GUEST BLOG: Ross Meurant – VENEZUELA: To be or not to be?
I don’t claim to be an expert on Latin America (I do claim to have substance when it comes to parts of the Middle East and Russia), but the following data is pretty reliable and presented for your cogitation as you ponder more impending WORLD chaos.
The money.
Russia has invested billions in Venezuela. Most is in the oil industry and some of this largess is pre-paid for oil.
China has invested more than Russia. That means, many billions of USD equivalent. One specific is that in 2017 China loaned US$50 billion to Venezuela.
Trade with Turkey is done in GOLD.
In 2011 Venezuela repatriated 150 tons of gold from various Europe storage depots (banks).
Last year British banks refused to repatriate $1.2 billion gold stored in that bastion of international law. (1)
The politics.
America:
America claims to be delivering democracy to Venezuela.
America also claimed that their crusades in Vietnam and their illegal invasion (UN definition) of Iraq were to deliver democracy.
America claims President Maduro has failed to fix serious economic woes.
America fails to acknowledge that sanctions imposed by America, are a major impediment to any president America wants to replace.
America seems to forget that American fiduciary recklessness manifest in Freddie Mack and Fanny Mae, had a massive impact worldwide and precipitated adoption of the Zimbabwe solution i.e. quantitative easing (printing money) as the only “solution”?
Britain and France.
Both of these fallen empires are on the verge of total domestic chaos – Brexit and Yellow vests – so anything to deflect attention from home. (Perhaps another Falkland’s War? Or more Skripal?)
Predictable and of little substance.
China:
China see America’s interference in Venezuela as an attempt to prevent China’s global spread as an economic giant.
Specifically, China see America’s interference as an attempt to prevent infrastructure in Venezuela funded by China loans, being transferred to China when/if default on repayments occurs.
This is a re-run the Sri Lanka debacle where a major port funded by China and struggling with debt, handed over that facility to China. (2)
Russia:
Frequently makes a comparison with the outrage America hemorrhages over alleged Russian interference in US politics. Supports the right of Venezuela to sort its own problems. And presumably; pre-paid billions are a factor.
Turkey:
A NATO ally of America, once again on the other side of the barricades (e.g. Kurds in Northern Syria); supports the right of Venezuela to sort its own problems.
New Zealand:
We were screwed into dumping Chinese Huawei, as part of America’s attempts to destroy its commercial competition (3) and are now under pressure to fight NATO’s war in the Middle East! Who knows whether Labour have produced another Helen Clark (who said NO to Iraq), or may we just as well have a National government at the rudder?
(2)https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/12/world/asia/sri-lanka-china-port.html
(3)https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/109255452/us-warning-to-new-zealand-on-china
Ross Meurant:
After 21 years as a cop, Meurant resigned with the commissioned rank of inspector O/C Criminal Intelligence Section & V.I.P. Security; a nationwide profile role as a Red Squad riot group commander and an earlier reputation as a ruthless detective with a tendency to enforce the rule of police.
During 9 years as a Member of Parliament and the Executive as Under Secretary, he was accused of being an arms trader; was fired from the Executive by Jim Bolger for having a perceived conflict of interests (becoming a director of a Russian bank) and started the first political party to be registered under MMP.
After 4 years in the wilderness teaching kids to ride horse and property developing, he returned to Wellington as parliamentary adviser to Rt Hon Winston Peters where allegations of conflicted interests with roles he had with three major fishing companies and a race horse baron and later in false allegations of corruption culminating in the Scampi Enquiry.
From 2005 Ross lived abroad pursuing commercial options in Zimbabwe, the Balkans, Czech Rep, Syria, Russia, Morocco, UAE, Iran & North Korea.
Today in New Zealand he is trustee and managing director of NZ forestry and property assets owned by absentee Russians & Honorary Consul for Morocco.
Ross has a B.A. in politics; a Master’s in economics and law and COPs in law. He speaks Russian, rides horses and water-skis.
He is the author of:
Two biographies: The Red Squad Story & Beat to the Beehive.
Two novels: The Syrian Connection & Sex, Power and politics.
America seems to be destroying democracies in the South and promoting death squads again, its a long litany of abuse of power, no one is surprised, the usual suspects are attempting to pillage another oil rich economy, read C.I.A
“We were screwed into dumping Chinese Huawei…”
That we were. And now, for 5G, we’ll have US stuff foisted on us. It’ll have as many back doors as uncle Sam claimed Huawei technology would have. Only consolation is that US techies are so inept, their back doors probably won’t work.
“Who knows whether Labour have produced another Helen Clark (who said NO to Iraq)”
Last I heard, Peters was reported as saying that the government woldn’t be commenting on the Venezuela situation, and wouldn’t be expressing support for either side.
Just after this government came to power, I wrote to both Ardern and Peters, imploring them to take an independent stance on foreign affairs. Troops out of the middle east, negotiate a FTA with Russia, and so on.
As far as I recall, I got no response at all from Ardern, except for the auto-reply. But from Peters, I got an extraordinary response. I conclude that it was written by somebody in MFAT, and it just repeated all the propaganda: west good, Russia bad. All the crap about the Skripals, Syria, MH17. All of it. I cannot accept that Peters believes any of it, but there you have it. In this household’s view, this government – like its predecessor – is hostage to trade. If our 5 eyes “allies” tell our government to jump, refusal to do so won’t be a viable option for them. Or, at least, they won’t consider taking a principled, independent stance. As I see things, it’s only a matter of time before our government is forced to take the western side against Venezuela.
And another thing D’Esterre , that has our govts balls in a vice is the mafioso protection racket , whereby the Americans will hold off …for now… “making our economy scream” if we roll over and spout a lot of mealy mouthed bullshit
I don’t believe Winnie believes all that stuff for a moment either, how could anyone with 2 ounces of brain matter?
But he’s no doubt been summoned to the US Embassy and had his talking points delivered
God, I really do despair sometimes , seems to me the naked aggression and hypocrisy has got a whole lot worse
Francesca: “… the Americans will hold off …for now… “making our economy scream” if we roll over and spout a lot of mealy mouthed bullshit”
Yup. As one member of this household says, they’ll put a man on Jupiter before they give us a FTA worth anything at all. They just hold out the promise of one, in order to strong-arm our governments into saying or doing what they want. They’ve been doing this at least since LBJ came here in the 60s and threatened the Holyoake government with blocking meat exports to the US, unless Holyoake agreed to send troops to Vietnam.
“But he’s no doubt been summoned to the US Embassy and had his talking points delivered”
So it seems; because on the election campaign trail, he talked about restarting free trade negotiations with Russia. Then – a long time after the coalition was announced (the letter is dated 2 July 2018, though I wrote to him late 2017) – I received that letter. Bizarre… obviously, speed isn’t one of the hallmarks of US bureaucracy! Or of MFAT, come to that.
“God, I really do despair sometimes , seems to me the naked aggression and hypocrisy has got a whole lot worse”
Yeah: it does feel a bit like that at times. Said household member also remarked that, back at the beginning of this century, the US considered itself to be bullet-proof, thus not needing to hold so many other polities’ feet to the fire, in order to get its way.
But the rise of the internet and social media has forced it to face the fact that it’s lost control of the narrative; we the citizens have access to revisionist accounts of what’s been going on worldwide for many years. Hence the worsening aggression and hypocrisy to which you refer.
LBJ visited Ozzie and summoned Holyoake to a meeting. The NZ PM canceled his scheduled diary and went.
On return he cut subsidies to food an set in motion removal of other established support for Kiwi families. Far too socialist for LBJ and his corporate puppet masters.
John W: “LBJ visited Ozzie and summoned Holyoake to a meeting. The NZ PM canceled his scheduled diary and went.”
This may be so. But. Indisputably, LBJ came to NZ. In 1966, actually. Those of us who were students in Wgtn at the time have cause to remember it! There were large and vocal anti-Vietnam war protests.
While he was in NZ, LBJ met Holyoake and strong-armed him into sending troops to Vietnam. The PM was very sceptical about the whole enterprise (prescient of him) and reluctant to commit troops. Trade was the lever used by LBJ. In that regard, nothing much has changed, it seems.
“On return he cut subsidies to food an set in motion removal of other established support for Kiwi families.”
Have you got a link for that? It certainly isn’t what I recall from those times. There were, for instance, subsidies on agricultural products such as milk, cheese too, I think, right through the 1970s, long after Holyoake’s time as PM. He stepped down in 1972: I remember it well.
Agriculture subsidies were finally lifted by the Lange government after its election in 1984. I remember that, too.