After over a week a cajoling from the US State Department, Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has declared himself the interim president of Venezuela. President Trump almost immediately followed this with a formal recognition of the change.
The 35-year-old Guaido is head of the National Assembly, and says he
feels the need to step in during the chaos surrounding President
Maduro’s recent swearing in to a second term in office.
Maduro is, unsurprisingly, not taking this move well. He has not only
not recognized the decision to remove him from power, but has also
announced he is cutting all diplomatic ties with the United States. He announced that US diplomatic personnel have 72 hours to leave Venezuela.
President Trump has made removing Maduro from power a long-standing
priority, at times urging a military coup, at times suggesting that the
US might invade outright. The Trump Administration is reportedly
considering imposing new oil sanctions on Venezuela this week if Maduro doesn’t leave power.
Well, the military is behind Maduro and not Greedo, so their little coup isn’t going to go very well.
Hi. For those of us uninformed, what is the background on Guaido vs. Madura? Who is the good guy, in the opinion of antiwar.com, and in particular, what would Justin Raimondo say? (BTW, God bless him, he is in my prayers.)
There probably isn’t a good guy.
Antiwar.com’s “line,” such as it is, is that the US should let the Venezuelans sort out their own problems without interference (especially, but not only, military intervention) from the US.
“There probably isn’t a good guy.”
I guess they are just like us.
Hello Mr. Knapp: The internet has gotten so rude, I made an effort to present my question with kindness and respect. But even that does not seem to inspire civility. Or perhaps I am only imagining your response was condescending? I run a website that bore the tagline “End US Foreign Intervention,” before I recently changed it to “End Globalist Tyranny”. It goes without saying that Antiwar.com opposes foreign intervention.
My question was about Guaido and Madura. For example, is one a populist and the other a globalist? If so, one might be better than the other. And yes, while we should not intervene in foreign governments, there is nothing wrong with having opinions about foreign leaders. To wit, my opinion is that Assad and Marine Le Pen are good leaders, Putin and Merkel vary, and Macron and Trudeau are globalists destroying the sovereignty of their countries. I’ve written commentaries on these leaders, which is appropriate for a conscientious journalist. I generally support nationalists and deplore globalists, wherever they are,
Note also that Trump, or any other head of state, is free to recognize any leader or country they wish, as long as they do not interfere in sovereign affairs. If freedom of recognition were not allowed, it would amount to a gag order.
“Or perhaps I am only imagining your response was condescending?”
That would seem to be the case. It certainly wasn’t intended to be condescending, and on a re-read I don’t see how it could be taken as condescending.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m occasionally condescending. And when I am, there’s no mistaking it.
Libertarians become irrational when Socialism is mentioned. Look else where for better coverage:
Venezuela – U.S. Again Tries Regime Change Which Is Again Likely To Fail
I don’t know where you get that idea from. The vast majority of libertarians do not support sanctions or regime change. Neither do they favor such things as foreign aid.
As far as being allergic to socialism? Yes, indeed. Besides having a pretty crummy track record, this system is one of the more malignant manifestations of the State.
Nonsense. The problem is that every single time a nation attempts to define a socialist future, they are attacked. Russia had to endure 5 years of counter-revolution, which drove it in an authoritarian direction. Cuba, the same. Chile’s elected socialist was overthrown in a US backed coup. Iran’s elected socialist, same. Venezuela has endured 20 years of US machinations to drive its economy into the ground until the people cried “uncle (Sam?).” So to pretend that socialism is the problem, and not counter-revolutionary intervention, is willful ignorance. The mildly democratic socialist countries of Scandinavia are doing just fine.
So when were the mildly democratic socialist countries of Scandinavia attacked for attempting to define a socialist future?
I guess you don’t know that those Scandinavian countries aren’t socialist. Although they have high taxes, their governments have LESS intrusion into their business sector than the USA. Those countries you cite turned AWAY from a more socialist direction a couple of decades ago. Why? Because their economies were suffering.
As far as Venezuela goes? You’re barking up the wrong tree. Those, such as I, of libertarian minds opposed the sanctions and interventions.
That being said, the Soviets had a larger population and more resources than the USA. That State failed. Are you arguing that capitalism is at fault because it is more effective than socialism? You know, gives the population more goods and services and a higher standard of living.
But the Soviets were far better one thing: creating toxic waste areas. Whole areas of those SSR’s were made uninhabitable.
It doesn’t help that Venezuela can’t keep it’s oil production from crashing. Now, I know that you’re going to say it’s sanctions and such. One of the many reasons sanctions and interfere is a bad idea. It gives such as you another excuse for socialism failing again and again. But the truth is that Venezuela’s most valuable export was oil. The Venezuelan government hogged so much of the revenues from that industry that there wasn’t enough left to keep up the infrastructure of that industry. That money went to Venezuela’s new 1%: the apparatchiks and assorted cronies of that State.
Tired excuses from the leaches and hypocrites that teach socialism don’t work with those that have a analytical mind. And note that those in “education” are paid by those that are extracted by taxes. They are VERY well paid. Not concerned with the people that work for a living. At all.
Aha! I answered my own question. The following is today’s tweet from none other than . . . JUSTIN RAIMONDO, who’s well enough for a clever quip! :))
Justin Raimondo @JustinRaimondo 3 hours ago
Maduro is a vicious tyrant — but he’s *their* vicious tyrant. Not our business if they want to commit national suicide. However, The Wall just got 10 feet taller…..
Hmmm. Trump isn’t tweeting loudly or histrionically enough for this to a prelude to negotiations.
On the other hand, Venezuela is contributing to low global oil prices by collapsing. Deal, done.
The US openly, unashamedly interfering in another country’s politics and planning regime change, as they have been doing for the past seventy years.
That’s right, and there’s nothing they can do about it because the US has the weapons and cash. Might makes right, and opinion, when necessary, is fungible through manipulation. They will be assimilated.
The corporations have blackballed socialist VZ for over a decade. Intentionally creating shortages and spreading pro-Wall Street propaganda. BP and Shell will use the US military to take over VZ, and the Koch Brothers will turn the population into non-union wage slaves.
Greedo has zero chance to win in the elections that’s why he boycotted it and declared “victory” anyway. It would’ve been funny if it weren’t for his and US’s fascist supporters popping up, hit and run tactics of pouring gasoline and burning people alive in the streets.
Military is behind Maduro and people will be out in the streets defending their government as we speak. Meanwhile US refuses to accept the government decision to close the diplomatic relations with the US. Let’s see how long the US “diplomatic” (CIA) staff now squatting in Caracas will keep their heads up high with no water, electricity and clogged toilets.
The American fascist regime and it’s Euro vassals decision to declare any illegally self appointed clown as “president” of a sovereign country will come back biting their own @sses in no time.
The US is the master in coup d’etat.
Don’t give Pelosi any ideas…….
It is disappointing to see Canada going along with this charade. Evidently they are for sale like any other 3rd world country.
Trudeau is just another politician, and behaves like one.
The problem is we think we are God.
The silence from the “progressive” and “socialist” Democrats is deafening, I’ve yet to hear Gabbard, AOC, Sanders or anyone speak out against this. Tells you all you need to know about these frauds. Its a right wing uniparty, war party, serving the capitalists on Wall St and the MIC. All the while they whine about imaginary Russian meddling. Not a word about Israel/AIPAC or Saudi meddling, American democracy is a sham. When can we get regime change in our illegitimate plutocratic government?
The CIA has been trying to destroy Venezuela for decades now. It’s the rich, US-backed, capitalist right-wing elite that’s against Maduro. The same elite who own the super markets. The same elite who are intentionally starving the poor by not stocking the shelves. The same elite that instead of stocking their shelves, sell their products on the black market for mass profit. The same elite that told countries and foreign companies not to do any business with Maduro, or else. The same elite that is working with Columbia to block insulin and other critical medicines from getting into the country. The same elite that told the UK not to give Venezuela’s gold back. The same elite who pay gangs to firebomb the police and assassinate leftist leaders all across the country. The same elite who literally beg and cheer for economic/financial blockades & sanctions against their own country. This coup is the same CIA play book as in Ukraine and Syria. Abby Martin at RT and Telesur has covered the meddling in Latin America well.
https://grayzoneproject.com/2019/01/23/us-coup-oil-venezuela-right-wing-opposition-privatization-capitalism/
“I’ve yet to hear Gabbard … speak out against this.”
Between your posting and now, she did:
“The United States needs to stay out of Venezuela. Let the Venezuelan people determine their future. We don’t want other countries to choose our leaders–so we have to stop trying to choose theirs.”
Sweet. She read my mind I suppose. I like her!
Apologies to Tulsi. She has my vote if she keeps up. Wish she would speak up more for Palestinians. I know The Lobby is strong, but she has the peoples support.
It’s a signal that the easy days of regime change has come to a stop.
I see headlines now asking if this “can be a peaceful transition.”
No. It is a regime change attempt, not transition. It is a coup of the sort that already was tried twice and lost twice. The Army is opposed, and the populace is sharply divided.
It isn’t transition, and there is no realistic possibility it will be peaceful.
My bigger worry is that the US war hawks know that, and are fine with that, because they mean to do a war anyway. they imagine this is one they can win. Right, and we were greeted with flowers in Iraq too.