06) NO TO U.S. THREATS IN LATIN AMERICA

People’s Voice Editorial

            In an extraordinary turn of events, the United States has declared Venezuela a “national security threat”, escalating the drive to overthrow the democratically elected government of President Nicolas Maduro. The executive order against seven Venezuelan officials is the first step towards a comprehensive sanctions program along the lines of Iran and Syria.

            The stated reasons read like a modern-day political version of Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass. President Obama accuses the Venezuelans of innumerable crimes: “undermining democratic institutions... committing acts of violence... abuse of human rights... penalizing freedom of expression... public corruption.” Who could fail to notice that U.S. imperialism itself has frequently committed such offences and far worse, in pursuit of its hegemony over the entire western hemisphere?

            U.S. officials argue with a straight face that this absurd executive order does not target the Venezuelan people or economy, and that upcoming legislative elections should be held without intimidation. But one example - the campaign to strangle the Popular Unity government of Salvador Allende in Chile - shows that these are precisely Washington’s aims. The crushing of the Venezuelan economy is necessary to prepare the way for a successful coup, in contrast to the repeated failures of U.S.-backed elite politicians and corporate thugs, going back to the thwarted kidnapping of the late President Hugo Chavez in 2002. The memo from Washington to the people of Venezuela is brutal and clear: surrender to a neoliberal dictatorship, or face slow death from starvation and bullets.

            Fortunately, 2015 is not 1898 (the U.S. takeover of Cuba), or 1954 or 1973 (the U.S.-backed coups in Guatemala and Chile). The people of Latin America are standing up to defy imperialist rule, carving out their own independent, sovereign destiny. But the solidarity of progressive Canadians is urgently needed at this critical moment.

(The above article is from the March 16-31, 2015 issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading socialist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)