Maduro severing Venezuelan relations with US

[Voice of Reason 10,298]

Pog Mo, I agree with you that the US should stay out of the VZ mess.  We have no dog in that fight.  

 

But bear in mind that for centuries, wars were fought, both internally and externally, over water or food.  Whatever one country needs that another country has, that will be the influencing factor in whether war/chaos ensues.  

 

And I know you say oil is the driving factor today, but the US gets about 6% or less of its oil from Venezuela.

 

https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_move_impcus_a2_nus_ep00_im0_mbbl_m.htm

Edited January 29, 2019 by ALFKAD

[millefleur 5,035]

34 minutes ago, ALFKAD said:

And I know you say oil is the driving factor today, but the US gets about 6% or less of its oil from Venezuela.

I don't think it's about the US securing that oil for their own use. I think it's more about making sure such massive (the largest in the world, actually) oil reserves don't fall into the wrong hands.

 

I think all developing countries that are oil-rich are cursed. I can't think of any oil-rich developing countries that are stable and not corrupt.

[Voice of Reason 10,298]

5 minutes ago, millefleur said:

I don't think it's about the US securing that oil for their own use. I think it's more about making sure such massive (the largest in the world, actually) oil reserves don't fall into the wrong hands.

 

I think all developing countries that are oil-rich are cursed. I can't think of any oil-rich developing countries that are stable and not corrupt.

That makes sense.  Thanks for educating me, I didna know VZ held more oil than Saudi Arabia until you brought it up.

[millefleur 5,035]

2 minutes ago, ALFKAD said:

That makes sense.  Thanks for educating me, I didna know VZ held more oil than Saudi Arabia until you brought it up.

It's a well kept open secret methinks...

[Póg mo 1,749]

48 minutes ago, ALFKAD said:

Pog Mo, I agree with you that the US should stay out of the VZ mess.  We have no dog in that fight.  

 

But bear in mind that for centuries, wars were fought, both internally and externally, over water or food.  Whatever one country needs that another country has, that will be the influencing factor in whether war/chaos ensues.  

 

And I know you say oil is the driving factor today, but the US gets about 6% or less of its oil from Venezuela.

 

https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_move_impcus_a2_nus_ep00_im0_mbbl_m.htm

I believe it is about the wealth that comes from such oil reserves e.g. a US friendly government might be more willing to reward the right companies with nice sweetheart deals. 

[Nature Boy 2.0 8,315]

2 hours ago, Póg mo said:

Anybody who believes that a country’s internal democracy is the determining factor in whether the West decides to move for violent regime change in that country, is a complete idiot. Any journalist or politician who makes that claim is more likely to be a complete charlatan than a complete idiot. In recent years, possession of hydrocarbon reserves is very obviously a major factor in western regime change actions.

In Latin America over the last century, the presence of internal democracy has been much more likely to lead to external regime change than its absence, as maintenance of US imperialist hegemony has been the defining factor. https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2019/01/the-coup-in-venezuela-must-be-resisted/

But you said there is no crisis,  so whats all the fuss about

[Dashinka 23,243]

12 hours ago, millefleur said:

I don't think it's about the US securing that oil for their own use. I think it's more about making sure such massive (the largest in the world, actually) oil reserves don't fall into the wrong hands.

 

I think all developing countries that are oil-rich are cursed. I can't think of any oil-rich developing countries that are stable and not corrupt.

This was an interesting article I saw.

 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/russias-backing-of-venezuelas-maduro-has-its-limits-11548703541?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=20

 

MOSCOW—Russia’s support for embattled Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro is opening a new geopolitical front between Moscow and Washington right on the U.S.’s doorstep, but the Kremlin’s will and ability to compete appear limited.

Although Moscow is leading the charge among those who still view Mr. Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate president, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday there were no discussions in government to extend major financial or military assistance to keep Mr. Maduro in power.

 

Russia’s stagnating economy has limited funds available for international campaigns amid growing social discontent at home.

 

“I don’t see any possibility to get engaged, it’s too far away and the logistical capacity is lacking to carry out a substantial operation,” said Fyodor Lukyanov, chairman of a Kremlin advisory board on foreign and defense policy.

 

“Economically, Russia’s situation is not great right now and another long-term burden would not be welcome at all,” he added.

Last week, Venezuelan parliament speaker Juan Guaidó declared himself interim president at a rally in the capital, Caracas, drawing support from the U.S. and several Latin American countries. Mr. Maduro has vowed to stay in office.

The fault line separating Russia from countries that support Mr. Guaidó largely mirror traditional Cold War-era alliances. China, which has huge investment in Venezuela, has also thrown its weight behind Mr. Maduro.

For the Kremlin, the events unfolding in Venezuela are an ominous reminder of the crises in Ukraine and Syria, where U.S. support for the opposition threatened Russian allies who for decades had bought Russian weaponry and opened doors to Russian investment. This time, however, Moscow has fewer options.

[Dashinka 23,243]

14 hours ago, Póg mo said:

https://www.thenation.com/article/venezuela-coup-guaido-maduro/

 

No matter how you slice it, an attempted coup is underway in Venezuela. Here are the basics: On Wednesday, Juan Guaidó, a relatively unknown second-string politician from the right-wing Popular Will party, simply declared himself acting president. Guaidó was not elected president—Nicolás Maduro was, in May of last year in a vote that the opposition might have won had they not boycotted it. 

Interesting take.  Do you realize that it was the Venezuelan National Assembly that actually appointed Mr. Guaido president according to the Venezuelan constitution?  I realize that Mr. Maduro has essentially shut down this body by taking over the courts and consolidating his socialist leadership under his administration, but in a representative democracy, it is actually the  elected assembly that are supposed to represent the people.  This is probably the reason here in the US the Congress is outlined under Article 1 of our constitution.

 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/socialists-of-the-world-unite-11548722544?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=13

Edited January 30, 2019 by Bill & Katya

[Dashinka 23,243]

Socialist never learn, it is their unsustainable actions that send economies down the toilet.

 

Venezuela Steps Up Pressure on U.S.-Backed Opposition Leader

Maduro’s government opens investigation into Juan Guaidó for allegedly sabotaging the economy

 

CARACAS—Venezuela’s government ramped up pressure on opposition leader Juan Guaidó on Tuesday amid a deepening political crisis here as Washington took more steps to cut off President Nicolás Maduro’s access to funds.

Attorney General Tarek William Saab said his office opened an investigation into Mr. Guaidó, a 35-year-old politician who is recognized as the country’s legitimate head of state by the U.S., Canada and most of South America.

 

The move came a day after the Trump administration imposed sanctions on Venezuela’s state-oil company PdVSA and froze the country’s oil assets in the U.S. It was the most powerful action by Washington yet to force Mr. Maduro to relinquish control of the country and allow new elections.

 

The U.S. State Department said on Tuesday Mr. Guaidó was given the authority to control U.S. bank accounts held by Venezuela’s government or central bank. It called on other countries to take similar measures to “protect Venezuela’s patrimony from further theft by Maduro’s corrupt regime.”

“This certification will help Venezuela’s legitimate government safeguard those assets for the benefit of the Venezuelan people,” it said in a statement.

The U.S. State Department on Tuesday also raised its travel alert on Venezuela, warning Americans not to travel to there due to crime, civil unrest, poor health infrastructure and the arbitrary arrest of U.S. citizens. Few Americans travel there these days in any case.

Mr. Saab requested that courts, which are controlled by the embattled Mr. Maduro, bar Mr. Guaidó from leaving the South American nation. He said they also requested that Mr. Guaidó’s bank accounts be frozen and that he be prohibited from transferring assets. The opposition leader has given no indication of any intention of leaving Venezuela. He has declared himself the interim leader with plans to hold new elections.

 

Mr. Saab accused Mr. Guaidó of “not only hurting the national assets but also hurting every Venezuelan family and foreign resident who lives in Venezuela.” Mr. Saab, a close ally of Mr. Maduro, said the measures will allow the government “to stop the acts that have hurt the republic.”

 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/venezuela-investigates-opposition-figure-backed-by-u-s-11548783935

[TBoneTX 43,058]

19 hours ago, Bill & Katya said:

Russia’s stagnating economy has limited funds available for international campaigns

It's all tied up in colluding with the fat orange Nixon.

Edited January 31, 2019 by TBoneTX

[millefleur 5,035]

On 1/30/2019 at 3:24 AM, Bill & Katya said:

“Economically, Russia’s situation is not great right now and another long-term burden would not be welcome at all,” he added.

Maybe Russia is just using their crippled economy as a ruse to make us think they don't have funds or means to meddle in the affairs of other nations? Sneaky Russians trying to pull the wool over our eyes again...

 

[Dashinka 23,243]

Wait, I thought we heard the woes in Venezuela were all due to the United States....

 

Maduro Wrecked Venezuela’s Oil Industry

 

By

Daniel Yergin

Feb. 4, 2019 7:03 p.m. ET

Nicolás Maduro’s regime in Venezuela has been waging economic warfare against the country it rules. The result has been an almost unfathomable million-percent inflation rate coupled with near-total social collapse—food shortages, people searching through garbage pails for something to eat, violent crime, lack of medicine, and the breakdown of the health-care system. Three million refugees have fled to neighboring countries.

There are now two competing governments in Caracas. Mr. Maduro’s legitimate term ended Jan. 10; Juan Guaidó, president of the National Assembly, is Venezuela’s interim president according to the constitution. How the standoff ends will reverberate both for the hemisphere and for the world oil market.

 

Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves in the world—larger than Saudi Arabia’s—and was for decades one of the powerhouses of world oil production. But Mr. Maduro’s policies are making it an increasingly minor producer. Today Venezuela produces only a 10th of what Saudi Arabia does. Last year the U.S. added more new oil production than Venezuela’s total output. North Dakota now produces more oil than Venezuela.

The industry has been deteriorating since President Hugo Chávez launched a political takeover of the state oil company, PdVSA, in 2002-03. This led to a drastic fall in investment, a huge exodus of industry professionals, decay in wells and infrastructure, and theft of equipment and materials. Under Mr. Maduro, who took over after Chavez’s death in 2013, the decline has accelerated. In 2015, he began to hand control of PdVSA to the military, and in 2017 appointed a general to be both company president and energy minister.

 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/maduro-wrecked-venezuelas-oil-industry-11549325002?mod=hp_opin_pos3

[Póg mo 1,749]

On 1/30/2019 at 5:32 AM, Bill & Katya said:

Interesting take.  Do you realize that it was the Venezuelan National Assembly that actually appointed Mr. Guaido president according to the Venezuelan constitution?  I realize that Mr. Maduro has essentially shut down this body by taking over the courts and consolidating his socialist leadership under his administration, but in a representative democracy, it is actually the  elected assembly that are supposed to represent the people.  This is probably the reason here in the US the Congress is outlined under Article 1 of our constitution.

 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/socialists-of-the-world-unite-11548722544?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=13

The supreme Court in Venezuela thought otherwise, and who would want someone who takes money from foreign powers to be president? 

[Dashinka 23,243]

10 hours ago, Póg mo said:

The supreme Court in Venezuela thought otherwise, and who would want someone who takes money from foreign powers to be president? 

So Maduro is not taking money from Russia and China?  Btw, Maduro took over the Venezuelan Supreme Court.  In this case it is truly an example of a ruthless dictator, not TDS.

[Póg mo 1,749]

Oh dear, it looks as though the story being told about Venezuelan socialism isn't quite the truth. Shock horror!

 

"This useful weapon to be used against the left can only be sustained by withholding a great number of key facts—chief among them, the US role in Venezuela’s devastation. US sanctions, according to the Venezuelan opposition’s economics czar, are responsible for a halving of the country’s oil output (FAIR.org,12/17/18). The UN Human Rights Council has formally condemned the US and discussed reparations to be paid, with one UN special rapporteur describing Trump’s sanctions as a possible “crime against humanity” (London Independent, 1/26/19). This has not been reported by any the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN or any other national US “resistance” news outlet, which have been only too quick to support Trump’s regime change plans (FAIR.org, 1/25/19).

Likewise, the local US-backed opposition’s role in the economic crisis is barely mentioned. The opposition, which controls much of the country’s food supply, has officially accepted responsibility for conducting an “economic war” by withholding food and other key goods."

 

https://fair.org/home/venezuela-medias-one-word-rebuttal-to-the-threat-of-socialism/