Trump Regime to Sanction Nations Unwilling to Support Guaido?
by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)
Trump regime hardliners appear desperate. Their expected rollover plot to topple Maduro, aiming to gain another imperial trophy, hasn’t gone as planned.
So they’re scrambling to come up with new tactics. A Contra-type war is likely, using armed anti-government mercenaries enlisted internally, from Colombia, and perhaps other regional countries - assuring far greater bloodshed and chaos than so far if they wage proxy war this way.
Illegal sanctions war is a longstanding tactic used by Republicans and undemocratic Dems against governments unwilling to subordinate their sovereign independence and rights to US interests.
Imposed as a strategy to weaken and topple ruling authorities, they fail virtually every time tried - notably against Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, Russia, and Venezuela.
Plan B virtually nearly always involves direct or proxy hot war, or a combination of both, what’s likely planned in Venezuela - along with more sanctions, including against governments unwilling to back US-designated puppet/usurper in waiting Guaido, a figure with no legitimacy, a traitor belonging in prison, perhaps the fate awaiting him.
During a Tuesday press briefing on Venezuela by Trump regime point man for toppling Maduro/convicted felon/unindicted war criminal Elliott Abrams, he warned about imposing sanctions on nations unwilling to recognize Guaido as self-appointed interim president, saying:
“We haven’t done that yet, secondary sanctions. It’s clearly a possibility. It would depend on (Maduro’s) conduct over time,” adding the Trump regime will continue taking “appropriate actions” against the Bolivarian Republic.
During Tuesday’s State Department briefing, AP reporter Matt Lee challenged deputy spokesman Robert Palladino on Venezuela as follows:
Lee: Are “you running out of options” on Venezuela…”(I)s there a concern that (your strategy is) reaching a static point or there’s a loss of momentum for the opposition or the Guaido presidency?”
Palladino: “We’re optimistic. I think we’re up to…54 countries have now recognized Juan Guaido as interim president.”
Lee: “(T)hat’s only about a quarter of countries in the world…”
Unable to dispute reality, Palladino stressed Trump regime support from most EU, Latin and Central American countries - operating like US colonies, obeying orders from Washington.
Three-fourths of world community nations, including Russia, China, India, South Africa, Mexico, the African Union and UN, have been unwilling to recognize imposter Guaido.
Regarding Palladino’s objection to most world community nations and media calling Maduro Venezuela’s president, Lee asked:
“Let me get this straight. You’re complaining because news outlets are calling him by a title that you don’t think that he should have?
Palladino: “Not a complaint. Pointing out. Just trying to correct.”
Lee: “Well, it sounds like a complaint to me, and that seems pretty weak-sauce. I don’t understand what your problem is,” adding:
“(Y)ou consider (Guaido) to be the interim president, and as you say, 50 other countries…recognize him as the interim president. But there are more than 190 members of the United Nations. So your 50 countries is not even close to half of that.”
Palladino turned truth on its head, falsely claiming the Trump regime is “supporting the constitution of Venezuela and the people of Venezuela” - an obvious bald-faced Big Lie.
Lee: “And you think…calling (Guaido) the legitimate leader, the president, is going to encourage more countries to recognize him?”
Palladino ducked the question, saying the Trump regime doesn’t “feed into (Maduro’s) rhetoric…”
There’s no ambiguity about what’s going on in Venezuela. The whole world knows that Trump regime hardliners aim to illegally topple Maduro, wanting him replaced with illegitimate US-controlled puppet rule, eliminating Venezuela’s social democracy, transforming the country into a US vassal state.
Plan A failed. It remains to be seen what Trump regime hardliners intend next. If past is prelude, escalated war by other means and greater violence are likely coming.
A Final Comment
Task Force the Americas is an anti-imperial human rights group - “in solidarity with the social justice movements of Latin America and the Caribbean.”
Activist/conservationist Roger Harris is one of its board members. In an article on Venezuela, he explained that the nation “went from being among one of the most economically unequal nations in Latin America to being among the most equal through the exercise of state power for the populace” - a model for other states to emulate.
Chavismo lives. Maduro carries his torch, championing social democracy, defending human and civil rights for all Venezuelans, polar opposite the scourge of US imperial dominance, threatening everyone everywhere.
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My newest book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
