Venezuela! Te agarro en la bajadita: 8/25 WH levies sanctions on Maduro regime

tru_m.a.c

tru_m.a.c

IC veteran
Staff member
Supporter
Hall of Fame
Joined
May 1, 2012
Messages
31,236
Reputation
6,810
Daps
90,655
Reppin
Gaithersburg, MD via Queens/LI
lead.jpg

Protesters shield themselves from police in Caracas, on February 22. The sign reads, "Venezuela is not mute." (Reuters/Carlos Garcia Rawlins)
“Even in tragedy, Latin America can’t compete,” a cynical friend told me. He was referring to the fact that the region’s poverty is not as grim as Africa’s, armed conflicts not as threatening as Asia’s, and terrorists not as suicidal as the Middle East’s. The problems in Latin America are often overshadowed by those in the rest of the world. Elsewhere, tragedies are more serious and more likely to spill over into other countries.

The shocking images of repression in the streets of Caracas are at a disadvantage when compared with the scenes in Kiev, where most international media and political attention is currently focused. The developments in Ukraine are bloodier, the images more startling, and the stories more tragic. Dozens have been killed in Ukraine, while thus far 13 lives have been claimed in Venezuela. So much more appears to be at stake in Kiev: European borders, energy security, Russian dominance in the former Soviet Union, and Vladimir Putin’s domestic and international reputation all depend on the outcome of Ukraine’s uprising.



But repressive techniques are not Cuba’s only exports. The island has long been the source of bad political and economic ideas in Latin America—from the disdain for democracy to the cult of the centrally planned economy. A different government in Cuba, one willing to make political openness and deeper economic integration with the rest of the world as much a priority as “exporting the revolution” has been during the long Castro era, would have significant consequences for Latin America. Cuba’s harmful continental influence would wane without Venezuela’s free oil. And, incredibly, this seminal change may hinge on the success of students who are still in the streets even after more than a week of brutal repression.

The night is darkest just before dawn. And Venezuela is going through some very dark moments. But perhaps this means the dawn is about to break. If it does, Latin America will be indebted to the young Venezuelans who were brave enough to confront a government that does all it can to inspire fear.
 
C

CHL

Superstar
Joined
Jul 6, 2014
Messages
13,456
Reputation
1,480
Daps
19,580
2013828193424243734_20.jpg

The White House said the executive order targeted people whose actions undermined democratic processes or institutions [AFP]

US President Barack Obama has issued an executive order declaring Venezuela a national security threat, and slapped sanctions on seven officials.

According to a WHite House statement issued on Monday, the new set of targeted sanctions exclude the Venezuelan people and any trade relations with the oil-rich nation and are instead specifically aimed at government officials the US accuses of violating human rights.

"Venezuelan officials past and present who violate the human rights of Venezuelan citizens and engage in acts of public corruption will not be welcome here, and we now have the tools to block their assets and their use of US financial systems," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in the statement.

"We are deeply concerned by the Venezuelan government's efforts to escalate intimidation of its political opponents. Venezuela's problems cannot be solved by criminalising dissent," the statement said.

Venezuela's foreign ministry recalled its top diplomat in the US for "immediate" consultations after the announcement and said it would respond shortly to the new US moves.

"We will soon make public Venezuela's response to these declarations," Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez told reporters.

The head of the National Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, called the latest set of sanctions an "embarrassment", and an immoral attempt by the US to oust President Nicolas Maduro’s government.

During a political event for the ruling party, PSUV, Cabello also urged the general populace to be prepared for an armed US-led attack.

"These emergency resolutions are used by the North American empire every time they are going to attack a country. They say they feel threatened. What weapons do we possibly have to threaten the United States?" he said.

Diplomatic spat

The latest US action marks another downturn in relations between Washington and Caracas. Just last week Maduro announced measures to limit the number of US diplomats in Venezuela, reducing a staff of nearly 100 to just 17 individuals.

In addition to reducing embassy staff, Venezuela is now requiring US citizens to have a visa before entering the country.

The two countries have not had full diplomatic representation since 2008, when late socialist leader Hugo Chavez expelled then-US Ambassador Patrick Duddy. Washington at the time responded by expelling Venezuelan envoy Bernardo Alvarez.

'Undermining democratic processes'

The White House said that the executive order targeted people whose actions undermined democratic processes or institutions, had committed acts of violence or abuse of human rights, were involved in prohibiting or penalising freedom of expression, or were government officials involved in public corruption.

The new sanctions were the third set imposed on Venezuelans since December.

The seven individuals named in the order would have their property and interests in the US blocked or frozen and they would be denied entry into the US. American citizens would also be prohibited from doing business with them.

The White House called on Venezuela to release all political prisoners, including "dozens of students," and warned against blaming Washington for its problems.

"We've seen many times that the Venezuelan government tries to distract from its own actions by blaming the United States or other members of the international community for events inside Venezuela," Earnest said in the statement.

"These efforts reflect a lack of seriousness on the part of the Venezuelan government to deal with the grave situation it faces."

Al Jazeera's Viriginia Lopez, reporting from Caracas, said the US sanctions were being seen by many there as a mistake.

"Many think that the measures could actually feed a strong anti-US sentiment among Chavistas who had been disillusioned by Maduro’s inability to tackle the country’s economic foes, resulting in renewed support for the Maduro government, she said.

Assembly speaker Cabello called upon this sentiminet as he rallied supporters.

"These types of measures only help to galvanise us. All they do is give the Veneuzlean people an incfeased consciousness. These are only threats from an empire that has power, but that lacks scruples,"he added
Click to expand...
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/...national-security-threat-150309164808710.html
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top