The United States is paving the way for a ‘bloody civil war’ in Venezuela, peace campaigners warn

by Steve Sweeney

Morning Star | January 29, 2019

National security adviser John Bolton listens during a press briefing at the White House, yesterday

PEACE campaigners warned a foreign attack on Venezuela would prompt a “bloody civil war” today as it appeared that the United States was preparing the ground for a military invasion with thousands of troops rumoured to be massing in neighbouring Colombia.

Hawkish US National Security Adviser John Bolton sparked intense discussion yesterday after he was photographed carrying a note which appeared to read: “5,000 troops to Colombia” as he left a press conference during which he announced fresh sanctions on Venezuela’s state-owned oil company PDVSA.

The Making of Juan Guaido: US Regime Change Laboratory At Work

by Dan Cohen and Max Blumenthal

teleSUR | January 29, 2019

Before the fateful day of January 22, fewer than one in five Venezuelans had heard of Juan Guaidó. Only a few months ago, the 35-year-old was an obscure character in a politically marginal far-right group closely associated with gruesome acts of street violence. Even in his own party, Guaidó had been a mid-level figure in the opposition-dominated National Assembly, which is now held under contempt according to Venezuela’s constitution.

Understanding Venezuela’s Crisis: An Interview With Guillaume Long

teleSUR | January 29, 2019

Foreign Minster of Ecuador Guillaume Long (L) with Venezuelan Vice Minister for Latin American the Caribbean Alexander Yánez (R) Feb 8, 2018 | Photo: EFE

Venezuela took on a new character when Juan Guaido, who had recently been installed as president of the country’s opposition-led National Assembly, declared himself interim president of Venezuela, in an attempt to oust the incumbent Nicolas Maduro.

Uruguay “Will Never Support Militarized Intervention”: Rosselli

teleSUR | January 28, 2019

Enter a captionPer the U.N. Charters member nations should allow Venezuela to resolve its issues domestically, said Uruguayan Ambassador to the U.N., Elbio Rosselli. | Photo: EFE

Uruguay will never support an armed intervention as a means to solve an international crisis, Uruguayan ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Elbio Rosselli said Saturday.

“Dialogue is not a succession of monologues,” Rosselli told the international delegation during this weekend’s Security Council, where the issue of Venezuela’s political state and U.S. threats of militarized intervention were tabled.

Bernie and the Dems Flunk Trump’s Test On Venezuela’s Coup

by Shamus Cooke

Sanders: the moral backbone of a wet noodle.  He has repeatdely shown he is a willful ignoramus on foreign policy or —worse—an intellectual coward. (Donkey Hotey)

When Trump announced his support for the unfolding coup in Venezuela, Bernie Sanders remained silent for 24 hours.  This matters because coups are made or broken in the first moments or hours; a day during a coup can feel like a month or more.

With each hour Bernie’s silence roared louder.  So much was hanging in the balance with Trump at home and abroad, to the point where a finger could tip the scales—  yet Bernie refused to lift his.

The Empire’s Propagandists

by Kenn Orphan

With most media attention in the US on the government shutdown and border wall stand-off spectacle, the Trump administration has been quietly ramping up US militarism around the world. And it has set its sights on Venezuela, once again, by supporting a coup. Whether or not one supports the policies of Maduro or any other leader is inconsequential in this regard because, despite the empty mythos, the American Empire has never been interested in defending democracy. After all, its list of allies include fascist strongholds, a murderous medieval kingdom, a ruthless apartheid regime and several compliant, neoliberal states.

Venezuela Speaks Out against the Coup

Venezuelanalysis.com | January 29, 2019

Chavista rally in Apure on January 29. (PSUV)

Events of January 23 sparked the beginning of a US-led attempt at a coup d’etat in Venezuela.

Evidence has since come to light to show that the White House and local hard-right groups had been planning it well in advance, and that the coup was discussed with numerous governments in the region, including Brazil and Colombia.

About Venezuela: US Intervention Has Nothing to Do with Democracy

Venezuelanalysis.com | January 29, 2019

Lucas Koerner, Venezuelanalysis writer and editor, spoke to Sky News Australia examining current developments in Venezuela and the road ahead.

Trump’s Venezuela envoy: Elliot Abrams, advocate of dictators and war criminals

by Jesse Jackson

People’s World | January 29, 2019

Enter a captionElliott Abrams talks to reporters after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo named the hawkish former Republican official to handle U.S. policy toward Venezuela during a news conference at the State Department in Washington, Friday, Jan. 25. | Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP

President Trump apparently has decided that intervention in Venezuela’s agonies can help repair an image scarred by the government shutdown debacle.

In recent days, he recognized an obscure, right-wing opposition leader when he declared himself acting president. Trump has blustered that “I am not going to rule out a military option.” Mike Pompeo, his secretary of state told the world’s nations to “pick a side” in the internal Venezuelan standoff.

Before Venezuela: The long history of U.S. intervention in Latin America

People’s World | January 25, 2019

U.S. soldiers take aim while searching people in Panama City, Panama on Dec. 26, 1989. | Ezequiel Becerra / AP

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accuses the United States of trying to orchestrate a coup against him, and that allegation has resonance among many in a region where Washington has a long history of interventions—military and otherwise.

Ever since the early 19th century, the United States has involved itself in the daily affairs of nations across Latin America, often on behalf of North American capitalist interests or to support right-leaning forces against left-wing and popular democratic leaders.