#Obama’s #War on #Venezuela

Stephen Lendman

Endless US hot wars rage in multiple theaters. Covert destabilizing ones target numerous other countries.

Toppling Venezuela’s government has been a US objective since Chavez took office in February 1999 - so far not achieved but ongoing without letup.

Occasional US soft diplomatic talk is pure deception - including John Kerry saying Washington “seek(s) ways to improve a historically strong relationship” on the occasion of Venezuela’s July 5 independence day commemoration.

Most often his rhetoric reflects longstanding US meddling in the internal affairs of other countries - flagrantly illegal under core international law ignored by Washington, operating solely by its own rules and standards.

James Petras explains US Latin American policy saying “(f)aced with the mess and difficulty of dislodging incumbent regimes via elections, (it) opted for the choreography of street violence, sabotage, martial law and coups (together with ‘local proxies’) - to be followed by sanitized elections - with US-vetted candidates.”

Venezuela is a prime US target for regime change. It has the world’s largest oil reserves (greater than Saudi

Arabia’s) - as well as large deposits of natural gas, coal, iron ore, bauxite, other minerals, gold and diamonds.

Washington wants US corporations exploiting them - denying Venezuelans the Bolivarian benefits of their own resources.

Relations between both countries remain hostile. They haven’t had ambassadors representing them since 2010. US Charge d’Affairs Lee McClenny handles diplomatic relations in Caracas. The embassy is a hotbed of anti-Venezuelan subversion - infested with CIA operatives and other elements hostile to its sovereignty.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriquez commented on John Kerry’s latest confrontational remarks - saying international monitors should observe its December parliamentary elections and all “political prisoners” should be freed.

Venezuelan society is open, free and fair - polar opposite America’s. Its electoral process is the world’s best.

US elections are shams. No nation has more political prisoners than America - in its homeland gulag along with numerous global black sites, torture prisons operating throughout Obama’s tenure.

Rodriguez blasted Kerry saying “the times in which the US dictated norms to Venezuela are over, thanks to the anti-imperialist actions of the Venezuelan people” - thwarting two attempted coups against Chavez, one against Nicholas Maduro.

Kerry’s allegations about political prisoners referred to arrested thugs involved in US-orchestrated street violence - aiming to incite insurrection against the Venezuelan government, responsible for 43 deaths in 2014.

Official US policy toward Caracas is reflected in Obama’s March 2015 executive order - outrageously declaring Venezuela a threat to US national security. Ludicrously claiming America is “committed to advancing respect for human rights (and) safeguarding democratic institutions.”

Washington rejects democratic governance worldwide - especially at home. It’s by far the world’s leading human rights abuser on a global scale. It serves monied interests exclusively at the expense of all others.

Its favored “diplomatic” tool is endless wars on humanity along with global subversion - aiming to destroy the sovereignty of all independent nations, wanting them transformed into virtual US colonies.

On August 22, Maduro accused former Colombian president Alvaro Uribe of waging war on Venezuela. His tenure was notoriously corrupt and violent.

He conspired with Washington against his own people, maintained close links to Colombia’s drug cartels and paramilitary death squads.

He bore full responsibility for murdering thousands of trade unionists, campesinos, human rights workers, journalists, and others opposing Colombia's narco-state terrorism and ties to Washington’s imperial agenda.

James Petras called him a “notorious narco-trafficker and the very personification of a ruthless imperial vassal (heading) a ‘Death-Squad Democracy’…crush(ing) any possibility of a popular democratic revival…”

Maduro cited evidence of ties between Venezuela’s right-wing fascist opposition and Uribe financed paramilitaries.

“They have us in an open economic war and Alvaro Uribe directs it,” said Maduro. He revealed video evidence of 30 Colombian trained and financed paramilitary groups operating to destabilize Venezuela.

He explained an elaborate network of fascist Colombian politicians, opposition Venezuelan elements and death squad paramilitary groups.

“We have identified 30 groups trained and financed by Uribe from Colombia,” Maduro explained. “We will capture all paramilitary groups who want to hurt Venezuela.”

The video mentioned known anti-Bolivarian politicians - including exposed coup plotters Maria Corina Machado, former metropolitan mayor Antonio Ledezma and Miranda governor/former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles.

Maduro revealed a scheme to kill complicit coup plotter Leopoldo Lopez - detained since February 2014 on multiple serious charges, including public incitement, arson and conspiracy to topple the democratically elected government. Maduro calls him a violent “fascista.”

He said paramilitaries were ordered to kill him to create potential chaos. “Why do they want to kill Leopoldo Lopez,” he asked? “To blame the Bolivarian revolution.”

The video revealed US involvement - orchestrating events, funding opposition elements, typical US subversion to oust independent democratic governments, fascist elements waiting in the wings to replace them.

Maduro declared a “state of exception” along Venezuela’s border with Colombia - to prevent paramilitary attacks and restore “peace and security,” he said.

His decree is constitutionally authorized under extraordinary circumstances severely affecting public security, the nation and its institutions.

Article 337 states:

“The President of the Republic, in Cabinet, can decree a state of exception. This is expressively defined in such circumstances of social, economic, political, natural or ecological order that severely affects the security of the Nation, its institutions and civilians, to a degree that transcends state powers.” 

“In such instances, the rights enshrined in the Constitution can be temporarily limited, excepting those that pertain to human rights, the prohibition of torture, the right to due process, the right to information and other basic human rights.”

Article 339 states:

“The decree that declares a state of exception, which regulates the power to limit constitutional rights, will be executed within eight days of its presentation to the National Assembly or to the Delegated Commission, for its consideration and approval, and to the Supreme Tribunal of Justice, for it to be pronounced constitutional.” 

“The decree will comply with the demands, principles and guarantees established in the International Pact of Civil and Political Rights and in the American Convention of Human Rights.” 

“The President of the Republic will be able to solicit its extension for an equal period. It will be revoked by the National Executive, National Assembly or by the Delegated Commission, before the signaled deadline, if the motivating causes are no longer present.”

Obama bears full responsibility for stoking violence and instability in Latin and Central America - part of his global war on humanity, aiming to replace all independent governments with US-controlled fascist ones, heading toward possible WW III if this madness isn’t stopped.