Venezuela's Foreign Minister on the 'Failed' Coup and Building a New Non-Aligned Movement By Anya Parampil - The Grayzone - March 19, 2019
Just hours after returning from meetings at the United Nations in New York, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza sat down for a one-on-one interview with The Grayzone's Anya Parampil. The two discussed Arreaza's effort to reaffirm international support for the concept of state sovereignty amid the Trump administration's campaign to overthrow the democratically elected government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
The Grayzone's Anya Parampil spoke about the US-led regime change war on Venezuela and the right-wing opposition's use of violence, at a UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva on March 19, on a panel titled "Humanitarian crisis in Venezuela: Propaganda vs. reality."
The Grayzone's Max Blumenthal debunked corporate media lies about Venezuela, at a UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva on March 19, on a panel titled "Humanitarian crisis in Venezuela: Propaganda vs. reality."
The Grayzone's Max Blumenthal and Anya Parampil spoke about Venezuela at a United Nations Human Rights Council session in Geneva on March 19. They joined former special rapporteur Alfred de Zayas on a panel titled "Humanitarian crisis in Venezuela: Propaganda vs. reality."
Trump: 'Toughest' Sanctions on Venezuela Yet to Be Imposed By TeleSur - March 19, 2019
U.S. President Donald Trump gave Brazil's new far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro a ringing endorsement in the Oval Office Tuesday, saying he was looking at a NATO membership or some other alliance for Brazil while saying that his administration has yet to impose the "toughest" sanctions on Venezuela.
Diaz-Canel Defends Cuban Doctors' Work in Venezuela After NYT Report By TeleSur - March 19, 2019
According to an article published by the New York Times on March 17, Cuban doctors allegedly pressured their patients to vote in favor of Nicolas Maduro in exchange for medical attention, professional misconduct which allegedly was performed just a few days before the 2018 presidential elections.
Gold Fever? US Treasury Sanctions Venezuela Gold Mining Company By TeleSur - March 19, 2019
The U.S. Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on Tuesday against Venezuela's state-run gold mining company Minerven, which is part of the Venezuelan Guayana Corporation (CVG) holding.
Veterans Call on U.S. Troops to Resist Illegal Orders to Invade Venezuela By Veterans For Peace (VFP) - Information Clearing House - March 19, 2019
Veterans For Peace (VFP) calls on all members of the U.S. military to refuse illegal orders to intervene in Venezuela. Furthermore, VFP urges all U.S. military leaders to inform the president that they will order their units to stand down from preparations to invade Venezuela.
War Against Venezuela Is War Against Us All By Christopher Black - Information Clearing House - March 19, 2019
The American war on Venezuela continues to escalate with the sabotage of it's electricity grid, the most serious action of all so far, which was not only an act of terrorism against the entire civilian population but also an attempt to shut down exports of Venezuelan oil. This is part of the American hybrid war strategy. Hybrid warfare is warfare that uses all domains of life and society to hurt and damage the targeted nation.
Rick Sanchez looks at the US's continuing insistence on recognizing the self-proclaimed presidency of opposition leader Juan Guaido in Venezuela, which has now manifested in Washington's insistence that it get to choose Venezuela's ambassador to the US. Then RT America's Dan Cohen reports on officials loyal to Juan Guaido who have taken control of the country's military attaché building in Washington, DC. They did so with the blessing of the US state department and now have their sights on the Venezuelan embassy itself.
Venezuela - Journalists Doubt Guaidó's Legitimacy - Regime Change Plans Continue By Moon of Alabama - March 19, 2019
On February 23 the U.S. created a 'humanitarian aid' stunt at the border between Colombia and Venezuela. The stunt ended in a riot during which the supporters of the self declared 'president' Guaidó burned the trucks that where supposed to transport the 'aid'. Even the New York Times had to admit that. The riots also marked the day that Guaidó lost the legal argument he had used to make himself 'interim president'.
My objective in filming is not to say there is no poverty in Venezuela, nor to imply there is no hunger or shortages anywhere. However, when corporate media is flat out saying shelves are empty all over Caracas and the city is in crisis, well this is false. The scenes I'm seeing are much like I saw in 2010. I know there are differences since then and now, of course, but there isn't the pandemonium MSM is attempting to claim is happening here. Also, this is not a wealthy area of Caracas, its perhaps lower middle class. I'll film the wealthy areas where typically opposition live in coming days.
In this short video, community media outlet Tatuy TV takes a look at the unfolding coup in Venezuela and what comes next.
March 18, 2019
Truth and Lies in the US Dirty War Against Venezuela (Audio) By This is Hell - Venezuelanalysis - March 18, 2019 Yes, the Democrats oppose sanctions, but they still agree that the US needs to oust Nicolás Maduro. The Republicans go even further and put the military option on the table. So the only position that we can have is to oppose the US effort to topple this government, to oppose this threat of war, and to demand an immediate end of sanctions. It's not our place to be pontificating about holding 'free and fair elections' if the objective conditions render them impossible.
On the Ground in Venezuela vs. the Media Spectacle By Paul Cochrane - Counterpunch - March 18, 2019 British photojournalist Alan Gignoux and Venezuelan journalist-filmmaker Carolina Graterol, both based in London, went to Venezuela for a month to shoot a documentary for a major global TV channel. They talked with journalist Paul Cochrane about the mainstream media's portrayal of Venezuela compared to their experiences on the ground.
Who's to Blame for the Crisis in Venezuela? Can It Be Solved Through Negotiations? A Response to Gabriel Hetland and "The Nation" By Jorge Martin - In Defence of Marxism - March 17, 2019
"People collect water from a leaking pipeline along the Guaire River", the same line is then used within the article for effect. It is false. During the blackout there was lack of water supply as a result. People resorted to collecting water from springs coming down the Avila mountain. Some of these springs are canalised and then end up in the Guaire River. People were collecting water from two such springs on the side of the Guaire, not from a "leaking pipe". Water pipes were actually not carrying water. This might seem like a small detail but it has a certain importance. Hetland states "the most alarming aspect of the blackout is the lack of power in hospitals." Of course, the lack of power in hospitals is alarming and very dangerous. However, all hospitals in the country have their own independent power generators that activate in the event of an emergency. A report by the opposition-aligned NGO, Médicos por la Salud published on 11 March in the evening a list of all 32 of the country's hospitals, with a detailed explanation of their situation. In all of them, their own power plants were working with the exception of one where it was working intermittently.
Exposure of Another Pro-War Lie Doesn't Make Media More Skeptical of Pro-War Claims By Janine Jackson - FAIR - March 17, 2019
Listeners will likely know by now, that the late February story, complete with vivid video footage, about the forces of elected Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro burning trucks that were trying to bring the besieged country food and medicine was false. Weeks later, the New York Times (3/10/19) reported that the humanitarian trucks were not set on fire by Maduro's forces, but instead by anti-Maduro protestors who threw a Molotov cocktail. The Times outlined how the fake story took root, passing from US officials to media that simply reported their claims as fact with no investigation—and does any of this sound familiar?
Russia Calls US Intervention in Venezuela 'Unacceptable' By TeleSur - March 17, 2019
Russian officials will meet with the U.S. special envoy to convey the unacceptability of the U.S. actions against both Venezuela and Russia.
March 16, 2019
Venezuelan Military Deserters Abandoned by Colombian Government By TeleSur - March 16, 2019
"Most of us do not have relatives in Colombia, we were the breadwinner of our families in Venezuela and now we are here with nothing," lamented the ex-military officer.
Hundreds of Venezuelans returned home this Saturday alone, under the Venezuelan government's #VueltaALaPatria, or Return to the Homeland initiative. We spoke to people before they departed Quito.
Some Venezuelans who have returned to Venezuela have found themselves living a normal life following a difficult time abroad. Eleazar was among those who returned from Peru, after migrating in 2018.
Supporters Around the World Rally, Crying 'Hands Off Venezuela' By TeleSur - March 16, 2019
From Argentina to South Africa, Malaysia to Peru, New Zealand to Canada and the U.S., supporters of the Bolivarian revolution marched together as part of the World in Solidarity with Venezuela Day this weekend.
Demands That Trump End Economic War and Attempts at Regime Change at #HandsOffVenezuela March on Capitol Hill By Julia Conley - March 16, 2019
Denouncing the "strangling" of the Venezuelan economy via sanctions and demanding the Trump administration allow the South American country to determine its own fate, pro-democracy protesters marched through Washington, D.C. on Saturday to demand, "Hands Off Venezuela!"
The demonstration came seven weeks after the Trump administration recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president, rebuking President Nicolas Maduro, who won re-election last May.
U.S. sanctions on Venezuela's state-owned oil company followed, on top of the $30 million per day earlier U.S. sanctions have cost the country.
Annexing the Stars: Walcott, Rhodes, and Venezuela By Jason Hirthler - Counterpunch - March 15, 2019
Poet Derek Walcott's "a far cry from africa" provides a stirring glimpse into the perspectives and policies of British colonialists in the 20th century. Of course, the perspectives it reveals are temporally confined to British colonialism in Walcott's poem: he was a native of Saint Lucia, a British colony or "possession" in the Caribbean; and he was writing about Kenya, a British colony or "possession" in Africa. But the mindset he reveals could easily be applied to the modern neocolonialists of the American empire, which succeeded the British empire after World War Two.
US officials offered my friend cash to take down Tehran's power grid By Sharmine Narwani - medium.com - March 14, 2019
It took a country-wide power outage in Venezuela, whispers of a cyberattack, and smug tweets from US officials to make me suddenly recall the cloak-and-dagger story of a close Iranian-American friend nine years ago.
Rubio's Gloating Betrays US Sabotage in Venezuela Power Blitz By Finian Cunningham - Strategic Culture - March 14, 2019
Republican Senator Marco Rubio – who has become a point man for the Trump administration in its regime-change campaign in Venezuela – was a little too celebratory. Within minutes of the nationwide power outage last Thursday, Rubio was having verbal orgasms about the "long-term economic damage"... "in the blink of an eye". But it was his disclosure concerning the precise damage in the power grid that has led the Venezuelan government to accuse the US of carrying out a sabotage.
Inside the August plot to kill Maduro with drones By Nick Paton Walsh, Natalie Gallón, Evan Perez, Diana Castrillon, Barbara Arvanitidis and Caitlin Hu, CNN - March 14, 2019
Bogota, Colombia (CNN): New videos obtained by CNN provide chilling insight into a mystery drone attack against Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro last year—the world's first known attempt to kill a head of state with a retail drone, purchased online and armed by hand with military grade explosives.
U.S. Weighs Curbs on Venezuela Transaction Processing By Margaret Talev - March 14, 2019
The U.S. is considering sanctions that would effectively prohibit Visa Inc., Mastercard Inc. and other financial institutions from processing transactions in Venezuela, an administration official said, a step aimed at cutting off funds to Nicolas Maduro's regime. If the Trump administration decides to move forward, such sanctions could prohibit U.S. companies from engaging with entities that recognize Maduro as the president of Venezuela. U.S. and other international firms use local institutions to process transactions, and the majority of the local financial institutions are state-owned enterprises.
Ricardo Hausmann's "Morning After" for Venezuela: The Neoliberal Brain Behind Juan Guaido's Economic Agenda By Anya Parampil - March 14, 2019
Much of Hausmann's script echoed talking points outlined by her father, Ricardo Hausmann, in a 2018 article ominously entitled "D-Day Venezuela." The piece amounted to a plea for the U.S. to depose Maduro by force, with Hausman arguing that "military intervention by a coalition of regional forces may be the only way to end a man-made famine threatening millions of lives."
But Ricardo Hausmann is much more than a prominent pundit. He is one of the West's leading neoliberal economists, who played an unsavory role during the 1980s and '90s in devising policies that enabled the looting of Venezuela's economy by international capital and provoked devastating social turmoil.
Storage Tanks Explode at Venezuela Heavy Oil Project By Reuters - March 13, 2019
PDVSA President Manuel Quevedo on Wednesday night tweeted that the company had been victim of "terrorist incursions" by political adversaries of President Nicolas Maduro. "They attacked the Petro San Felix storage tanks to affect oil production. Traitors!!!" Quevedo wrote.
The Reality Behind Trump's Coalition for Regime Change in Venezuela By Mark Weisbrot – The New Republic - March 13, 2019
In the early 1970s, a handful of Sandinistas were in the mountains of Nicaragua fighting to overthrow the 40-year U.S.-backed, brutal dictatorship of the Somoza family. When a powerful volcanic eruption struck Nicaragua in 1971, Sandinista Omar Cabezas later recounted, they told the peasants whom they encountered that God was punishing them for not getting rid of Somoza.
After the Sandinistas triumphed in 1979, the U.S. waged a bloody war to take back the country with a terrorist paramilitary force called the contras, who regularly murdered civilians. President George H.W. Bush made it clear during the Sandinistas' second election in 1990 that, although he was not God, he would continue to punish Nicaraguans with a trade embargo and war if they did not get rid of the Sandinistas. Weary of war, hyperinflation, and economic collapse, Nicaraguans voted for the opposition: The Sandinistas lost.
Venezuela: 100% of Electricity is Back On By TeleSur - March 13, 2019 The Vice President of Communication, Jorge Rodríguez, reported that the potable water service has been restored in 80 percent of the country. Venezuela will resume work activities on Thursday after the restitution of 100 percent of the electricity system in the country, said the Vice President of Communication, Jorge Rodríguez.
Germany's Über Hypocrisy over Venezuela By Finian Cunningham - March 12, 2019
Germany has taken the lead among European Union member states to back Washington's regime-change agenda for Venezuela. Berlin's hypocrisy and double-think is quite astounding.
Venezuela: Attack to Electricity System to Be Investigated By TeleSur - March 12, 2019
Nicolas Maduro reported that he will ask for the support of the United Nations and countries with experience in cyber attacks such as China, Russia, Iran and Cuba.
Venezuela: Electricity Recovery Continues as US Withdraws Diplomatic Staff By Ricardo Vaz – Venezuelanalysis - March 12, 2019
According to on-the-ground testimonies and official sources, power finally began to reach Venezuela's western states, including Merida and Zulia, on Monday night, around 96 hours after the blackout started. Electricity has now been restored at least in some areas of every state, with authorities urging citizens to avoid using heavy usage devices while efforts to restore the whole grid continue.
March 11, 2019
From "humanitarian aid" to a nationwide blackout: what next for Trump's coup in Venezuela? By Jorge Martin – Marxist - March 11, 2019
The coup was losing momentum. Then, on 7 March, just days after Guaidó's anti-climactic return to Caracas, the country was plunged into a nationwide blackout from which it has not yet fully recovered. What caused it? How is it related to the "regime change" attempt? And, most importantly, what are imperialism's plans and how can they be fought?
US Regime Change Blueprint Proposed Venezuelan Electricity Blackouts as 'Watershed Event' for 'Galvanizing Public Unrest' By Max Blumenthal – The Grayzone - March 11, 2019
A September 2010 memo by a US-funded soft power organization that helped train Venezuelan coup leader Juan Guaido and his allies identifies the potential collapse of the country's electrical sector as "a watershed event" that "would likely have the impact of galvanizing public unrest in a way that no opposition group could ever hope to generate."
The Path to Climate Justice Passes Through Caracas By David Schwartzman – Quincy Saul - March 11, 2019
Today we are all witness to the subversion and slander of one of our best hopes. Venezuelans call it "the media war." Karl Marx called it "the war of calumny undertaken by the lying power of the civilised world," and went on to describe how "all the sluices of slander at the disposal of the venal respectable press were opened at once to set free a deluge of infamy in which to drown the execrated foe. This war of calumny finds no parallel in history for the truly international area over which it has spread, and for the complete accord in which it has been carried on by all shades of ruling class opinion."
Rubio's 'Explosion at Germán Dam' Error Exposes Deeper Dishonesty of US Venezuela Policy By Eoin Higgins – Common Dreams - March 11, 2019
A U.S. Senator's claim about Venezuela Sunday made him the subject of ridicule, but the underlying message of destabilizing the Latin American country remains official American policy–even as the role of sanctions is ignored.
March 10, 2019
NYT's Exposé on the Lies About Burning Aid Trucks in Venezuela Shows How U.S. Government and Media Spread Pro-War Propaganda By Glenn Greenwald - March 10, 2019
Meanwhile, others – who use their brains to critically evaluate what the U.S. Government says when it's trying to start a new war, rather than mindlessly recite those claims as Truth, as U.S. media stars do – used the exact same evidence cited by the NYT last night to show that it was anti-Maduro protesters, not Maduro troops, who set the trucks on fire. But they were able to do it in the hours immediately following the incident, not three weeks later – but, needless to say, they were ignored by U.S. media outlets...
Wow, Marco Rubio Is Dumb By David Boddiger - March 10, 2019
As part of his Twitter thread, Rubio wrote: "Today another transformer explosion at the German Dam in Bolivar State caused another massive blackout. The result? Critically ill patients have died, the #Caracas metro remains out of service & few if any flights have arrived at or departed from Caracas in over 20 hours." One problem: The "German Dam" in the tweet isn't a dam at all, but rather the name of a journalist who is covering the outages, as pointed out by Germán Dam himself.
Russia to defend its Venezuela oil assets in 'toughest way possible' By RT - March 10, 2019
At the same time, Russia, which vowed to defend its oil assets in Venezuela as early as the political crisis began in January, sees risks to its investments in the Latin American country and pledges to react "in the toughest way" possible within international law if those investments are threatened
The New York Times Sees the Light: Opposition Burned "Aid" By TeleSur - March 10, 2019 TeleSUR reported about the opposition burning "humanitarian" aid since January 23, while the international media preferred sticking to the narrative of blaming the Venezuelan government. The New York Times published Sunday an investigative report confirming that the Venezuelan Armed Forces were not guilty of burning trucks of "humanitarian" aid on the Colombian-Venezuelan border, as reported elsewhere by most corporate media without evidence.
Venezuela Suffers Major Power Outages After Alleged Cyber Attack By Ricardo Vaz - March 10, 2019
An electricity blackout has affected most of Venezuela for several days after an alleged cyber attack crashed the country's main electricity generator, the Simon Bolivar Hydroelectric Plant in Bolivar State, commonly known as the Guri Dam.
March 09, 2019
Light Returns To Venezuela By TeleSur - March 09, 2019 After three days of little light and power in Venezuela, the country's electrical system is starting to return, particularly in the capital of Caracas. A cyber attack perpetrated Thursday against the El Guri hydroelectric plant control system left the Venezuelan population without electricity since then.
'Stay True to Chavismo,' Maduro Says as Blackout Continues By TeleSur - March 09, 2019
During a speech in Caracas, Sunday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro encouraged citizens to stay true to Chavismo and the soverienty of Venezuela as the 24-hour, nationwide U.S.-backed blackout continues.
Venezuelans March Against Attack on Electric Grid System in Anti-imperialist Day By TeleSur - March 09, 2019
The march gathered thousands of Venezuelans that protest imperialist intervention in the country, two days after the attack on its electric system. Thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets Saturday to march against interventionism in the country, as part of the celebrations of the national Bolivarian Anti-imperialist Day.
Venezuela Denounces US Participation in Electric Sabotage By TeleSur - March 09, 2019
Jorge Rodriguez showed evidence of the participation of U.S. Senator Marco Rubio in the sabotage of the electrical system that left the country without service for more than 24 hours.
March 08, 2019
Nationwide Blackout In Venezuela -Venezuelanalysis On the Ground Coverage Affected By Katrina Kozarek - Venezuelanalysis.com - March 08, 2019
Venezuela suffered a nationwide blackout in the afternoon on Thursday, March 7. Government officials denounce sabotage and promise to restore the country to 100 percent electrical service over the coming hours.
Attacks on Venezuela Lead to 'Law of the Jungle,' China Warns By TeleSur - March 08, 2019
At his annual news conference Friday, China's Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, stressed that his country favors the rules of international law, respect for the sovereignty of Venezuela and negotiations without foreign interference to peacefully resolve the situation of the South American country.
Another Failed Coup in Venezuela? By George Ciccariello-Maher - In These Times - March 07, 2019
If you repeat your own lies enough–so goes the apocryphal Goebbels quote–you start to believe them yourself. For two decades, the Venezuelan opposition and its supporters in Washington have smeared Hugo Chávez and now his successor, Nicolás Maduro, as despotic strongmen kept in power solely through military force and paltry payouts to the poor. So it's no surprise that they are once again underestimating both Chavismo and the resilience of its supporters today.
Trend of Self-Proclaimed 'Presidency' Catches On in Latin America By TeleSur - March 07, 2019
In a form of political satire, Colombia, Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador join Venezuela by having their own self-proclaimed "presidents." Something they all have in common is that none were democratically elected by the people, yet, this did not stop them from self-proclaiming as 'presidents' of their homelands. But with Juan Guiado's example, Colombia, Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador join Venezuela with brand new self-proclaimed heads of State.
US Envoy Tried to Freeze Made-Up Venezuelan Accounts in Swiss Banks in Prank By Sputnik News - March 06, 2019
United States' Special Representative for Venezuela Elliott Abrams became the target of Vladimir 'Vovan' Kuznetsov and Alexei 'Lexus' Stolyarov, a pair of Russian comedians known for their prank phone calls to politicians from around the world.
An Open Letter to the Washington Office on Latin America About Its Stance on US Effort to Overthrow Venezuelan Government By Collective - March 06, 2019
Noam Chomsky, Greg Grandin, Sujatha Fernandes and others express "serious concerns" over WOLA's stance regarding the ongoing US-led regime-change efforts in Venezuela. The following open letter, signed by 124 academics from around the globe, is addressed to the Washington Office on Latin America and voices serious concerns over WOLA's support for various components of the Trump administration's policy towards Venezuela.
The media constantly portray Venezuela as an economic basket case run by a dictator and in need of foreign military intervention. Is this the case? This video debunks the common myths and fake news surrounding the country.
Venezuela - Random Guyaidó Returns Only To Again Be Ignored By Moon Of Alabama - March 04, 2019
Juan Guaidó, the random guy who claims to be 'interim president' of Venezuela, just arrived (vid) back in Caracas. He was not arrested. It seems that President Maduro's strategy is to simply ignore Guaidó and to wait until the guy campaign runs out of steam. Meanwhile U.S. media and the Trump administration are doing their best to further that.
From the South: We are joined live by professor of International Human Rights, Dan Kovalik, to learn more about the contra war in Nicaragua in the 1980s and if something similar could be prepared by the US against Venezuela.
British Aid to Venezuela: A Soft Power Tool Kit By Nina Cross - March 01, 2019
With Jeremy Hunt and Alan Duncan keenly poised to overthrow the democratically elected leader of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, in order to install a compliant neoliberal one, now is a good time to look at the aid which the Foreign Office has been sending to organisations under the nose of the Venezuelan government.
VP Delcy Rodriguez: PDVSA Europe Offices to Be Moved to Moscow By TeleSur - March 01, 2019
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro ordered the relocation of the European headquarters of Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) from Lisbon to Moscow in order to guarantee the security of the country's assets, Venezuela's Vice President Delcy Rodriguez announced Friday at a press conference held with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the Russian capital.
What is the future of Venezuela and what do its people really want? On this special edition of In Question, Dan Cohen co-hosts with Manila Chan to talk about his time reporting from the ground in Cucuta, Colombia, and the border benefit concert funded by British billionaire Richard Branson. In Question brings you a report on the humanitarian aid trucks and opposition protests at the Venezuela-Colombia border in light of the harsh US sanctions on Venezuela. Bowie State University Professor Frederick Mills joins IQ to break down the dynamics behind the Lima Group.
