Venezuela: Resistance or disintegration?

[Niall]

http://es.sott.net/article/14537-Patocracia-y-la-deformacion-de-la-Realidad

A Pathocrat with another style, and the fact that antiimperialist is not meant to be a saint.

I have to take issue with your comments on Chavez in that Sott Focus Alvaro. Your argument was very weak and relied on a single web site "el ojo digital", which provided VERY flimsy evidence that Chavez was enriching himself. Are you really unaware of what the ONLY alternative to Chavez in Venezuela is? Maybe both you and Galaxia are missing the broader picture that Venezuela has been under constant pressure from the American empire, both from without and within, for 10 years.

Maybe my sources were not the most appropriate. The intent of my article was to suggest that all is not gold that glitters, and it is wrong position on one side or another, but you have to see things as they are. I failed in my attempt, perhaps, but here I leave a question:

So then there is an American empire that conquered countries, and that victims are eg Saddam, Gaddafi, Assad and others, and that these are the good guys, with Ahmadinejad and Chavez? The anti imperialists are saints? No dark point in them?

After seeing some inconsistencies, such as with Iran, Venezuela or the same (presumably with a high poverty rate), there are things that do not fit me. I leave that clear in the article. The same day, maybe I was wrong in my comments on Chavez, but also I'm wrong with Iran, an ally of Venezuela while North Korea?

I would know. Maybe not express myself well, but my idea is that we can not trust anyone.

Alvaro, this is black-and-white thinking. There are no saints out there to save humanity. So yes, of course there are "dark points in them." What I find interesting is what this says about your expectations - and the expectations of people in general - of our leaders. People are always going to be disappointed in leaders they hope will deliver them unto paradise for the simple reason that such a paradise cannot exist in this STS environment.

The best thing that leaders can do is to take responsibility and keep the predatorial forces contained as much as possible. So few of them are able to do that. Some succeed in small ways, but most are killed before real positive change is affected on a mass scale. Perhaps the only reason Chavez is still alive is because the methods of controlling him I mentioned in my previous post are working just fine for the PTB, gradually turning more and more Venezuelans against him?

In order to discover the most objective view possible of events, situations, world leaders... we need to search (a lot!), think with a hammer and network (also a lot!), especially with those who are similarly driven by an insatiable curiosity to KNOW.

 

[knowledge_of_self]

So then there is an American empire that conquered countries, and that victims are eg Saddam, Gaddafi, Assad and others, and that these are the good guys, with Ahmadinejad and Chavez? The anti imperialists are saints? No dark point in them?

Alvaro, this is black-and-white thinking. There are no saints out there to save humanity. So yes, of course there are "dark points in them." What I find interesting is what this says about your expectations - and the expectations of people in general - of our leaders. People are always going to be disappointed in leaders they hope will deliver them unto paradise for the simple reason that such a paradise cannot exist in this STS environment.

The best thing that leaders can do is to take responsibility and keep the predatorial forces contained as much as possible. So few of them are able to do that. Some succeed in small ways, but most are killed before real positive change is affected on a mass scale. Perhaps the only reason Chavez is still alive is because the methods of controlling him I mentioned in my previous post are working just fine for the PTB, gradually turning more and more Venezuelans against him?

In order to discover the most objective view possible of events, situations, world leaders... we need to search (a lot!), think with a hammer and network (also a lot!), especially with those who are similarly driven by an insatiable curiosity to KNOW.

Fwiw I agree with Kniall. I think you are thinking "black and white" where it comes to leaders. No one is saying that Sadam, Assad or Gadafi were "good guys" (especially Sadam). But one thing they all have in common is that they have defied the Western corporate and Zionist powers. As Kniall says, it take a long time of research and dedication to reach the most objective truth about these leaders. And of course a little bit of discernment should also be used where it comes to leaders, like do they act on what they say? Or just say things to get elected? *cough* Obama *cough* :P

As far as the Venezuelan elections are concerned, I'm also glad that Chavez won. Considering that the opposition was basically in the pocket of Washington and Israel (Zionists).

I find that Iranian people treat Ahmadinejad the same as Venezuelans treat Chavez. As I see it, people basically want to "throw out the baby with the bath water" when it comes to these two. For example, Ahmadinejad has done a lot for Iran in terms of standing up against the US and calling out Israel etc.. but people only see him as a puppet of the Islamic Regime and don't listen to him at all. That is not to say, he's not a Regime Puppet but I think he's playing a roll.

When it comes to politics, I think that there is a one world government, like a pyramid scheme.

So imo at some level, both Ahmadinejad and Chavez are (knowingly or unknowingly) playing the roll of the 'good guys' in how they are presented to the rest of the world. And in the end, all of this is related to causing mass distractions by 'playing the game' - so they can keep people from asking questions about more important things like earth changes, meteors and so on...

I think for a politician Chavez seems pretty unique, in a sense that he shows a conscience (even more than Ahmadinejad, imo). I know this is very subjective but just looking at Chavez's picture vs. Radonski in this article; Chavez looks like a down-to-earth man, and Radonski looks like he belongs on the cover of Snakes in Suits.

Something that left me was said by Chavez this week:

“On October 7 is not a small thing at stake. There might be people who might be unhappy about our failures of our government, that we did not fix the street, that there are power outages, that the water is gone, that I got no job, that you have not given me my house. That may be true in many cases and I assume the self criticism of the government [...] whether the road was paved is not at stake, if I have have been given a home, or if I'm angry at and fighting with regional leaders. No, what is at stake is much more than that comrade: We're risking the life of the country. “

So in other words you can live in the BS, but vote me!!!

Hmm I didn't get that from what he said. To me he is basically asking the country to vote for him so that he can keep "the life of the country" instead of killing it and giving it to US. Reading that made me think of Mexico. Look at the crime rate and poverty level there and all the drug wars etc... that could be what awaited Venezuela if Radonski had won.

 

[Eongar]

When it comes to politics, I think that there is a one world government, like a pyramid scheme.

So imo at some level, both Ahmadinejad and Chavez are (knowingly or unknowingly) playing the roll of the 'good guys' in how they are presented to the rest of the world. And in the end, all of this is related to causing mass distractions by 'playing the game' - so they can keep people from asking questions about more important things like earth changes, meteors and so on...

That's what I think. That is a game, a distraction.

And Kniall, truth is that my thoughts may seem black and white, and there I get lost. What happens with me is that I do not understand politics in general. I find it all so full of inconsistencies, so fake, I do not know where to get it. I am aware that in a world complicated STS is aware something lasting and beneficial to mankind, and that if something dies. There is no perfect choice. Perhaps, within the possibilities Chavez and anti-imperialist politics, is best, although not correct in many cases management. That I admit.

For me the problem is, at least in the Spanish-speaking media counter information, they only talk about the life and miracles of Chavez, while the mass media talk about how bad it is. And for me it is neither one thing nor the other. Both sides speak partially of the case, in addition to the mass media lies deliberately, and I think we must be aware of that. And that was the intention I had to write my article as I said before, just that my sources were not appropriate.

 

[Niall]

So imo at some level, both Ahmadinejad and Chavez are (knowingly or unknowingly) playing the roll of the 'good guys' in how they are presented to the rest of the world. And in the end, all of this is related to causing mass distractions by 'playing the game' - so they can keep people from asking questions about more important things like earth changes, meteors and so on...

The two men may have no clue about cosmic intervention, neither in history nor at present. My perspective of Ahmadinejad is that he is a conscientious man who has strategically worked his way into the Iranian power nexus, from where he is trying to effect change 'from the inside'. It may not be working, but I think that his clear conscience and forthright statements regarding Israel's true nature and intentions has gone some way to protecting Iran from the predatorial forces, both within Iran and from abroad. However, I don't think it will last in the long-run due to his worldview's dependence on religious doctrine at the expense of objective knowledge concerning psychopaths and psychopathology. One need only look at Iran's antiquated treatment of homosexuality for an obvious example of this fundamental flaw.

I think for a politician Chavez seems pretty unique, in a sense that he shows a conscience (even more than Ahmadinejad, imo)

Maybe. Ahmadinejad is certainly a lot more serious, dour and religious in demeanour than Chavez, who comes across as boisterous, cuddly and eminently likeable!

While it's a safe bet that the instigators behind the ongoing currency plunge in Iran walk through the halls of international high finance in London, D.C. and New York, it's clear that Ahmadinejad is also facing pressure from within his own regime, many of whom are grumbling his 'socialist' wealth redistribution policies in favour of the poor.

Iran’s Currency Crisis: Bad News For Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

On Oct. 2, Ali Larijani, the speaker of Iran’s Parliament, said that 80 percent of the country’s problems are management related and 20 percent of them are related to sanctions. He took a jab at Ahmadinejad’s management, stating, “a Robin Hood economy never works.” His comment was directed at Ahmadinejad’s subsidy-distribution policies during the president’s second term in office, in which government subsidies have been paid to citizens directly—a policy many economic analysts opposed, warning against runaway inflation. According to various reports, Iran’s inflation rate is somewhere above 30 percent (the official number is 19 percent).

Isn't that exactly what is said about Chavez, that his 'socialismo' and 'mismanagement' has wrecked the economy? Just like we're seeing across Europe where governments are being told to rein in public spending because it is "dangerously inflationary", so the same arguments are used in Iran and Venezuela. But is this objectively true? No, in fact, it is flat wrong. Inflation arises out of there being too much money in circulation chasing too few goods. Government spending creates more goods, for which the money supply keeps pace. Runaway inflation has historically been due to deliberate currency speculation destroying the value of a country's currency, and as Ellen Brown shows in Web of Debt, it always happens when a regime is being targeted by the Powers That Be.

For example, from ch.22 'International Pirates Prowling in a Sea of Floating Currencies', Web of Debt:

Speculation has been known to bring down currencies and national economics in a single day. Michel Chossudovsky, Professor of Economics at the University of Ottawa, writes:

The media tends to identify these currency crises as being the product of some internal mechanism, internal political weaknesses or corruption. The linkages to international finance are downplayed. The fact of the matter is that currency speculation, using speculative instruments, was ultimately the means whereby these central bank reserves were literally confi scated by private speculators.

Ahmadinejad is using his second term to effect real alleviation from suffering among Iran's poorest classes. Larijani and other critics of Ahmadinejad in Iran have bought into the lie that government spending results in inflation, a plausible lie that is causing doubt in those previously loyal to Ahmadinejad, as it has done to countless other leaders who attempted to implement even a modicum of social justice for their own people. The landscape of Iranian politics plays out just as it does elsewhere: Ahmadinejad retreats in clash over Iran’s budget. From where I'm standing, HE is the sheep surrounded by wolves in his own country (to say nothing of the broader Middle East and beyond).

 

[Alana]

I would just ask, who benefits? From the outside it seems to me that the poor, who are the vast majority, have benefitted under Chavez, which is why he wins elections. It may have made things more difficult or inconvenient for the middle class and is definitely threatening to the upper class and the United States, which is why I was glad Chavez won.

Yes, it reminds me of JFK and his policies (though obviously Chavez lacks the education and finesse of JFK), a man with "dark points" too, but who truly could make a difference in the lives of the ordinary Americans AND the whole world, because he knew the difference between justice and injustice, and he had a conscience. Venezuela is a country of almost 30 million people and is quite big, surface-wise. I don't think any government would ever be able to solve all the problems and for everyone in such state. Same can be true for the US too. But how is each government spending their taxpayer's money? How is each government's conduct around the world?

From my perspective, I think that Chavez is doing all he can for his people, under opposition and embargoes from the Western world. I am also glad he is re-elected, since he is one of the very few in the world stage that says it as it is.

I am not sure if it was mentioned before here, but a few years back I watched the documentary: The Revolution will not be Televised? , and was very impressed with Chavez and the reactions of the poor Venezuelan people, I'd recommend it.

 

[irjO]

See i think this discussion could take us in different paths of thinking.. i said before what i think about the "revolution" that Chavez promises that i loved at first (not anymore)... but where is the real "independence" of my country (venezuela) if the debt we have with China is the largest we've had with any other country ¿? almost every food we have in the market is imported and more expensive every year, we used to have our own food chain... many of the social programs he created does not work anymore.. and you can't get work on any public office if you are not a Chavez supporter.. did i say that the police is very corrupt?.. and the crime is higher and higher every year and nobody do or say nothing... There are thousands of people dying each month because of the crime and nobody is guilty.. like who needs to protect us from a war if we have that many people dying?? I lost a friend who was killed by don't know who, just because that person wanted to take away his cellphone and the police did nothing about it... etc etc

i mean we have to faces here... i think the world is just one coin with two different faces on that aspect... the Israel-American-UE empire on one side and the Arabic-Rusia-China-Venezuela force on the other side... they seem different and agains each other but very deep down they are the same.. they both are run by psychopaths in the secrets (and public) spheres.. and on a more higher level they are run by 4th STS... and it came in my mind this:

(Bubbles) Which country on the whole planet has the best "essence"? (Perceval) From our perspective? (Bubbles) The least bad?

A: None at present. As we have said, there is already a one world government.

Q: (L) I don't think there is a country... If you think about any one country, they're all in bed together. I guess in a certain sense, we're already in the least bad place we can possibly be.

A: Yes

don't know what else to say.. the real public or famous good guys are dead... history show us that.. this is the way i see it (don't meaning that is the correct one) and of course as always i maybe missing something but at least the good thing about been a venezuelan citizen is that i can see i little of those two faces in this case!

 

[Graalsword]

i mean we have to faces here... i think the world is just one coin with two different faces on that aspect... the Israel-American-UE empire on one side and the Arabic-Rusia-China-Venezuela force on the other side... they seem different and agains each other but very deep down they are the same.. they both are run by psychopaths in the secrets (and public) spheres.. and on a more higher level they are run by 4th STS... and it came in my mind this:

(Bubbles) Which country on the whole planet has the best "essence"? (Perceval) From our perspective? (Bubbles) The least bad?

A: None at present. As we have said, there is already a one world government.

Q: (L) I don't think there is a country... If you think about any one country, they're all in bed together. I guess in a certain sense, we're already in the least bad place we can possibly be.

A: Yes

Yes, but how many presidents stand up against Zionism and even warn the world about Zionism? (just to name one thing). Also one must take into account the fact that governments are made of a LOT of people, not just the president. You have ministers, dozens of secretaries, sub-secretaries, provincial governments, cities governments, all the legislative power, judicial system, which makes it very difficult to avoid infiltration of agents of the Control System, psychopaths, etc.. If the main leader or leaders don't have a solid knowledge about ponerology, they can get easily infiltrated by pathological types.

The one world government thing does not necessarily mean that people like Chavez or Ahmedinejad go to an underground facility to receive orders from Rockefeller and his fellows, but rather that even if you have a good intended leader and a few good intended collaborators, the web of power is already so cleverly woven to be attached to the central world power, that those good intended guys who could reached the office can only change very few things, having already a ver narrow space to maneuver without getting fired or murdered.

Since all modern society and economy is based on STS principles, it is practically impossible to solve all the problems of a country, the only solution would be to go back to Hunter-gatherer mode, something that most people probably are not willing to do at all.

I can imagine what press and many people would say if a president wants to bring an entire society back to hunter-gatherer subsistence :P

 

[loreta]

I don't live in Venezuela nor in Iran but I like the leaders of these countries. Now I will be the devil's advocate asking this question: why, if these leaders are so good, and in a sense they are, are they not murdered? Like Qaddafi, for example, and many others that were really good leaders and the list is long even if we forget their names. Is it because they have a good protection or because they participate in the Game? Why Castro is still alive? They can assassinate who they wanted. So why those leaders are still alive?

Maybe my question is stupid, but I asked it myself very often. So I think that when a good leader is assassinated because he is good it is because he is betrayed by someone very close to him or by a putsch like Allende or Qaddafi.

 

[irjO]

The one world government thing does not necessarily mean that people like Chavez or Ahmedinejad go to an underground facility to receive orders from Rockefeller and his fellows, but rather that even if you have a good intended leader and a few good intended collaborators, the web of power is already so cleverly woven to be attached to the central world power, that those good intended guys who could reached the office can only change very few things, having already a ver narrow space to maneuver without getting fired or murdered.

Well yeah i'm agree with you on that.. I mean, i'm not saying that Chávez himself is as evil as Bush or other psycopath.. He could be very well been a puppet directly or indirectly!

I don't live in Venezuela nor in Iran but I like the leaders of these countries. Now I will be the devil's advocate asking this question: why, if these leaders are so good, and in a sense they are, are they not murdered? Like Qaddafi, for example, and many others that were really good leaders and the list is long even if we forget their names. Is it because they have a good protection or because they participate in the Game? Why Castro is still alive? They can assassinate who they wanted. So why those leaders are still alive?

I was thinking about this a while ago..and i think Maybe because they are needed in some way to keep the game going.. It could be easy for a "war" in the future.. But i might be wrong Tought and now that you mention Castro i posted a treath the other day about Castro may be or was a CIA agent

 

[Graalsword]

I don't live in Venezuela nor in Iran but I like the leaders of these countries. Now I will be the devil's advocate asking this question: why, if these leaders are so good, and in a sense they are, are they not murdered? Like Qaddafi, for example, and many others that were really good leaders and the list is long even if we forget their names. Is it because they have a good protection or because they participate in the Game? Why Castro is still alive? They can assassinate who they wanted. So why those leaders are still alive?

Maybe my question is stupid, but I asked it myself very often. So I think that when a good leader is assassinated because he is good it is because he is betrayed by someone very close to him or by a putsch like Allende or Qaddafi.

In that case, I would ask, why Qaddafi was assessinated only after about 40 years of being president of Lybia, once they could make people believe he went mad. I think it is like chess, they kill them when it fits certain purpose, in their long term strategy game. Probably they see people like Castro, Chavez, and Ahmedinejad, as useful for them, they maybe see them as an opposition, that though they can't control completely, they can use to target those countries, by manipulating people's opinion on them, through media, taking advantage of the lack of knowledge on certain clue issues these leaders have. For instance, Arafat was also assessinated after several years of leading the Palestines.

 

[Alejo]

Hi everyone,

I have been conversing with friends over this issue and have realized that it has become very difficult to see clearly and wanted to bring it up here for discussion.

As many if not all of you know, Venezuela went through a transformative phase back at the turn of the century. Hugo Chavez came in and had a message and a direction for the country that resonated with millions. Tired of the oligarchs in power taking control of all the resources and leaving the great majority of the population of a rich nation in poverty was unacceptable.

After a failed attempt at a military coup in 1992 and spending sometime in jail, Hugo Chavez would run for president in 1998 to be reelected in 2002 and in 2006. He would win these in a landslide with over 60% of the votes. Nationalizing industries and using the high oil revenues of the 2000's to invest back in his people he changed Venezuela for the majority of the population. His heart was in the right place and his actions were in fact quite revolutionary. This resonated with several other countries in the region: Ecuador and Rafael Correa, Bolivia with Evo Morales, Brasil and Lula/Rousseff and Argentina and the Kirchner era.

But, sadly as we all know and specially in Latinamerica being the backyard of the empire, this could not be allowed to happen. From the very beginning he was the target of propaganda and coup attempts. In 2002, there was an attempt at a coup in which the media along with several generals and politicians conspired against him. He was ousted but, thousands of people would reject this and they literally broke him out of prison. The one thing the reality creators did not calculate was that people actually wanted him in power.

He was a great leader that inspired millions, charismatic and human. He himself was a working class boy and so he was able to sympathize with the majority of the population of the country. in 2011 he was diagnosed with cancer (funny that this would be a trend for social leaders in the region). And would not make it past 2013, at this stage he would declare Nicolas Maduro his sucesor.

He served the remnant of the presidency of Chavez after his passing and he would afterwards win an election himself on very tight margins. Ever since then (and throughout) Venezuela has been falling into a very difficult economic situation. There is scarcity of very basic products, protests that are getting more and more violent.

Venezuela has been attacked on all fronts, there's a very real attack on its currency, on the regional stage his neighbors (previous allies such as Brasil, Paraguay, Argentina) have been calling for foreign intervention in the country. They have been sabotaged in the Mercosur, in the OEA. Not to mention the never ending propaganda against them. In Spain and the US (and allies in the region) the official narrative is that Venezuela is Syria/Libia/Iraq. A country with a dictator that violates the human rights of its population and is too incompetent to do anything right and something has to happen.

That is the context in which I would like to have the following conversation. Because as I am aware of all the above and do not deny its influence on the situation in the country. I also know that Nicolas Maduro is not a clever strategist. He seems to rule mostly from an emotional standpoint in which he simply seeks to hold on to power. This could have created opening for pathological individuals to infiltrate the authority positions in the country.

Recently the information coming out of Venezuela is rather chaotic, there is the degradation of the society at large where the crime seems to climb to even crazier lengths (acid attacks, stealing women's hair, kidnappings and so on). Also there seems to exist an uptick in black magic practices. People in general seem to not trust one another and seem to be looking out for only themselves.

On the other hand, we hear stories of secret police kidnappings and killings, torture and clamping down on dissenters.

I personally find myself rather sad and confused, I must admit I had a special place in my heart for the bolivarian revolution. But as I see the situation it stands in either of two cases (or a mixture of both):

1)Venezuela has been infiltrated by agent provocateurs that pose as government agents to create the perception of cruelty and so on. This is extremely likely considering the powers that stand to profit from Maduro leaving office, these are the same powers in charge of creating scarcity and a devaluation of their currency.

2) Maduro and his government are not only incapable of responding to the attack they're presented with but incompetent at running the country (and industries they nationalized), They are holding on to power for the sake of holding on to it, for instance they prevented elections from being held last year for governors as well as a referendum that would call for the destitution of the president.

So, here's where I find myself. Looking over the last pillar of progressive movements in Latinamerica.

Argentina fell from Kirchner to Macri who essentially has been selling the country for cheap to foreign interests (specially the UK and US) and doubling and tripling basic utilities. Brazil has fallen from Rousseff to Temer (goodbye BRICS) and Petrobras, which would be their solid backbone for social programs and autonomy has been little by little been reduced to an incompetent competitor. Ecuador has remained idle and Bolivia has received the treatment of dirty propaganda to prevent Evo from running for president again.

And now, Chavez/Maduro seem to be inevitably headed for the same fate and the region would once again fall on the whole of being an obedient backyard.

Thanks for reading, and sorry for the lengthy post.

 

[angelburst29]

I have not read a lot of information on Venezuela and Nicolas Maduro but from the few articles that have made the American press, it seems Maduro has tried to keep Venezuela "stable" - only to have his reforms blocked from outside interference. The food situation has been the most visible in the news and Venezuela's financial situation. He's being pressured from all sides? Maduro needs to Clean the Swamp , in the opposition-controlled parliament? Unfortunately, Canada has been backing the U.S./OAS in all this, probably due to Venezuela's oil deposits?

I just came across an article that features "the Organization of American States (OAS)" which I never heard of before but definitely shows where the outside interference is coming from. I think, it is a smart move, on Maduro's part - to separate from the OAS?

The Venezuelan foreign minister announced the country will withdraw from the Organization of American States (OAS) after it voted to call an emergency meeting of foreign ministers without Caracas' approval.

Venezuela Announces Withdrawal From Organization of American States
https://sputniknews.com/latam/201704271053044441-venezuela-oas-withdrawal/

Venezuela will trigger the process of withdrawing from the Organization of American States (OAS) after the bloc voted to call an urgent meeting on it, Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez said Wednesday.

"At the order of President Nicolas Maduro, we will present tomorrow a letter of denunciation to the OAS and begin a [departure] process that will take 24 months," Rodriguez said in a televised speech broadcast by a state TV channel.

The OAS Permanent Council voted earlier on Wednesday to call an emergency meeting of its foreign ministers over the crisis in Venezuela despite Caracas' objections. The decision was passed by 19 votes to 10, with four abstentions and one nation missing from the meeting of OAS’s one of the two main political bodies.

Earlier this month, the OAS voiced concern over Venezuela limiting the power of the opposition-controlled parliament, calling the move a breach of democratic norms, while OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro Lemes said he considered this to be a coup.

Venezuela has been rocked by opposition protests demanding fresh presidential elections with President Nicolas Maduro facing an opposition-controlled parliament that has sought his impeachment. The latest mass anti-government protests started in early April after Venezuela's Supreme Court decided to take on the legislative functions of the National Assembly. The court’s decision was later reversed, but protesters remained on the streets and demanded the judges' resignation. Over two dozen people have been killed in the unrest.

The war on Venezuela’s Bolivarian revolution continues, amid claims of a “self-coup” and allegations that the National Assembly was dissolved.

US-Backed Right Wing 'Paralyzed the Rule of Law in Venezuela'
https://sputniknews.com/politics/201704051052302433-venezuela-supreme-court-ruling/

Author and activist Dr. James Cockroft, the founder of the Network of Intellectuals, Artists, and Social Movements in Defense of Humanity, told Radio Sputnik's Brian Becker that the threat of a coup in Venezuela comes in fact from the right wing, not the country's socialists.

A coup sponsored by the United States in 2002, a military coup against Chavez, has continued to accelerate different types of pressures to bring about either a soft or hard coup in Venezuela, and that's the context of what's happening now," he said during Becker's Loud & Clear broadcast.

The country's supreme court ruled in January that the opposition-controlled National Assembly was in contempt of the constitution, citing its failure to remove three lawmakers securing the domination of the right-wing, who were temporarily suspended over fraud charges.

​A recording shows the then-secretary of the government of Amazonas illegally offering taxpayer money to citizens, encouraging them to vote for opposition candidates. When the court ordered the National Assembly to hold elections to replace corrupt leadership, the legislative body refused.

"It was discovered, with evidence and proof, that those three delegates had bribed the voters and engaged in threats against those who didn't vote for them," Cockroft said.

"The National Assembly has paralyzed the rule of law in Venezuela and it's done that in contempt of court, that is in contempt of the supreme court of the nation. It has been passing resolutions to depose the president, Maduro, and resolutions to go against the foreign policy that has been conducted by Venezuela all these years during the revolution."

On Thursday, the supreme court, comprised of loyalists to President Nicolás Maduro, seized legislative powers from the National Assembly, citing that the body continues to be in contempt of the constitution.

"As long as the disrespect and invalidity of the proceedings of the National Assembly persists, this Constitutional Chamber will ensure that the parliamentary powers are exercised directly by this Chamber or by the body it has in place to ensure the rule of law," the ruling read.

Critics say the move effectively gives the government license to write its own laws, taking the country a step closer to a dictatorship. The move was sharply criticized by the opposition, the US and the Organization of American States (OAS).

"The sentences from the supreme court… are the final blows with which the regime subverts the constitutional order of the country and finishes with democracy," OAS Secretary-General Luis Almagro said in a statement.

Cockroft pointed out that it was the US and the OAS, "sometimes called the Ministry of the Empire," that ruled against dialogue.

"In fact, the president of the OAS declared some time ago that he wrote to the opposition in Venezuela to not engage in dialogue, whatever you do. Now there's a reason why they don't want a dialogue," he said.

"Oil is why the Empire wants to take back Venezuela. And the United States also wants to take back Venezuela because it has become such a powerful force in the last 17 years for integrating the rest of Latin America, even to the extent of forming a new organization in place of the OAS called The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, which includes all the governments of Latin America but excludes the United States and Canada."

According to Cockroft, it is only natural that the US is not fond of this independent foreign policy in the region being stimulated by the Venezuelan revolution.

"That's why you have to go all the way back to 2002 and the coup against Chavez, and take it right up to the present to see the constant attempt by the United States to overthrow the democratically elected government of Venezuela," he claimed.

After South American trade bloc Mercosur called on Venezuela to ensure separation of powers in the county amid unfolding institutional crisis, Caracas stroke back, claiming the alliance is exceeding its powers.

Venezuela Accuses Mercosur of Meddling in Country’s Internal Affairs
https://sputniknews.com/latam/201704021052203289-venezuela-accuses-mercosur-meddling-affairs/

Venezuelan authorities regard South American trade bloc Mercosur’s statement on the situation in the country as meddling in its internal affairs, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez said.

That is a new act of meddling into Venezuelan affairs, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela expresses strong resentment over the meeting of [Mercosur] foreign ministers in Buenos Aires, who exceeded their powers and competence insisting on illegal violation of Venezuela’s status as a Mercosur member state. They made a decision that is beyond legal and institutional powers of this organization and international law,” Rodriguez said on saturday, as quoted by the Globovision broadcaster.

Earlier on Saturday, Mercosur called on Venezuela to ensure separation of powers in the country during an emergency meeting devoted to the Venezuelan Supreme Court's decision to assume the functions of the country’s parliament.

The decision on assuming parliament's powers was announced by the court on Wednesday, and triggered sharp criticism around the world. Such countries as Colombia, Chile and Mexico expressed their concern over the court's decision, while Peru recalled its ambassador from Venezuela.
Early on Saturday, the Venezuelan Supreme Court decided to return legislative powers to the National Assembly, and immunity to its lawmakers.

Venezuela is currently in the state of economic emergency, announced by country's President Nicolas Maduro in January 2016 amid widespread food shortages, high inflation and anti-government protests.

Mercosur, founded in 1991, is a sub-regional economic bloc that includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela and is aimed at promoting free trade. Venezuelan membership was suspended in 2016 due to its alleged failure to fulfill economic, human rights and immigration requirements and presidency in the bloc was handed over to Argentina.

 

[angelburst29]

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro said Wednesday he had initiated an immediate pullout from the Organization of American States (OAS) in protest over the regional bloc’s pressure on Caracas.

Venezuela's Maduro Starts Immediate Pullout From Organization of American States
https://sputniknews.com/latam/201704271053048664-maduro-venezuela-oas-pullout/

The OAS Permanent Council voted in favor of holding an emergency meeting of foreign ministers to discuss the political crisis in Venezuela, angering its government and prompting it to trigger a two-year process of withdrawal.

"Enough of interventional abuse and lawbreaking, Venezuela is the birthplace of liberators and we will be respected. As the head of state vested with exclusive powers in accordance with the constitution, I have ordered an immediate withdrawal from the OAS," Maduro tweeted.

Huge protests flared up in Venezuela after its top court tried to take over legislative powers from the opposition-controlled National Assembly. The court reversed the ruling but this did not prevent anti-Maduro demonstrations from taking place across the country. At least 28 have people died since early April.

Venezuela's Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez stated that the United States tries to destabilize Venezuela's institutions and statehood by using mechanisms of hybrid wars.

Venezuela Unrest Caused by US Hybrid Warfare - Defense Minister
https://sputniknews.com/latam/201704271053062659-venezuela-oas-exit-us/

The United States used hybrid warfare to fuel unrest in Venezuela in an effort to ultimately destabilize the country and subjugate it to US interests, Venezuela's Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said at the VI Moscow Conference on International Security on Thursday.

"The United States tries to destabilize our institutions and statehood by using mechanisms of hybrid wars… Over the course of history the United States always conducted a policy subjugated to its own interests and they want also to subjugate the South American states towards their goals as well," Lopez said.

"The United States tries to destabilize our institutions and statehood by using mechanisms of hybrid wars… Over the course of history the United States always conducted a policy subjugated to its own interests and they want also to subjugate the South American states towards their goals as well," Lopez said.

With the help of different organizations like the OAS or the IADB these kind of policies were pursued for dozens of years. We have been affected by this policy and, as President [Nicolas] Maduro said, we had to defend our dignity and independence and to counter all attempts of intervening into our home affairs, that is why we made a decision to withdraw from the OAS," he said.

The unrest in Venezuela is a coup driven by right-wing forces, Bolivian President Evo Morales said.

Morales: Unrest in Venezuela is 'a Coup Driven by Right-Wing Forces'
https://sputniknews.com/latam/201704261053028552-morales-venezuela-unrest-coup-right/

Unrest in Venezuela amounts to a right-wing coup attempt in the country, Bolivian President Evo Morales said in an interview with RT Wednesday.

"This is a coup which is driven by right-wing forces. And it is deeply regretful that the Organization of American States [OAS] is carrying on its tradition of overthrowing governments," Morales said.

 

[msante]

Hi, I just would like give my opinion as a latin american citizen about about all this issue.

First I'd like to say that as true as exist propaganda in favor of western imperial interest, there is a kind of propaganda in favor supposedly "leftist" and "progresist" governs. I know that it is obvious for most of you that there is not black and white things in our reality, that there is not sides totally good or bad. What happen in Venezuela fall into this same logic.

IMO it is important to understand that whom are ruling Venezuela now is just an echo what was the begining of the revolution that started Hugo Chavez.

IMO Maduro is a leader that seems not to rise to the occasion. As strategist he and his team seem to be clumsy and reckless. During the years at power they have had an inflexible, rigid, and agressive attitude toward outside, and a almost totalitarian style toward inside (ideologic persecution, censorship, and nowadays a increasing violence). Please take in account that what I am telling you here is not what I read in NYT or WP, it is information from people members of this forum that live there and of course also what I can see from my country (we went through a similar process the last 15 years).

Really I don't think that nowaday Maduro's government is a simply victim of foreing influences. Of course, the Empire has done everything possible to destroy governability in Venezuela (and other countries of the subcontinent), but there is too Intrinsic factors of the "Revolution" and inner structural failures that caused to reach this point where everything is on the verge of collapse.

I think that "Revolution" suffered (as almost everything in this world) the effect of ponerization and that at the begining there was a genuine revolutionary spirit (in Chavez and in a sector of Venezuelan society), but IMO that spirit is almost imperceptible nowadays.

I know that there is a lot of ground to cover at this regard, but it is difficult for me put here everything I think because the english is not my native language. I guess that others can contribute much more to understand what really is happening in this country.

 

[Cosmos]

Many of us can only watch what happens in Venezuela from the outside. My understanding from the outside is pretty much that a lot of chaos was created there ever since the US of A started to meddle in the affairs of that country and it increased the more they did it. That is usually the outcome of such psychopathic behaviour: chaos. It preads like cancer .

From my standpoint, Chavez gave the Venezuelan people the first real hope that things might change there, for a long time. The empire, not liking it at all of course, had to get rid of Chavez in one way or the other. They succeeded with it and now Venezuela is tumbling down again and it seems pretty drastically. Maduro became Chavez successor and was confronted with a lot of that chaos. Not an easy situation, if we assume that Maduro is a fairly decent person.

Assuming that Chavez gave Maduro the green light to continue for him, one could assume that Chavez saw in him the most suitabe person for the job. Doesn't mean Maduro was the best chice just that Chavez might have thought that this is the best available at the moment.

When a country is such a state of chaos, it is often hard to pinpoint and know exactly which faction is doing what in the country itself. In Venezuela, like everywere else, there are a certain percentage of bandits (aka: pathological people) in the society that just blossom under those circumstances and try to make use of the chaos as best as they can and therby creating even more chaos. So anyone that tries to put such a country back on track, will have to face great difficulties, to say the least.

In such a situation pretty much the only thing a good authority can do, to make it better again, is to use rather drastic measures that might be viewed by many people in the country as too extreme, not right, not fair or stupid.

Having said that, as an outsider it is always hard to know exactly what is going on. One thing seems to be certain though: More regime change and unstable government in general, doesn't seems to elp and cretes even more chaos.