Trump Regime Anti-Bolivarian Economic Terrorism
by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org – Home – Stephen Lendman)
On Wednesday, US envoy for replacing social democracy in Venezuela with fascist tyranny, Elliott Abrams, cheerled Trump regime economic terrorism he spearheads.
He falsely claimed economic hard times in the country are unrelated to US sanctions war, saying:
“Severe economic decline and shortages of basic goods began long before sanctions.”
In April 2002, the Bush/Cheney regime’s coup attempt against Hugo Chavez failed. So did the 2002-03 general strike and oil management lockout, causing severe economic disruption and billions of dollars in losses.
In 2006, the Bush/Cheney regime began sanctions war on Venezuela for so-called non-cooperation in combatting international terrorism the US supports.
War on the Bolivarian Republic by other means continued under Obama, greatly escalated by Trump regime hardliners — targeting senior and other Venezuelan officials, the country’s enterprises, attempting to block its access to financial markets, along with aiming to reduce its oil sales to zero.
Annually since 2006, the State Department falsely accused Venezuela of not “cooperating fully with United States anti-terrorism efforts” – pursuant to Section 40A of the Arms Export Control Act (22 USC 2781).
In 2008, the Obama regime imposed asset freezes and prohibitions on financial transactions on two Venezuelan nationals and two of the country’s travel agencies — based on fabricated accusations.
The so-called 2014 Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act wrongfully imposed sanctions on Venezuelan nationals for nonexistent human rights violations – related to defending the nation and its people from US orchestrated violence and chaos.
In March 2015, the Obama regime falsely declared Venezuela an “unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States – declaring a ‘national emergency’…to confront” a nonexistent threat.
The Trump regime greatly escalated Bush-Cheney/Obama-Biden economic terrorism on Venezuela.
What’s gone on since Hugo Chavez’s December 1998 election has been and remains war by other means — aiming to transform Bolivarian social democracy into a US vassal state, wanting the threat of a good example it represents eliminated, along with gaining control of its world’s largest oil reserves.
Since Trump took office in January 2017, multiple rounds of illegal US sanctions were imposed on Venezuela and its officials.
Billions of dollars of its assets were unlawfully seized. The Trump regime illegally handed over control of Venezuela’s central bank and state-owned oil company to designated puppet/usurper in waiting Guaido.
Revenues from the state-owned US subsidiary CITGO are held in a blocked account, unavailable to Maduro’s legitimate government and the Venezuelan people.
In August, the Trump regime imposed an illegal embargo on Venezuela, an act of war by other means.
The action froze all Bolivarian Republic assets in the US not already frozen.
It prohibits other nations from engaging in legitimate economic, financial, and trade relations with the country — a flagrant international law breach along with earlier ones.
Abrams: “The Venezuelan people have never benefited from oil revenues under the Maduro regime (sic), which has used Venezuelan crude to pay for tools to repress its own people (sic) and siphon billions of dollars (into the) bank accounts” of its officials (sic).
Fact: All of the above are bald-faced Big Lies. Before multiple rounds of illegal US sanctions were imposed to crush its economy and immiserate its people, Venezuela was Latin America’s fastest growing economy.
Most of its oil and other revenues go for social programs, benefitting all Venezuelans.
Abrams: The Trump regime “has given more than $650 million to ease the plight of Venezuelans inside and outside their country (sic). Our sanctions, in this case and always, do not cover food and medicine (sic).”
Fact: US revenues to other countries are all about furthering its imperial interests, most of it military related, none for humanitarian aid to needy people.
Fact: The Trump regime has gone all-out to starve Venezuelans into submission — a failed effort because of Bolivarian social programs, including subsidized food to millions of households.
Abrams: Maduro “uses food programs for control of the people.”
Fact: Venezuela’s subsidized food distribution CLAP program is all about wanting Venezuelans in need getting nutritious food.
It’s administered by neighborhood committees connected to communal councils, social organizations operating nationwide, including community, environmental and feminist groups, others involved in cultural, education and various other activities.
Their common theme is defending Bolivarian social democracy they want preserved and protected, notably serving the rights and welfare of all Venezuelans as constitutionally mandated.
Abrams: “We look forward to the day when democracy has returned” to Venezuela.
US war on the country by other means is all about wanting its social democracy replaced by US-controlled fascist tyranny.
Abrams is a convicted felon, an unindicted war criminal belonging in prison, not high office.
He was involved in the aborted April 2002 two-day coup attempt to topple Hugo Chavez, the Bush/Cheney regime’s failed attempt to install puppet leadership in the country serving US interests.
His blood-drenched resume in public office is all about pursuing imperial state terror against one sovereign state after another to topple their legitimate governments — his Trump regime mandate against Venezuelan social democracy.
VISIT MY WEBSITE: stephenlendman.org (Home – Stephen Lendman). Contact at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
My newest book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.”
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