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Sure. Let’s invade Venezuela. Another jolly little war. It’s full of commies and has a sea of oil. The only thing those Cuban-loving Venezuelans lack are weapons of mass destruction.
This week, leading US neocons openly threatened that if the CIA’s latest attempts to stage a coup to overthrow Venezuela’s Maduro government failed, Washington might send in the Marines.
Well, the coup was a big fiasco and the Venezuelan army didn’t overthrow President Maduro. The CIA also failed to overthrow governments in Moscow, Tehran and Damascus. Its only ‘success’ to date has been in overthrowing Ukraine’s pro-Moscow government and putting a bunch of corrupt clowns in its place at a cost near \$10 billion.
The US has not waged a major successful war since World War II – unless you count invading Grenada, Panama and Haiti, or bombing the hell out of Iraq, Syria, Somalia and Libya. That’s a sobering thought given the Pentagon’s recent announcement that it is cutting back on little colonial wars (aka ‘the war on terror’) to get ready for real big wars against Russia and China, or even North Korea.
Venezuela is in a huge economic mess thanks to the crackpot economic policies of the Chavez and Maduro governments – and US economic sabotage. But my first law of international affairs is: ‘Every nation has the absolute god-given right to mismanage its own affairs and elect its own crooks or idiots.’
Now, however, the administration’s frenzied neocons want to start a war against Venezuela, a large, developed nation of 32.7 million, at the same time we are threatening war against Iran, interfering all around Africa, and confronting Russia, China and perhaps North Korea. Large parts of the Mideast and Afghanistan lie in ruins thanks to our ‘liberation’ campaigns.
Invading Venezuela would not be much of a problem for the US military: half the population hates the current government and might welcome the Americans. Venezuela’s military has only limited combat value. Right-wing regimes in neighboring Colombia and Brazil might join the invasion.
But what then? Recall Iraq. The US punched through the feeble Iraqi Army whose strength had been wildly exaggerated by the media. Once US and British forces settled in to occupation duties, guerilla forces made their life difficult and bloody. Iraqi resistance continues today, sixteen years later. The same would likely happen in Venezuela.
There is deep anti-American sentiment in Latin America that existed long before Col. Chavez. Recall, for example, the large anti-American riots that greeted Vice President Nixon’s visit to Caracas in 1958.
‘Yankees Go Home’ is a rallying cry for much of Latin America. Blundering into Venezuela, another nation about which the Trump administration knows or understands little, would stir up a hornet’s next. Their ham-handed efforts to punish Cuba and whip up the far right Cuban-American vote in Florida would galvanize anti-American anger across Latin America. Beware the ghost of Fidel.
Talks over Venezuela are underway between Washington and Moscow. Neither country has any major interest in Venezuela. Moscow is stirring the pot there to retaliate for growing US involvement in Russia’s backyard and Syria. Both the US and Russia should get the hell out of Venezuela and mind their own business.
Instead, we hear crazy proposals to send 5,000 mercenaries to overthrow the Maduro regime. How well did the wide-scale use of US-financed mercenaries work in Iraq and Afghanistan? A complete flop. The only thing they did competently was wash dishes at our bases, murder civilians, and play junior Rambos.
For those who don’t like the American Raj, a US invasion of Venezuela would mark a step forward in the crumbling of the empire. More aimless imperial over-reach, more lack of strategy, more enemies generated.
The big winner would, of course, be the Pentagon and military industrial complex. More billions spent on a nation most Americans could not find on a map if their lives depended on it, more orders for ‘counter-insurgency’ weapons, more military promotions, and cheers from Fox News and wrestling fans.
Worst of all, the US could end up feeding and caring for wrecked Venezuela. How did we do with storm-ravaged Puerto Rico? It’s still in semi-ruin. Few want Venezuela’s thick, heavy oil these days.
Venezuela could turn out to be a big, fat Tar Baby.
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> “half the population hates the current government and might welcome the Americans”
.. what? .. like in Lybia and Syria?
The “crackpot economic policies” of Chavez and Madero increased the health of the people through access to medical care, improved housing, brought the literacy rate to one of the highest in Latin Americs, added years to average lifespan among other things by emphasizing that the country’s resources should improve the lives of Venezuela’s citizens. This was accomplished by selling resources in the capitalistic market -crackpot I grant you. The American sanctions and the seizure of Venezuelan assets are all illegal under American law and Constitution given the treaties we have signed, but then if you want to know what those laws mean all you have to do is ask any Native American tribe.
Venezuela is a trillion dollar low-hanging fruit which the neo-cons lust after. It would finance another entire war in the middle east.
Who would pay Eric Prince’s 5000 Blackwater hired assassins? Would the cash come from the pirate booty war chest or would the citizens of America be stuck with the tab, once again?
Something seems different. With Russian and Chinese intelligence help, the Guaido coup was a laughable joke. It made the US look like bozos. I think Venezuela and allies tipped their hand there, and it is a strong one. I fear the US may be walking into a trap
It is interesting but several Pentagon/military officers are saying the Pentagon is not enthusiastic about invading Venezuela. It is a rugged, jungle cloaked, country that is quite large and an American effort may end up being like the one in Vietnam.
Even Trump is not enthusiastic.
L.
You could be onto something here.
Or…controlling Venezuela oil would help in a scenario where Teheran closes Hormuz.
It appears that for the current TPTBs in West Iran is what Carthage was to Rome.
Which points, again, to “them”.
Weird times.
Avoidance is the only logical policy. And Puerto Rico should have been given its independence long ago.
There’s enough tar in Venezuela to jack this planet’s temperature up another 20 degrees. Fighting a war over our inevitable mass suicide does seem to be a rather stupid enterprise.
I wonder how many are aware that Venezuela owns a majority of the oil company Citgo?
I wonder how many Americans know that for many years during Winter Citgo gave free heating oil to a large number of low income households in the US northeast? …while our own government was cutting back on low income heating oil subsidies.
We absolutely have won most of those little wars it’s just that majority of the population doesn’t have the same definition of victory that our Neocon masters do. As long as we leave a county in ruins so it’s development is set back for decades and there are multiple factions fighting for power, the Neocons cobble together a wonderful democratic election and call it a victory.
Stay as long as it takes to make sure no major faction is strong enough to set nationwide policy, bomb everything that’s required for a 20th Century society, then leave. If one faction plays nice by scraping and bowing to the US, fine, let them have a bit of electricity and running water. Otherwise, leave the factions to fight one another in the rubble and enjoying their new found freedom and democracy.
Considering all the oil Venezuela has, they’re just begging for some freedom and democracy.
It may be true that neither the US or Russia ‘has any major interest in Venezuela’, and that Putin may be ‘stirring the pot’. The real danger is, and globally the evidence points to this, an eventual clash between the major nuclear powers (world war). It is ominous if Washington is getting for ‘ready for real big wars against Russia and China, or even North Korea.’
https://www.ghostsofhistory.wordpress.com/
Let Venezuela sort out its own problems. They will need to scale back the socialism or collapse, but if the US intervenes, all the lefties will blame the external interference and no one will learn anything from the experience.
Pretty much.
Quote: “Considering all the oil Venezuela has, they’re just begging for some freedom and democracy.”
Correction please. Surely you meant to say:
“Considering all the oil Venezuela has, they’re just begging for some good old traditional American freedom and democracy.”
Apologies for being a pedant 🙂
When will people wake up and realise that Trump is just another neocon, Deep State, Zionist, military industrial complex scamster?
The truth is hidden in plain sight.
His name – Trump – tells you all you need to know
https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=Trump
Guys, we are all in deep, deep shit with this Trump and Q nonsense.
They have mesmerized millions of people with their theatre.
Trump is not just scamming us, his origins are highly questionable.
And Q is downright evil
https://www.jtrue.com/blog/column/fire-and-isis#comment-1815
https://www.jtrue.com/blog/column/fire-and-isis#comment-1824
I pray that Putin and Xi can stop these mad dogs from destroying the whole world in a global nuclear holocaust.
You will find that said government was not particularly pro-Moscow at all. It was rather pro-EU, but apparently not anti-Moscow enough, so when SHTF, that got fixed.
It’s not a “trap” when you stick your own dick into your own blender.
Just today from the newswire:
“Any action we took in Venezuela would be lawful”.
That’s a new one from the mobster’s playbook.
Article 2 of the US Constitution does NOT grant the president “the right to declare war” but gives him the responsibility of overseeing military operations.
At least for the neverending war in Eurasia, somebody thought about getting a vague ass-covering authorization.
AFAIK tar oil from Venezuela is in no way a replacement for crude from the Middle East.
LOL
Short term solution, while Hormuz is closed.
Emphasize on “while”.
Say…two months, tops.
West Iran is what Carthage was to Rome
junket organized by the neocons a visit to Carthage might send Rome back to the caves where Romulus was born .
It’s the same thing with Syria, you can only be against the war if you first denounce Assad as a thug and a tyrant.
Is it possible that anyone with IQ north of 100 can trust a single word that this NEOCON ERIC MARGOLYS is writing. Any text that this guy has written in regards to Yugoslavia and NATO bombardment was pure hawkish propaganda of NATO. John Bolton is a little kid in comparison to this guy. How is this possible that UNZ can publish anything from this promoter of NATO atrocity against Serbian people.? I really need an explanation from UNZ. Are you sharing his views in regards to Kosovo and Yugoslavia? Does it mean that Hillary Clinton can change suddenly her views and be published here? Please explain your reasoning UNZ. Otherwise, no Serbian will trust a word you write no more.
they don’t want it, they rather have the teat
apparently he can do whatever he likes in Venezuela but nothing on our own border
Agreed. Don’t give them a choice. Just say the island is an independent state from say one year from the time of announcment. There was serious talk about making the Philippines a state in the 1940’s. Thankfully this did nothappen.
Could you please list all these Socialist handouts you’re talking about?