Of course America is behind the destabilisation of Venezuela

1. Sure the USA tends to apply sanctions as a method to realise regime change and also to punish socialist nations independent of the global market system (where multi-nationals hold sway).

   A recent Gallup poll shows that both China and Russia now have better support worldwide than the USA.

   Approval at 48-28 (positive 20 in 2016) declines to 31-40 (negative 9 in 2018) under Trump.
   China’s leadership approval at 34-31 (in the positive)
   Russian leadership approval at 30-35 (now lower negative than the USA)

   In Asia, both China (34-33) and Russia (32-28) have improved their positions relative to the USA (32-38)
   In the Americas, the USA is simply unpopular. China (30-33), Russia 28-31 and the USA 31-53
   In Africa, all are supported – China (53-16) Russia (37-21) USA (52-19)
   In Europe, none are – China (28-44) Russia (21-59) USA (24-59).

   Apparently Trump’s more open and honest exercise of power to intimidate has quickly born fruit, he has sacrificed the soft power leadership standing of the USA.

   One can only guess whether the goal in Venezeula is to privatise the state oil company or not. I suspect it is. That of course would undermine the capacity for socialist government.

   https://news.gallup.com/poll/247037/ima … china.aspx

2. Really?

   At what point does your world view meet reality Martyn?

3. Is America that desparate for the oil that is available in Venezuela? Maybe Trump knows that access to Saudi oil is nearing a deadline because of both American and Saudi greed for money.

   Is it a smoke-screen by Trump because he needs to bully some South American country and his attempts at Mexico seems to be failing as time goes by?

   America may pretend and present to the world that it lives by democracy but I am sure we here in little ole NZ have experienced the bullying behaviour it resorts to when it cannot get its way i.e our anti-nuclear stand especially from the 80s onwards.

   It is known that America tends to side with dictators. Of late we have seen Trump getting extra friendly with Kim Jong Un at the expense of a family whose son was arrested and then sent to prison in North Korea. Trump’s actions shows how little he respects even the ordinary American people.

   Historically American influence in the dictatorships in South America has resulted in terrorist acts upon the citizens of the countries America funded eg. the contra rebels. The Reagan administration covertly funded these terrorists.

   But that part of American history has conveniently been ignored or rather deliberately forgotten over the past 30 plus years.

   • In fact it’s just the opposite. The facts:

     1. The US is an oil exporter these days and thanks to fracking has the largest reserves in the world: The US doesn’t NEED Venezuelan oil.

     2. Venezuelan oil is not very good quality. It is ‘sour’ and ‘heavy’ so difficult to process. Most US refineries cannot even process it. So the US doesn’t even WANT Venezuelan oil.

     3. Until Chavez took over Venezuela was the richest country in South America. Now it’s the poorest. This was all due to the socialist Chavez and Maduro governments. They have pillaged the country and left it in ruins. Whilst ruining their country they were cheered on by the usual suspects: Bernie Sanders, Jeremy Corbyn and a few on TDB. Slow learners!

     • Well thats a bit of a laugh Andrew. To quote Bolton of the very large mustache:

       ‘It will make a big difference to the United States economically if we could have American oil companies really invest in and produce the oil capabilities in Venezuela. It’d be good for the people of Venezuela. It’d be good for the people of the United States.”

       the people running the USA dont even bother to disguise their arrogance and greed.

       https://truthout.org/video/bolton-pushes-privatization-of-venezuelas-oil-as-us-ratchets-up-pressure/

   • I think its a sad thing that the Left continue to make the mistake of blaming a USA Pres for all foreign policy. Much like here , the Pres has to sign off, but is not always aware of the minutiae of all policy’s drawn up by his/her minister.

     We still have a punitive state housing , welfare dept’s even though there has been a change of govt,… it takes much time to undo . More than we would think if its to be done legally. Same goes for the USA. Its unfair to blame one Pres for other policy makers motives…

     The Wall?… well.. we don’t have a poorer nation immediately over our borders, do we. And while that poorer neighbor may supply a source of cheap labour, – it also supply’s a steady stream of ILLEGALS and ruthless drug cartel foot soldiers.

     The sort of guys who would kidnap then pack rape your daughter and after they have finished , – gauge out their eyes, dip their fingers in acid to avoid fingerprints and then dump the body in a wasteland. Nice , eh?

     MS-13 , for instance.

     Does NZ have to deal with anything like that?

     Easy to get all sanctimonious and point the fingers when your a nimby, eh.

     The wall serves as Hadrian’s wall did , – to keep the ILLEGALS OUT.

     Not the LEGALS.

     And would you have preferred Trump to have caused World War 3 just to validate your prejudices against him? Cant people just climb down off their sanctimonious high horses and concede for once in their little lives ( and inconsequential in world affairs ) that they were wrong and maybe the object of their hatred was, indeed, quite right???

     Well much to the chagrin of all the George Soros camp and the extreme globalist ideology’s left wing… it didn’t happen.

     Thank goodness.

     Unless you prefer to be a barbecued kebab because in case you and others have forgotten , – we are members of the 5 eyes spy agreement and that automatically makes us ally’s of America. And means that all those ICBM missiles that are capable of hitting America form Asia are capable of hitting us here.

     You better dig a deep bunker mate.

     You are NOT RIGHT about Trump needing any such sort of ‘distraction’. That’s just 1rst year Uni entrance history paper drivel. This is not the 19th century and methodology has changed and so have the means of acquiring assets for individuals and govts and countrys. We no longer just send out the British Dragoons Regiment to take the land away from the Zulu’s and beat up a few gratuitous tribesman who have nothing to do with it as a warning to the regions,… got it?

     But you ARE right about the oil.

     Except that in NO WAY will American ownership be that overt. It will be done, surreptitiously , through bank accounts, shares and covered in legal jargonese , free trade deals and the like.

     Much like what happens in this country.

     Eh.

     And yes while so much of this has happened under various administrations,… the point is its often not the Pres but those working independently and under him/her that are the real originators of all the shit.

     Best example?

     Why do you think after J F Kennedy threatened to ‘ smash the CIA into a thousand pieces he was soon assassinated November 22, 1963 in Dealey Plaza , Dallas Texas ?…

     Huh ?

4. Nah , I don’t think Trump will use direct force or anything like that. More like the indirect ‘economic sanctions’ thing. He doesn’t seem that keen on using any foreign adventure ‘direct’ blunt force ,…he has threatened the use thereof , … but even then under ‘extreme supposed threat ‘ coming from North Korea….

   He seems to have handled the situation well, -now we’ve got both North Korea and the USA sitting round the table – which hadn’t really happened in over 60 years. Not a bad effort at all. But I wonder if this wasn’t somehow planned for North Korea to bring in investment and trade.. who knows how these characters work?

   And its interesting to note ; that long historic list you have of American meddling in South America happened long before Trump was ever around. I just don’t think you will see Trump at the head of a bloody invasion , … but you might catch glimpses of a shady influence we have all come to recognize,… the CIA.

   Riots and demonstrations that suddenly appear out of nowhere …American manufactured arms ,munitions and supply’s and an incredibly well organized resistance that just seems to pop up overnight like mushrooms…

   A few assassinations here , a few there… a well backed and funded civil war led by far right wing idealists , a toppling of the incumbents , an interim govt , a ‘free election’… and then voila! – a new ‘elected’ far right wing strong man , probably selected from the country’s army brass.

   And Americas man on the ground.

5. Your clip from Last week tonight contradicts your claims. In fact John Oliver specifically states the US is NOT to blame for the mess Venezuela is in.

   • The Whitehouse is playing a considerable part in “advising” the leader of Venezualas opposition. Yet you can see above Maduro is democratically elected so what the US is doing meddling in the affairs of a sovereign nation I do not know?

     • Did you watch John Oliver’s segment Sam?

       • You claim that the U.S is not to blame for the mess Venezuela is in, then you use some one else name and research because why?

   • And we all know what an upstanding broadcaster of truth oliver is??? Not to mention his creepy desire to ingratiate himself with whoever is ruling at the time in the us. As an aside, what about the yankee poodle thieving fourteen tonnes of Venezuela’s gold bullion?

     • Agreed GAP. Oliver is a slimey prat. And the gold heist and lack of comment by all and sundry is extraordinary. I guess we’d have to call it an inside job. Safe as the bank of England eh?

     • Are you serious???

       If John Oliver did not have a point about Venezuela why was he linked to?

6. As I follow closely the situation in Venezuela, half my son’s family is from there and most still live there, I am constantly trying to understand the socialist position, and to create a coherent one. Maduro was never democratically accepted, his “elections” were not free and fair as we would imagine elections. Having said that, most latin (and north?) american elections are still pretty dodgy in the democratic sense. The current estimate is that Maduro has about 10% support, this is nullified by the 10% of the population that has fled (despite Maduro’s protestations that no such thing has occured), so basically regime removal is demanded by the entire population. Maduro’s seconde Diosdado Cabello has just shipped his children out. Everyone connected to Maduro and Chavez is also connected to large bank accounts in Europe. So socialism it is not, at least in my understanding. Most Venezuelans I know are actually welcoming of US intervention, so desperate is the situation. I do not agree with this, like you. The estimate is that 150,000 troops would be required over an extended (Iraqish?) time, as Maduro has moneyed up several fractious groups of paramilitary that seem to be loyal only to violence and the hand that feeds. There is seemingly no good fix for this situation, certainly not for a socialist, especially as socialism continues to be blamed. Maduro seems unlikely to step down, although with well aimed threats he could be persuaded to run I suspect, and live a king’s life on Cuba. Check out this video to see how an anti-imperialist state supermarket shouldn’t look like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEJu517T0-Q

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