Trump and the offensive to steal Venezuela’s oil
By João Pedro Stedile
There are radical changes in global geopolitics, brought about by the capitalist economic crisis and the bankruptcy of Western bourgeois democracy, such as the decline of the political power of the United States and European countries, as well as the loss of credibility of the dollar and the Swift system.
Europe has failed to dominate Russia, which is winning the war in Ukraine, financed by NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization).
In Asia, Chinese influences are consolidating. In the countries of the South, the role of the BRICS articulation is expanding.
Faced with this, the United States took up the Monroe Doctrine, with the motto “America for the Americans”, and designed its new strategy to dominate our continent.
The United States claims the right to use any means possible to overthrow governments not subordinate to it. In the case of Latin America, these interests are linked to the appropriation of natural resources.
The US government has been stifling the Cuban people for 60 years, simply because of the ideological example that the island represents for the people of the world. For 20 years, he has tried to stifle the Bolivarian process in Venezuela.
They tried everything: a coup against Chávez in 2002; assassination attempts; co-optation and permanent financing of front entities to support the right-wing opposition.
Furthermore, they took control of the currency through speculative attacks; the use of international bourgeois media and big tech social networks, with lies and stories to try to demoralize the Maduro government.
Support VIOMUNDO
The insinuation of electoral fraud, a practice that the Americans apply in El Salvador, Peru, Ecuador, Honduras and other countries to ensure right-wing governments, is also used to delegitimize Venezuela and justify aggression.
These tactics were presented in the book “Hybrid Wars” (Expression Popular, 2018), based on the analysis of documents from the US armed forces.
The objectives are clear: maintain servile governments in Latin America, control natural resources (minerals, oil, lithium, rare earths) and guarantee a market for their companies.
Despite all the apparatus, Venezuela did not give in. There is a strong alliance between the organized people, the government and the Bolivarian armed forces, a triad that has proven strong enough to resist constant imperialist attacks.
The most recent tactic is institutionalized piracy, with the U.S. government stealing from Venezuelan oil tankers. It’s a shame. All this under the nose of the UN, which has done absolutely nothing, an increasingly recurring position.
Faced with the American offensive, what will be the next action? They will probably bomb the border with Colombia, under the pretext of eliminating drug trafficking camps. They should also attempt to bomb refineries, power plants and command centers.
In fact, after the implosion of Iraq to fight against “weapons of mass destruction” that never existed, the fight against drug trafficking in the Caribbean is the new lie invented by the American government to steal oil.
We maintain a relationship of exchange and will always be in solidarity with the Venezuelan people.
We have been present in Venezuela for many years, with our activists involved in productive projects, seed care and multiplication, food production and technical training. We have also welcomed many young Venezuelans to study agroecology and cooperativism in Brazil.
It is the duty of all democratic sectors in Latin America to defend the Venezuelan people against these attacks and to contain Mr. Trump.
Make no mistake: if he wins in Venezuela, there will be no peace in the region. The next target will be the government of Gustavo Petro, in Colombia, and next year they will do everything possible to defeat the government of Lula.
*João Pedro Stedile is an economist, member of the National Coordination of the MST
About The Author
