Trump Escalates US Hostility Toward Venezuela
by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)
The neocon-infested fascist Trump regime is the most reckless and ruthless in US history.
It excedes the villainy of its predecessors, elevating state terror to an unprecedented level - risking catastrophic global war if not challenged by the world community.
All nations unwilling to bow to its extremism, friends and foes alike, risk (illegal) sanctions and other harsh measures, notably efforts to replace their governments with US-controlled puppet regimes.
US hostility toward Iran is at a fever pitch, discussed earlier and in two same-day articles.
The same goes for Venezuela. In response to Nicolas Maduro’s overwhelming democratic reelection, judged open, free and fair by international observers, the Trump administration disgracefully called it “a sham.”
On Monday, the president signed an executive order, saying the following:
“Section 1. (a) All transactions related to, provision of financing for, and other dealings in the following by a United States person or within the United States are prohibited:
(i) the purchase of any debt owed to the Government of Venezuela, including accounts receivable;
(ii) any debt owed to the Government of Venezuela that is pledged as collateral after the effective date of this order, including accounts receivable; and
(iii) the sale, transfer, assignment, or pledging as collateral by the Government of Venezuela of any equity interest in any entity in which the Government of Venezuela has a 50 percent or greater ownership interest.”
The order is unacceptable and illegal. No nation may interfere in the internal affairs of others except in self-defense if attacked - clearly not the case with Iran, Venezuela or any other country.
None anywhere threaten US security. Washington and its rogue allies threaten world peace, stability and security.
Trump’s illegal executive order is attempt to strangle Venezuela economically more than already, pressuring other nations to back his rogue agenda.
EU nations are disgracefully on board. So are most Latin American countries, notably right-wing regimes in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay and Peru.
They refused to recognize Maduro’s reelection, rejecting its democratic process, siding with fascist tyranny headquartered in Washington.
Washington refused to recognize Sunday’s electoral result unless hardline/anti-populist rule replaced Bolivarian social democracy - most hemispheric countries going along with its rogue agenda, including Canada.
On Monday, the Trump administration threatened China and Russia, warning them not to buy Venezuelan debt, their legal right, a senior administration official saying the following:
“We have had fairly pointed discussions with the People’s Republic of China on not throwing good money after bad, and we cautioned them that the United States, the Lima Group of nations and others, that made abundantly clear that the only, under the Venezuelan constitution, the only entity which is lawfully authorized to allow or to provide for the issuance of new debt is the National Assembly. We’ve had a similar discussion with Russia.”
Since Hugo Chavez’s December 1998 election as Venezuela’s president, establishing Bolivarian social democracy in the country, Washington tried numerous times to oust him and Nicolas Maduro.
All attempts failed, perhaps something more aggressive coming to replace democratic governance with US-control fascist tyranny.
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