home and that all of us inside are suffering because there was never any type of investment for that house to be well.
For those who do not know, the only ones who are truly doing something for which we live inside that house are the Americans who realized that this guy under a banner of socialism is doing something.
I would like to see how those who have a socialist flag take away their companies, take away their land and do nothing to make these companies work and do nothing to produce those lands. They know why because they realized that by importing everything that is needed in Venezuela they can steal much more money.
There are many people who think from the outside but none are here inside and so they could realize in their own flesh what is happening.
Now that the United States is imposing sanctions on them and I clarify that not sanctioned Venezuela. He is doing it against the delinquents government officials and certainly individual menara. What happens is that those officials who have a lot of money from what they steal can manipulate the news and information by making the world believe that the sanctions are for Venezuela, and it is not so the sanctions are individually for each one of those criminals of the government.
Thank you for sharing. This is a very good way of explaining things. We often don't get to hear what it's like from the inside and we need to really.
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Dear @minismallholding
Wow South Australia, I would love to know Aurtralia, I had the opportunity to know all my country.
That is the idea to make known by our own voices what really happens in my country. Although you do not believe it, it is not easy to explain why our situation does not look like others. The Venezuelan government is always talking about the United States trying to invade us.
But Venezuelans know that we already have several invasions by CUBA, the FARC, ELN, HAMAS, IRAN, RUSSIA, CHINA all of them have invaded us and are destroying the wealth of our country.
I am a professor of government accounting at the Universidad de Oriente, I am on hand to be able to answer your questions ..
A big hug from my Venezuela.
Indeed, I don't argue that socialism is a good form of government, or that Maduro is good, only that the harsher conditions that emerge are a result of U.S. sanctions, not socialism itself. Thanks for the feedback.
Dear @krnel
I think that was my answer and I apologize.
I could not make them understand me.
I live in Venezuela and we are not having a good time. I can assure you, I hope we can hear what the Venezuelans say if we live in Venezuela.
I will try to explain it.
The country for a long time made its public budget in an underestimated way, for many years of bonanza the government prepared it at a cost of 40 dollars per barrel. and the price in the market was above 100 dollars, that generated additional resources that were stolen in their entirety during these 20 years of bad government, with that money they financed terrorist groups and groups of Iran that make life in Venezuela freely, there are also Hamas groups that have training centers in Venezuela. That on the one hand.
On the other hand. The sanctions carried out by the United States were applied to individual officials of this government, which is well known, as these officials are the first promoters of many deaths in this country.
If they had not stolen the money of the nation this country would be a great economically stable country.
They the government are corrupt.
Many Venezuelans in Venezuela are very happy that they apply sanctions individually.
These corrupt officials have good economic power and they know how to handle the world's information policy, making it appear that they are good people, that they are doing something for the country and that they are not to blame for the debacle in Venezuela.
And they use the sanctions that were applied to them individually, they make them believe as if they were from the country.
Only from this month of January 2019 is that they applied sanctions of not buying oil to Venezuela and our suffering is not since January, we have 20 years with a very well organized group of criminals ruling the country under a banner of socialism.
And only those of us who live here and suffer here can tell you the truth of what goes on in here.
You would be surprised to know the links of this guy and his father Tareck El Aissami
Excelente explicación. Espero que entiendan en otros países lo que realmente estamos viviendo aquí en Venezuela. Saludos.
First lift the sanctions and then try and claim the failure of the system! It would be interesting to see what actually happens around the world if other countries stopped interfering in each other's business.
Cuba was a pretty good example of rising to US sanctions and coming out on top. It's by no means perfect, but they managed to become self sufficient. They have a bit of a choke hold on Venezuela with their oil being their biggest asset. I wonder, if they could switch priorities and make other things better assets, could they prosper despite the sanctions as Cuba did? We all need to wean ourselves off oil eventually, after all.
Yeah, imagine how well other countries would do in fair competition if there were no sanctions... Bring on the alt free energy :)
it is the Texans oil moguls behind this? same story different times ...
Gangsta America is gonna finish bad one of these days ...the 21st century is over with its covert ops...they had to emp attack the electricity grid but soon they will replace the damaged components...
Yeah, apparently the private sector with Guido is going to take over the state running of the oil industry.
Of course! The speed of info exchange is screwing it up tho
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It's mostly because of the oil price tanking in 2014. That's when their problems started. But the fact that their government is authoritarian and incompetent has very much to with it, too. My understanding of what is happening is based on what my Venezuelan friends here have told me.
Do define authoritarian. You might also consider that there are no few Venezuelans in exile today, just as Miami was filled with Cubans after the revolution that evicted gangsters and corrupt profiteers.
Since a quick skim at US special operations manuals reveals full spectrum economic assaults on nations being warred on, and are all attacks that are intended to create false flag effects by tricking people into blaming the victim for the harm suffered by it's people, unless you can honestly assert you have a thorough grasp of that gamut of attacks that have certainly been executed on Venezuela, and that the government has successfully countered them without suffering ill effect - which itself would be a miraculous feat for any government to manage - and then has independently miserably failed to govern reasonably, simply claiming the government is incompetent is vapid and of null effect.
A considerable basis for demonstrable understanding of these issues is necessary for any such remark to be considered valid. The opinions of those disenfranchised by nationalization of Venezuela's oil industry might just be tainted with anger that their extreme corruption and profiteering was ended.
tl;dr: citation needed.
Talk to this guy @lanzjoseg. He's a professor of public accounting in a Venezuelan university and a friend of mine on Steem. He'll tell you about the regime he has to live under.
I undertake no support of Socialism, nor Maduro. It has now been shown that the US used a virus similar to Stuxnet to destroy the PLCs of the Guri dam that then caused the national blackout in Venezuela. What system of government could be able to provide functional mechanisms in the light of such sabotage?
The US has been sabotaging Venezuela for decades. Absent detailed understanding of the mechanisms used, their actual effects, and similar grasp of economic baselines and realities there, it is simply insuperable to claim the government is incompetent. Your friends may be better informed about social realities there, and even have some grasp of relevant economics, but absent detailed and specific information regarding the impact of full spectrum warfare that has been ongoing for these many years, nobody can honestly and confidently assert that incompetence or malfeasance on the part of the Venezuelan government is responsible for any given fault or flaw.
It's just not possible for such a statement to be other than uninformed opinion, or likely disinformation from someone with that specific and detailed knowledge - and that would make them party to the sabotage, and therefore utterly devoid of integrity.
There is no doubt that the US has done all kinds of shady shit over the years against Venezuela. But I'm actually ascribing the shitty situation over there mostly to the fact that the price of oil fell by over two thirds from $115 in June 2014 to $35 in February 2016 per barrel. When you have an economy like Venezuela's nearly totally dependent on export revenue from oil, you will experience very severe hardship when the price of oil crashes. It's simply false to suggest that the US caused it. As you say, the US has been sabotaging Venezuela for decades, but until the crash of 2014, Venezuela was doing ok economically.
Also, I'd like to add that not preparing for fluctuations in the price of oil is a serious failure on part of a major oil producing country. When the price of oil was high, the Venezuelan government should've set up a fund to keep paying the bills even during the dips. Norway has around a trillion dollars in a sovereign fund in preparation of when the party ends.
I don't disagree that fluctuations in the price of oil have impacted Venezuela. However, your comparison to Norway is extremely prejudicial, and ludicruous as well. Norway's sovereign wealth fund is the largest such fund in the world. It's a stable nation that is not under constant economic and cryptic assault by the largest funders of terrorism in the world. It's not cut off from financial markets by sanctions.
Not only is it a completely unrealistic comparison, it begs the point: that absent specific and detailed knowledge of what secret and malicious attacks were executed, including the actual effects of those attacks on the actual state of Venezuela and what responses Venezuela undertook to mitigate them, it is impossible to honestly and factually state that Venezuela has failed due to corruption and incompetence. Only two kinds of people can make such a statement: those who are wrong, and those who know those details and therefore must be participants in the warfare, and must consequently not be expected to tell the truth regarding Venezuela.
Do please consider that fact. Not even Saudi Aramco is as large a sovereign wealth fund as has Norway, and any fund Venezuela did effect to compensate for fluctuations in the price of oil had to operate in the global finance markets which have been weaponized against Venezuela, both overtly and covertly. Given that much of the acts of war executed against Venezuela have been covert, how can you state that the publicly knowable circumstances aren't stunning victories over such sabotage, terrorism, and destabilization? At least 20 people died as a result of the US cyberwarfare attack that left Venezuela without electricity this last week. Is the fact that Venezuela is a socialist nation responsible for those deaths, or are the terrorists? Would a capitalist nation under such assault by the most powerful military in the world conceivably have not been harmed similarly?
Hubris is a silly conceit, and humility is both underrated and enables reason to better provide factual bases for understanding reality. Believing you are competent to make such judgments when you demonstrably do not have salient facts necessary to base such judgments on reveals much about you, and nothing at all about Venezuela. If you want to be seen as reasonable, you should consider only making statements with factual basis.
The crashing of the price of oil has had a totally disastrous effect on the Venezuelan economy by wiping out their export revenues. As Venezuela has never been even remotely close to any sort of self-sufficiency, this has understandably had a massively catastrophic effect on social well-being in the country.
The simple fact is that you don't need American sanctions to explain the economic collapse of Venezuela while the definitely have made it worse.
Have you read @lanzjoseg's comment on this? He made some pretty strong counterarguments to your claims? Why don't you address them? You sound off like a passionate anti US government crusader. You are talking about Venezuela. Why do you not address arguments put forward by informed Venezuelans?
According @lanzjoseg, the plant hydroelectric plant in question that, according to you, fell under a cyber attack by the USA, did not have any digital equipment. Why do you not address that and the other points he made?
Venezuela is a perfect example for the Resource curse
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resource_curse
and they probably cannot afford to save in better times, precisely because of the sabotage. Read "The dictator's handbook" if you wnat to know why.
In short: if you don't distribute all the riches, someone else who promises to do that will rise up and kick you out (if you are lucky).
That is why revolutionaries fighting against corruption end up being at least as corrupt when in power. After a revolution you need every piece of power you can get. That means you need to get the power from those who hold it. The corrupt ones.
Ceuscescu was pretty good at letting his people starve through excessive austerity.
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Yes, the government and corruption play a part. But the point is the current level, would not be what it's at, without the sanctions. Things would be far less grave. Sanctions hurt the whole nation of people, not just the government.
It is always the same way to attack countries for the only purpose to have access to the oil.
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Absolutely, I have posted on the subject and people lose their minds when you tell them Socialism in Venezuela was never given a chance to fail, because the full crushing weight of the U.S. Government did everything in it's power for almost 20 years to destabilize Venezuelan society at every turn. No amount of evidence will wake up the nay sayers who sound like lost sheep parroting U.S. Government fake news narrative's on Venezuela as a perfect example of failed Socialism, Venezuela has many similarities with 1953 Iran.
Most people are unaware that following Chavez' inauguration, Venezuela's income rose fourfold. Since this income from their nation's resources had previously been profit for rich investors in the industry, it is quite obvious why multiple assassination attempts (and perhaps a successful one against Chavez), sanctions, and now a devious coup is being undertaken.
'Socialism has never been tried in Venezuela' sounds like a justification or rationalization of failure of a system that cannot work, but given the active full spectrum assault on a sovereign nation, it is hard to imagine any possible system of government could have been considered fully functional.
Hola krnel,
Tu post ha sido seleccionado por el bot de @provenezuela, te hemos dado un voto en apoyo a los autores venezolanos!
Gracias por ser parte de nuestra comunidad!