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THE US hasn’t put a ring on it, yet – but it has established formal diplomatic and consular relations with Venezuela. A statement accompanying the news said that the two countries will work together to promote stability, support economic recovery and advance political reconciliation.
It could have been so very different. Between 1999 and 2013, Hugo Chávez was president of Venezuela. He had a broadly socialist programme, based on elevating the living standards of the poor – which won him the support, and the love, of the people. However, Chavez forgot to plan a succession. When he died, in office, there was no one with similar knowledge and charisma who could take over.
Nicolás Maduro
The man who did take over was Nicolás Maduro. He was not able to sustain Chávez’s success. The economy declined and food shortages led to protests. Maduro tried to suppress dissent. On 3rd January this year, he was kidnapped by US forces and taken to the US. He and his wife are due to stand trial in the USA on charges of narco-terrorism. He is not accused of traditional terrorism. He is accused of trafficking drugs which are illegal in the USA. Trump argues that drugs pose a threat to the people of the US, hence anyone peddling drugs is a terrorist. And once you claim that someone is a terrorist, you can – if you are a US president – deal with them in pretty much any way you want.
On 4th January, it was not clear what would happen. Would Trump have to invade the territory if he was to run Venezuela? Would the Vice-President, , stride forward and call on the Venezuelan people to resist the imperialist take-over? No. Rodriguez took over as interim president – and began co-operating with the USA. In doing so, she doubtless saved thousands of lives, as Trump did not need to invade. At the same time, she has blighted thousands of lives, as Trump’s bloodless coup has involved Rodriguez agreeing to hand the country’s natural resources over to the USA, for Trump to exploit. For the people, poverty beckons again.
It was the natural resources that inspired Trump to take over Venezuela, inventing the crime of narco-terrorism to distract the US people from the economic reasons for the coup. The US economy is sitting on massive debt, and Trump needs raw materials. Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves in the world: they should be benefitting the poor in Venezuela, but Trump has got his hands on them.
Venezuela has already brought in new laws to allow more foreign investment in mining its oil reserves. And investors are not philanthropists: they will take their profits first, even if it means reducing the wages paid to native workers. As the new relations between Venezuela and the USA were being declared, Doug Burgum, head of Trump’s National Energy Dominance Council, promised that “oil will flow to America” (by which he means the USA).
The US embassy in Caracas is open again, and it will allow “co-operation” between the two countries to move forward apace. Venezuela also has supplies of gold, diamonds – and the rare earth minerals needed for mobile phones and batteries. Venezuela is well on its way to becoming a client state at the back door of the USA. Rodrigues looks so comfortable it is hard to believe that she was not in discussions with the USA before they kidnapped Maduro. Chavez will be turning in his grave. And Trump thinks he can do the same thing all over again with Iran.
●Read more about it:
Trump kidnaps Maduro and eyes up Venezuela
Trump: is he hearing up to attack Iran (2021)
