Under the orders of John Bolton, the Pentagon is busily developing new
military options for Venezuela, both for the imposition of regime
change, and more specifically for trying to deter either Russia or China from doing anything to help President Maduro.
While officials continue to insist “all options are on the table,”
Pentagon officials say that they are trying to come up with plans that
stop short of direct military invasion or any combat operations.
As with a lot of foreign policy cases, the administration’s appetite for
aggressive military intervention doesn’t necessarily extend to the
Pentagon leadership, and they are more inclined to try to focus on
increasing their regional presence instead of outright trying to conquer
Venezuela.
While Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused China of bankrolling Maduro
to prolong the crisis, Chinese officials fired back that Pompeo’s
comments were “irresponsible and utterly unjustifiable,” adding that
“lies are lies, even if you say it a thousand times, they are still
lies. Mr. Pompeo, you can stop.”
We neglect our lush tropical neighbors for 27 years of expensive meddling in a stinking desert. We left a vacuum. China stepped in. Many years ago.
US officials object that China invested “with no strings attached.” And if Pompeo says those who support Venezuela’s president are “prolonging the crisis,” that reveals the US is regime change regardless of anyone’s behavior or proper process.
” Chinese officials fired back that … “lies are lies, even if you say it a thousand times, they are still lies. Mr. Pompeo, you can stop.”
I frikkin’ love the Chinese.
If we truly believed in our system of government we would not have to squash all opposition, we would only need to allow the system to speak for itself, you know lead by example and not by brute force.
Venezuela does send oil to Cuba, which is a substantial factor in the support for regime change from guys like Rubio.
Venezuela is not donating that oil. They are buying things, especially doctors, nurses, and clinics, which Cuba sends to care for people who before had the lowest life expectancy in the Americas, and no real health care at all. They also buy teachers, who have raised literacy in what was the most uneducated population in the Americas.
Venezuela is in trouble for two major reasons: 1) commodity prices collapsed for its export, which has happened to them and others in South America before, as with coffee in the early 20th Century; and 2) American malice has sabotaged them with sanctions.
Their trouble with the Americans comes down to regime change done for the sake of expropriating their oil, in this case returning it to the few of the oligopoly who siphoned it off before.
“all options are on the table,” never seem to include peace.