Having cancelled his Europe trip because of ongoing planning on
Venezuela, Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan held closed-door
meetings at the Pentagon on Friday with John Bolton and Secretary of
State Mike Pompeo.
Exact details of the meeting are not being made public, and the State
Department didn’t even list the meeting as having taken place.
Administration officials, however, said the focus was on discussing various military options for a US invasion of Venezuela.
Perennial hawk John Bolton seems to be salivating at the possibility of
the US invading the major South American country, while Pompeo has been
telling the press at every opportunity that if the US decides an attack
is required “that’s what the United States will do.”
Shanahan continues to brag about the good intelligence the US has on the
situation in Venezuela, a claim which must be questioned after this
week’s failed coup. The administration’s leadership seems determined to
portray themselves as ready to start this war, and after months of
saying that not having imposed regime change through sheer force of
will, there is a growing risk they will attack outright.
People like Shanahan make claims and commit the USA to interventions. The claims lead to lies. When it all goes wrong? NOTHING ever happens to them. They go on to lucrative retirements and msm pundit jobs.
These people don’t represent our interests. We pay for their lies. People in target countries pay for their lies. Past time to just say “no” to the DC bs.
They are the problem.
There are probably many causes for the lack of repercussions, but I think at least one is that, when things go ‘wrong,’ from the perspective of the government, that is actually, at worst, the consolation prize? i.e. if we can’t install the gov that we want, we may as well maximize instability because a refugee/humanitarian crisis is preferable to a functioning foreign government that allows Russia and/or China to gain a foothold and spread their own influence. It’s like scorched earth foreign policy, and the added benefit of creating conflict is that odds are good that there will be at least one side open to buying weapons from you?
The limited concern from the public and the media have shown that these interventions aren’t enough to get you voted out of office, so there’s no incentive to discontinue them?
In response to question if US was snookered into believing that senior figures would defect — Bolton replied: “They are not that smart”. Sure, Venezuelans are supposed to be stupid, and believe that a man picked out from the opposition is a legitimate president. Sure. And they are not smart enough to set up a trap for eager Boltons or Pompeos of this world!
With all the talk of war, I do not think they are brave enough to do it. They KNOW that the core division in Venezuela is between the formerly privileged elites of European ancestry, and the vast majority of poor natives. But since Chavdz gave them identity cards and the right to vote — no one asociated with former elite can win elections for president. In civil war, the minority of European descent would suffer by association — even if they do not support Guaido.
But cowards do exactly that. Bring in goons to start bloodshed, accuse Govrrnment, then intervene. But this may be a non-starter. The vast majotity of country nativves are ARMED and organized. The failure of our media — accross the board, is phenomenal. Facebook and others shut down Infowars as a far right site, but mostly because these far righters are AGAINST neoin wars and nationbuilding projects. Thus, forced out of media platforms. Neocons control ALL press. Most leople believe that Fox is pro Trump. Not True. They are inly pro Trump in the ridiculous Russia gate. But from day one — they told the president how to run foreign policy. From Russia onward. And it matters little what Trump wanted to achieve — media would tell him what he is allowed to do.
He has given them everything — and I mean everything — to get Mueller off his back. Niw, they claim Mueller was not really done, they are to reinvestigate. Thus — the question is, what more they want from Trump? Perhaps he was wise to give them Venezuela. The only question is — can he have the political backing from his party to punish neocon policy standard bearers, Bolton and Pompeo. Probably not. He will be strung along until he is up to his eyeballs in the mess.
I believe we should arm the resistance and let them fight it out,,as of now Maduro and his thugs are the only ones with guns. Unfair!
I do not accept mainstream media or our corporate parties’ definitions of who is the thug. The issue is legitimacy in the eyes of the population. And in Venezuela it is by far the native Venezuelans. If anybody thinks they will conquer guerrila forces nedds to have their heads examined.
Bianca, I am not so willing to give up as you are. As to Guerrila’s, maybe they will be fighting against Maduro, all they need is the weapons to do so,,as of now, thanks to Chavez and Maduro, the people are disarmed, except for the Army, Police and the Maduro thugs!! Arm the resistance, freedom at all cost!
Are you saying the millions of people that support Maduro are thugs and have guns?
I do not know what is it to give up? First I am not a God or your neocon variety zealot — so have ZERO ambition to fervently hope for ANY outcome. I am an analyst, not a narrative story teller, as our media is.
Thus, from the beginning. There are no food shortages in Venezuela. No hunger, no medicine shortage. There is plenty of poverty — but less then it was before Chavez empowered NATIVE Venezuelans.
What you are looking at is the desparate struggle of the ONCE ruling elite — descendants of European colonists — and the vast majority native population. This struggle happened in Colombia and the natives were pushed back into guerrila (FARC). It is not likely to happen in Venezuela.
Why are we so desparaty trying to prop a person, majority of Venezuelans never heard of before the surprise elevation of an opposition into being Western favorites? Why are WE following the colonial European policies, instead of working with people and their government — whoever they are? We have FOR YEARS. put sanctions on Venezuela, and are acting shocked that ithe economy is having trouble.
Who exactly will you arm? Guaido city supporters wanting their sulerikr status back — or tens of millions Venezuellans? These native Venezuelans are already armed and ready for guerrila war, and they support Maduro. Military leadership comes from their ranks.
This is why it is imperative for Guaido to get a peaceful transition. He cannot win any other way. Unless US does a Colombian trick, take over coast and have natives shoved into isolation in the hinterland.
This is a battle for a fat military intervention pie, both oarties desire. Fat, fat pie.
You know if best laid plans if muce and men, go oft awry…
This is not your father’s Oldsmobile, nor is today’s geopolitics same as years ago. We are fools rushing in, and let us hope wiser military heads prevail.
Bianca, If both sides want a Civil War, so be it, but one side cannot be armed while the other, (the people), are disarmed by Marxist Chavez and Maduro! Freedom is not free, wish it were. Courage to the front, cowards to the rear.
Have you ever lived in Venezuela? Have you ever lived in Latin America? Do you speak Spanish? Have you studied Latin American history? Do you have any idea what you’re talking about?
Jay has it figured as guns, bible, trump…he would have been a great conquistadore.
Low, how condescending of you! LOL!! Very poor argument, can you do better Low..?…Maduro must go!!! ViVa La Venezuela!!
If you feel so strongly about, then why don’t you fly down there and join the opposition? They could use a man like you.
The Dems are just as warlike as the Trumpists about Venezuela. Obama’s sanctions in 2015 starting the downward path for the people in Venezuela.
Military Options for Venezuela will probably center around a cruise missile tantrum ala Syria, unless they find a few trillion more dollars to spend on yet another overt military invasion.
liveload,
And you know, if the invasion of Venezuela should somehow not be a fiasco, Iran is next. Bolton, Pompeo, Eliot – the essence of the swamp that Trump promised to drain – WE are the ones needing a coup!
Fiasco or not, Iran is next. Actually, they are now. Sanctions are an act of war.
A closed door meeting with a former senior vice president of Boeing along with Bolton and Pompeo. How can anyone not get a warm, fuzzy feeling about that? Especially Venezuelans?
Something big is up, wars. Whenever a bunch of neocons and crazy Christian Zionists get together to strategize, expect the unexpected.
The unexpected has become the expected. So I can’t expect the unexpected if I expect the unexpected is the expected. 🙂
Helter Skelter is coming down.
I feel like a dick but I almost want them to invade. It would be such a disaster of epic proportions that it might become the final nail in the empire’s coffin. It would also reinvigorate the moribund anti-imperialist movement in Latin America. This is what Che Guevara dreamed of, a Latino Vietnam to seal the open veins of Latin America once and for all.
That’s mighty democratic and freedom-loving of us, isn’t it- ignoring a nation’s choice of leader and attacking that nation, even though it poses no threat to the US and has not attacked us. Makes me really proud of our government.
What’s missing in this discussion of our options in Venezuela is the fact that the sanctions themselves are a crime against humanity and illegal under the Rome Statute. They are a systematic attack on a civilian population that has caused widespread poverty and depravation in Venezuela.
Denying the Venezuelan government the financial resources (credit) it needs to bring food and medicine into the country for the purpose of overthrowing that government is a crime that should be brought before the International Criminal Court. Why isn’t this happening? Bernie, where are you? Where are any of the Democratic candidates for POTUS on this? We already know that Trump doesn’t give a flying f-ck about human rights, but how about you?
Good point on total illegality of sanctions-actually to my mind a declaration of war-but what the hell, “we don’t worry about trivialities.”
I’m curious as to has anyone seen any of these psychopaths engage in justification as to national security (sic) or legal (sic). seems that they would be hard pressed to come up with anything not totally laughable but the head liar at state might take a shot.
So the acting war minister, the national security man and the top diplomat of the USA plan another unjustified attack on a sovereign country, and everyone must obey.
What’s a Congress? What’s a Constitution? This would be 100% illegal domestically and internationally, and orders must be refused. The President does not have the authority to launch wars at will. He must be impeached and Pence also impeached for being an accessory and co-conspirator. This would be a criminal violation of the Oath of Office.
Here here! Next stop: Nuremberg.
seriously? nuremberg was a farce.
and what exactyly is the excuse by drumpf and his masters for attacking venezuala? other than that oil of course.
Not only has Mike Pompeo zero diplomatic skills……he is also ignorant about international laws.
ABC News Politics
3:32 PM – May 5, 2019
Pompeo Claims Any US Action in Venezuela, Including Military, to Be ‘Lawful’
There’s not going to be an “invasion”. If there were, it would be totally telegraphed by moving like 100,000 soldiers and massive amounts of supplies in place.