U.S. tyranny moves against Venezuela’s elected government

By Heshmatollah Rahnama

TEHRAN - The gravity of the declaration of the coup d’etat against Maduro is sobering. The coup strategy integrates different variables: international pressure for recognition of the parallel government and chaos and death inside the country.

The current chain of events seems to have been planned out step-by-step: the attempted theft of weapons by a group of members of the Bolivarian National Guard on the morning of January 21, followed by incidents of violence concentrated in the west of Caracas; U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence’s video supporting Juan Guaidó and calling for demonstrations on January 23; the swearing-in of Guaidó; U.S. President Donald Trump’s recognition of Guaidó a few minutes later; ongoing incidents of violence; the convening of a meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS) to seek recognition of the parallel government; the U.S. $20 million announced by Pence for “humanitarian aid”; and yet more programmed violence.

Not everything went as planned. Regarding the international front, the attempt to get the OAS to recognise Guaidó as president failed, with only 16 votes out of 34. This is not a new failure: the Lima Group (formed in 2017 by right-wing Latin American governments), now weakened by the Mexican government’s anti-interventionist stance, emerged out of a similar situation.

At the extraordinary session of the Security Council, which was requested by the United States, U.S. delegates, their allies in the Lima Group and part of the European Union (EU) did not achieve their goals at the Security Council, while most other countries demanded respect for the sovereignty of Venezuela. Nineteen of the 35 countries rejected Venezuelan foreign intervention.

Venezuela's Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said at the UN Security Council: “They cannot lead us to a civil war in Venezuela.” 

He further wondered why the U.S. was not judged by members of the UN Security Council, and added that the U.S. attempt to carry out the coup d’etat in Venezuela is obvious and this should be condemned by this organization. How can the U.S. President, who has threatened Venezuela with the military, not be questioned by the world? It is the U.S. that commands the opposition in Venezuela and the failed governments of the region.

Venezuela's Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza is dismissing demands by European countries for President Nicolas Maduro to call new elections in eight days. He says the call is “almost childlike” and adds that the country “will not allow anyone to impose on us any decision or order.”

Leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Spain and Belgium issued statements Saturday saying they will recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's president if Maduro doesn't call for a new vote for president in eight days.

In the case of the second variable, violence, the launch of planned violence occurred in different parts of Caracas along with media coverage. According to experts, some 40 percent of the demonstrations were violent, and  some of them were opposed by  the security forces.

The activation of a parallel government that has some international credibility, but not national credibility, has the power to influence economic moves such as attempting to close state assets or attract Citgo, a state-run affiliated company of  PDVSA, which is located in the U.S. These attacks have aggravated the country's economic crisis. Meanwhile, it is expected that the “humanitarian aid” promised by Mike Pence at the OEA summit might bolster the parallel government.

Juan Guaidó has said that military intervention was “an option on the table,” and in the coup that the Bolivarian National Armed Forces confirmed, that “this factor is always taken into account.” Guaido's proposal is an armed program from outside, which can not be seen without domestic violence.

Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said: “We will try to prevent confrontations between Venezuelans at any cost, a civil war cannot be the solution for the problems facing Venezuela.”
But one of the strategies proposed by the coup plotters are civilian conflicts.

The right-wing front insists it will not negotiate. But Nicolas Maduro has confirmed his willingness to conduct talks, according to statements by the government of Mexico and Uruguay. What if the conversation does not work?
It is strange that the issues of the Venezuelan government were largely unknown to anyone until early in January. It appears the proposed “president” wants to rule from Washington, or at least with Washington’s consent, and not that of the Venezuelan people.

What goes on in Venezuela?

By Heshmatollah Rahnama 

TEHRAN - To clarify what is happening on in Venezuela one must begin to with some backgroud information on the latest in Caracas.

Approximately a quarter of U.S. resources are supplied from Latin America through contracts that allow Americans, among other things, to exploit Venezuelan resources shamelessly. The royalties paid are peanuts considering the resources (mining, oil, agricultural products) not to mention the irreversible damages to the environment and the trampling on Venezuela’s rights and culture.

Latin American countries have multi-billion dollar debt to international organizations like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank whose main shareholders are American banks. This is while a majority of people in Latin American and the Caribbean live in poverty and want to migrate to the U.S. Many reach the U.S.-Mexico border. Some don’t get to cross the border while others get into the U.S. to serve as cheap labor in physically demanding jobs. 

Latin America is tightly controlled by over 70 U.S. military bases for its energy sources and other natural resources. Washington considers Latin America its own backyard for its vast fresh wáter reserves and strategic location.
The U.S. has a long history of intervention in Latin America and around the world. Today, however, the interference has changed shape and style and evolved.  For the past three decades, Washington no longer deploys troops to Latin America but initiates a soft coup d’etat. The U.S. has overthrown Latin American governments in the past two decades including: the 2002 failed coup in Venezuela against Hugo Chavez, the 2004 coup in Haiti, the 2008 failed coup in Bolivia, the 2009 coup again in Bolivia, the 2010 failed coup in Ecuador, the 2012 coup in Paraguay, and the 2016 coup in Brazil. 

It is clear now who’s behind the recent coup in Venezuela. January 22, 2019, failed coup in Caracas was an organized attempt to bring about a national crisis with Nicolas Maduro’s opposition group, Washington and other regional right wing-countries played a role in the coup. 
The event was widely reported stating that “Guaidó declares himself President of Venezuela.” Immediately, videos started circulating on social media showing a group of armed, uniformed men promising to “re-establish the constitutional order”. Social media caught up with the news and circulated the latest videos and clips of people rioting.
The very first report released by Reuters quoted a man who identified himself as-as Alexander Bandres Figueroa, the head of an opposition group, telling viewers: “Get out on to the streets … It is today. It’s today … People, get out, support us. He added a second video saying, “You wanted us to light the fuse, here we are and we light the fuse. This fight is for you, for Venezuela. This fight is for you, for Venezuela.” 

In response to Figueroa, a crowd in San José de Cotiza, in northern Caracas took to the streets and set fire to dumpsters but soon were dispersed by a gas tear or arrested by police. 

The Armed Forces of Bolivia strongly condemned the attempted coup, attributed it to right-wing radicals and considered it contrary to the basic principles of military discipline, honor, and traditions.  

Juan Guaidó, a 35-year-old legislator from a coastal town in Venezuela, who had been playing with the idea of the presidency in his head for a while and stood against President Maduro, said “We do not wish to break up the armed forces of the country or confront them. We want the National Armed Forces to be united with the nation, the constitution and against usurpation. Our army knows that the chain of command has been torn by the usurpation of the presidential office. The National Assembly requires all members of the armed forces to actively engage in re-enforcing the constitution.” 
Meanwhile, the Constitutional Court Chamber of the Supreme Court reiterated the unreliability of the constitutionally mandated law on Monday, January 21, and confirms that, in accordance with the provisions of Article 138 of the Constitution, the National Assembly has no statutory and accredited board of directors.

Colombian President Ivan Duque announced that he would wait until the head of the National Assembly (AN), Juan Guaido, officially declares himself responsible for the presidency, so that the Lima group could recognize him.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence pledged White House backing of Guiaido and the parliament. 
It seems the ultimate goal of the operation was to display to Venezuelans worn out by economic crisis an excuse for Columbia, Brazil and the U.S. intervention in  Venezuela. However, that turned out to be a failed coup.