US Threats Against Venezuela

The recent rhetoric and on the ground military deployment against Venezuela by the US are now being escalated. US president Trump has already sent 7 warships and 4.500 marine troops off the coast of Venezuela. This is a major threat to the country’s security. On top of these military actions, Washington has placed a 50-million-dollar bounty on Maduro’s head. This blatant act of imperialism is alarming but nothing new under the sun. The US officials have stated that Maduro can only leave his country “in a body bag”. 

Trump has recently said that the US has "neglected" Latin America for too long. US targets Maduro and Venezuela for 2 reasons: their economical and political proximity to China, and the country being the holder of the largest oil reserves in the world. US’s rerouting their political, economic and military imperialist ambitions to China has materialized in these recent escalations. With Maduro’s fiasco of an administration for the last 2 terms, planting doubts of rigged elections and oppressing workers’ organizations and leftist opposition, should also be taken into consideration. His oppressive regime not only hurts the global anti-imperialist bloc but also jeopardizes the country’s integrity against US imperialism.

Drug War

The US blames Maduro of being the leader of the drug gang Cartel de los Soles, which they have recognized as a foreign terrorist organization. Trump continues to push the narrative of aliens bringing narcotics and organized crime into the US. Maduro, thus, is put on the crosshairs of US foreign interventionist hawks.

Trump had stated previously that Haitian immigrants in the state of Ohio were eating the pet dogs and cats of US residents. This rhetoric has laid the ground for US’s recent ICE raids against anyone that is perceived as illegal aliens. It seems that there is very little that he will not say to further his agenda. However, now that there are troops and war machinery on the coasts of Venezuela, this is no longer a domestic issue.

Back to the Old Ways

With the shift in US’s imperialist goals from the Ukrainian front to China and the American continents, we are beginning to see much more violent rhetoric both from Trump and other US officials. Trump has ordered an all-out campaign against the drug cartels in America, the announcement of the bounty on Maduro’s head was done the previous day. It was already speculated that Trump might use the justification of fighting “narco-terrorism” in the US’s interventionist imperialist policies. It seems that these speculations find real world counterparts in the most oil rich country in the world, Venezuela.

It would be infantile to assume US’s justifications as right when the country’s track record is filled with regime change operations in sovereign nations in Latin America. US foreign minister Marco Rubio, a Cuban defect and a staunch anti-communist, is the leading figure in the new and developing Venezuelan plan.

What’s Next?

We are yet to see what will occur in Venezuela. However, as the international tensions grow all around the globe, it is difficult to assume things will play out as they did previously in the past decades. Maduro has already called the citizens of Venezuela to join popular militias to protect the country against possible military actions. The boli-bourgoise characteristics of this oppressive regime may be a crux to the willingness to take up arms for Maduro.

The historic responsibility of anti-war action and mobilization remains ever present in the face of escalating imperialist ambitions. The US working class organization and mobilization has to play a key role in putting an end to the global crisis of militarization and conflicts.

Hands Off Venezuela!