Venezuela Situation: US. War on Narco-Terrorism in Venezuela.

[mabar]

There is no doubt that Washington is paving the way for Machado for eventual regime change. I don't think Trump is disappointed.

He is going to be dissapointed, Iran, Venezuela and Russia at his door step could say goodbye to the Peace Nobel Prize forever.

 

[Liliea]

A video from the Atlantic Council, a nonpartisan organization that promotes U.S. leadership and engagement in the world, in collaboration with allies and partners, to shape solutions to global challenges, interviews LTG Laura Richardson of the U.S. Army, who last served as commander of U.S. Southern Command in 2022.
In summary, she talks about concerns and policies to counter misinformation from "malicious state actors," a military term for enemies of the US: Russia and the PCC, this misinformation comes from RT and Sputnik and influences young people.
Here is an excerpt from her statement that seems to confirm the US's true deep interest in the region:

(Min 20:44)

Narcotics it's not just with drugs it's with human trafficking illegal unregulated unreported (…) why this region matters with all of it's Rich resources and Rare Earth elements you've got the lithium triangle which is needed for technology today 60 percent of the world's lithium is in the lithium triangle Argentina, Bolivia, Chile you just have the largest oil reserves light sweet crew discovered off of Guyana over a year ago and you have Venezuela's resources as well with with oil uh copper gold
…China gets 30 36 percent of its food source from this region, we have the Amazon lungs of the world we have the 31 of the world's fresh water, in this region too ,
I mean it's just off the charts but then when you talk about trade is unbelievable the trade in the region you know I talked about all the ties that we have with this hemisphere but the PRC and a lot of our countries in this region are is the number one trade partner with the United States number two in most not in most cases I would say in some cases however to see the increase in investment in trade from 2002 from China, 18 billion up to 450 billion now and on its way what is predicted to be about 750 billion in the near future and so I think we have a lot at stake we have a a lot to be grateful for in terms of the relationships with our with our partner Nations and our hemisphere that is that we're part of and in the Americas…
but we have to we have a lot to do this region matters it has a lot to do with National Security and we need to step up our game and we need to be faster and we need to work and deliver capabilities at the speed of relevance for this region.

On Wednesday, Venezuela activated the states of La Guaira and Carabobo, designated as comprehensive defence zones under the "Independencia Plan 200", announced last September. The massive deployment of air defense systems (Buk-M2E surface-to-air missiles) has been extended to one of the military bases in Caracas as part of this strategic reinforcement.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1975994723287679087

Looking at the massive military build-up targeting Venezuela in the Caribbean, former Biden National Security official @Cartajuanero tells me, “this really looks, walks and talks like a regime change preparation.”

New threat from dictator Nicolás Maduro: "If the 'gringos' attack, we will respond"​

Venezuela's dictator, Nicolas Maduro, said on Wednesday that his country is increasingly prepared to defend itself from the United States, whose government he accused of wanting "a war in the Caribbean and South America," and said: "If the 'gringos' attack, we will respond."

"If the 'gringos' threaten, we work more; if the 'gringos' attack, we will respond, but nothing stops work, work for the homeland, work for the health of the people, for education, for the life of the people," he said during an event broadcast by the state channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV).
The leader of Chavismo asserted that Venezuelans are "increasingly prepared to defend the sacred ground of Venezuela" from a "'gringo' empire" that, he said, "is not right" and seeks to "steal oil, gas and gold."

"But we have news from the U.S. empire: that oil, that gas, that gold, this land and this people will continue to belong to Venezuelans and we will never allow our homeland to be violated or touched, ever," added Maduro, who affirmed that, when "the homeland calls it," we must "take up the gun" to defend it.

Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López said on state television that the exercises are necessary "so that the people are instructed and avoid the paralysis of strategic sectors in the event of an alleged U.S. aggression."
Padrino López warned that "all this must be practiced to maintain internal order because threats cause chaos." And he added: "We must guide the population, make the population aware that chaos would be our worst enemy."
infobae

According to the Financial Times, at the recruitment centers set up in Caracas, the sparse lines were mainly made up of public sector employees who commented on condition of anonymity: “This is just a formality so we don't lose our jobs,” while another stated that if war broke out, “I'm not going to fight.”
These “civilian militias” will be the ones to defend sectors, or rather defend their towns, from an incursion by American commandos or a possible drone attack.

Last month, the regime conducted military exercises on the island of La Orchila, involving 12 ships, 22 aircraft—including Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets—and 2,500 troops. Chinese C802 and Iranian CM90 missiles were launched, as well as Soviet ZU23 artillery. On the mainland, new recruits practiced moving with unloaded rifles. "It was a mini-course on how to move with a weapon, how to take cover, and how to support your comrades," said one participant, consulted by Financial Times.
infobae

Venezuela's Strategic Operational Command recently released a video with a message in English that reads: “For Venezuela, united we will prevail/ Por Venezuela venceremos”
This message is explicitly directed at the United States, which maintains a military presence in the Caribbean and is increasing what Caracas considers a direct threat. Venezuela claims to have its entire comprehensive territorial defense system active.


The direct links between a branch of the FARC guerrilla group led by alias Ivan Márquez—who laid down his arms in the peace process in Cuba that earned then-Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos the Nobel Peace Prize—and those who adhered to the orders of current Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello are well known.
According to international intelligence reports from Colombian radio station Blu Radio, the ELN has become a "strategic proxy for the Venezuelan government" under the leadership of Nicolás Maduro and, in particular, Diosdado Cabello, who is believed to control the Cartel de los Soles. According to the document, this cartel uses the ELN as its armed wing to "protect and expand its illicit activities, particularly drug trafficking and gold smuggling to Africa and Europe." The document notes that the Venezuelan Armed Forces, the Bolivarian National Armed Forces, provide weapons and logistics to the ELN. Hezbollah facilitates transportation and money laundering.
Los Soles maintains links with the main drug cartels in Brazil, the First Capital Command (PCC) and the Vermelio Command, securing land and sea routes connecting Venezuela with Brazil and international ports.
The ELN and FARC, both armed groups, have clashed over cocaine laboratories and control of trafficking in the border area with Colombia in Catatumbo, where Diosdado Cabello personally intervened in the crisis by traveling to the state of Táchira to lead strategic meetings with senior commanders of the National Armed Forces.
From there, he coordinated the deployment of 100 Venezuelan troops in support of the ELN.
The incursions left at least 80 dead and thousands displaced, consolidating the ELN's dominance on the border. Colombian President Gustavo Petro refers to this as a binational zone.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1976046908448641533

President Petro accuses US of killing Colombians in attacks on ‘narco-boats’

The South American country’s leftwing leader claimed there were “indications” that the most recently destroyed boat was Colombian “and had Colombians on board”.
“I hope their families come forwards to report this,” added Petro, a fierce critic of Donald Trump, without offering further details or evidence.

Since the US began its strikes in the Caribbean at least 21 people have reportedly lost their lives. On Friday, the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, said four “narco-terrorists” were killed in international waters “just off the coast of Venezuela” as they transported “substantial amounts of [US-bound] narcotics”.
However, the names of those killed on the supposed “narco-boats” have not been released and Trump officials have failed to provide any proof that the victims were involved in smuggling drugs to the US.
The White House pushed back against Petro’s claims demanding he publicly retract “his baseless and reprehensible statement” about the boat attack. But two US officials, who were not authorised to discuss the matter publicly, told the New York Times that Colombians were on at least one of the boats recently destroyed by the US.
Petro urged the White House to release the names of those killed by US strikes “so I can see if my information is unfounded”.

Writing on Wednesday, Petro claimed “the war” playing out in the Caribbean Sea was not about drug smuggling but about oil, a commodity of which Venezuela boasts the world’s largest reserves. “The world must stop this,” Petro added. “This aggression is aimed at the whole of Latin America and the Caribbean.”
theguardian

President Petro accuses US of killing Colombians in attacks on ‘narco-boats’
Nueva amenaza del dictador Nicolás Maduro: “Si los ‘gringos’ atacan, responderemos”

El fracaso del llamado a las armas del dictador Nicolás Maduro en Venezuela: “No voy a pelear”

En los puntos de reclutamiento instalados en Caracas las filas fueron escasas y estuvieron compuestas principalmente por empleados del sector público. “Esto es solo una formalidad para no perder el trabajo”, declaró un trabajador de la alcaldía al Financial Times, bajo condición de anonimato

www.infobae.com

Venezuela: quién es Diosdado Cabello, uno de los hombres “más poderosos” del país (y cuál es la estrategia de Maduro al nombrarlo ministro de Interior) - BBC News Mundo

Cabello es un histórico del chavismo, considerado de la línea dura y su vuelta a las instituciones puede marcar la línea del Gobierno para los próximos meses.

www.bbc.com

 

[Liliea]

Esto es una broma

Existen vínculos documentados entre ella, sus organizaciones y entidades estadounidenses financiadas por el gobierno estadounidense, como el Fondo Nacional para la Democracia (NED), que ha sido ampliamente criticado como un "brazo blando" del La CIA promoverá un cambio de régimen en el extranjero. También participó en el programa Yale World Fellows (2009), un grupo de expertos que tiene "oposición global entrenada cifras (por ejemplo, Alexei Navalny en Rusia). Los críticos lo ven como un "entrenamiento de estado profundo"

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No hay duda de que Washington está allanando el camino para que Machado logre un eventual cambio de régimen. No creo que Trump esté decepcionado.

​

Yes, even the most anti-Chávez supporters agree that this is part of the propaganda machine, another psychological pressure tactic to continue the psychological pressure and make someone from the inner circle turn Maduro in, ending the situation without the need for military commando operations. It was Secretary of State Marco Rubio and some congressmen who nominated her.
There have been many reactions:
“President Trump will continue to make peace agreements, ending wars and saving lives... The Nobel Committee has shown that it puts politics before peace,” said the White House spokesman.

“A moral victory that shines a light”—as a statement of principles: peace is not a meaningless truce, but an institutional architecture that ensures freedoms, impartial justice, and checks on power. The award recognizes and honors “her struggle for the democratic rights of the Venezuelan people and her commitment to a just and peaceful transition to democracy.”
“Machado is the first person born in Venezuela to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. But the emphasis is not on her individual biography, but on what that recognition condenses: the voices of millions of citizens who, in the face of adversity, have defended freedom without resorting to violence.”La Fundación Arcadia .
All very politically correct.

 

[Liliea]

It was during the Biden administration that Venezuela's crude oil sales peaked. Even today, oil companies such as Chevron and Shell have licenses to drill on land and offshore, where there is a huge gas field, although the royalties and profits are not visible on the streets.
One of the Trump administration's demands is to limit Venezuela's ties with China, Russia, and Iran in order to establish diplomatic relations with Washington. In addition to seeing which is the best offer and which is the best percentage that suits your nation so that it is not invaded or bombed.
I would call this headline: Diplomacy to give away a country.

Maduro offered oil and other resources to the U.S. to avoid a conflict​

The Venezuelan autocrat had proposed directing his country's oil wealth and other natural resources to the U.S. and ending deals with U.S. adversaries to appease President Trump.

(..)Marco Rubio, the U.S. secretary of state and national security adviser, has been the leading voice in the government's push to oust Maduro. He has called Maduro an illegitimate leader who is a "fugitive from U.S. justice" and has been skeptical of the diplomatic approach taken by a U.S. special envoy, Richard Grenell.
This article is based on interviews with more than a dozen U.S. and Venezuelan representatives from disparate factions advocating diplomacy with Maduro. They described their conversations on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Publicly, the Venezuelan government has responded to Trump's military escalation with a defiant attitude and promises to uphold what it calls a socialist revolution started in the 1990s by Maduro's late predecessor and mentor, Hugo Chávez. At the same time, Maduro has said he remains open to negotiations and his government continues to accept deportation flights from the United States.

Behind the scenes, however, some high-ranking Venezuelan officials, with Maduro's blessing, offered Washington far-reaching concessions that would, in essence, remove the vestiges of resource nationalism that constitutes the core of Chávez's movement.

As Grenell and Maduro's envoys negotiated a deal, the leader of Venezuela's main opposition movement, Maria Corina Machado, presented her own economic proposal in Washington.
Machado argued that even greater economic wealth awaited U.S. companies in Venezuela — $1.7 trillion over 15 years — if his movement led a political transition.
His economic adviser, Sary Levy, said that the investment bonanza offered by Maduro would never materialize without democracy, the rule of law and individual freedoms.

"What Maduro offers investors is not stability, it's control, a control maintained through terror," Levy said. "The Trump administration has shown a clear intent not to fall for these offers of easy fixes."

Maduro ofreció petróleo y otros recursos a EE. UU. para evitar un conflicto

El autócrata venezolano había propuesto destinar la riqueza petrolera de su país y otros recursos naturales a EE. UU. y poner fin a los acuerdos con adversarios estadounidenses para apaciguar al presidente Trump.

www.nytimes.com

Venezuela’s Maduro Offered the U.S. His Nation’s Riches to Avoid Conflict

Venezuela’s autocrat had proposed allocating his country’s oil wealth and other natural resources to the U.S. and ending deals with American adversaries to appease President Trump.

www.nytimes.com