Venezuelan Crisis

[fluffybiscuits]

http://caracaschronicles.com/2014/02...-game-changed/

http://caracaschronicles.com/2014/02/19/19f/

Venezuela is in a state of panic at the moment. Most of the major cities , including Caracas are seeing voilence on a level not seen since the late eighties. Reports have come in that some government back militia groups have been shooting at protestors and rounding up student protestors. Internet access may have been cut off in one of the cities and may spread to other cities soon. Speaking to a friend of mine from there, he said that Maduro has created this from economic policies he implemented (and intends using more extreme policies to repair these issues). Food shortages are common and locals lack basic toileteries etc.

The media has been covering Ukraine but nothing mentioned except for twitter and some other non main stream sites on this...

Id like to believe that I can be contradicted on this....

[Dr. FIVE]

some sort of class war I believe

[Richardbouvet]

I imagine we are all noticing the same thing. 3 countries (Ukraine, Venezuela and Thailand) where elected governments are in the process of being swept out of power by mass street protest, but in none of these cases is it coming from the left.

I know least about Thailand, but in the other 2 instances, it is the neoliberal world order which seems to have the street power behind it.

Greece is a possible counter-example, but there the popular movement has fizzled out and austerity seems to have won the day.

This is not what was meant to happen. I despair.

[Dr. FIVE]

http://www.democracynow.org/2014/2/2..._attempt_by_us

http://criticallegalthinking.com/201...ing-venezuela/

http://stream.aljazeera.com/story/201402172246-0023478

http://zcomm.org/zblogs/most-venezue...es-bloodworth/

[C. Flower]

I imagine we are all noticing the same thing. 3 countries (Ukraine, Venezuela and Thailand) where elected governments are in the process of being swept out of power by mass street protest, but in none of these cases is it coming from the left.

I know least about Thailand, but in the other 2 instances, it is the neoliberal world order which seems to have the street power behind it.

Greece is a possible counter-example, but there the popular movement has fizzled out and austerity seems to have won the day.

This is not what was meant to happen. I despair.

It's not new. The idea that only the left and the working class go onto the street is not true. I posted this morning on the thread on the Ukraine on some examples. Hitlers thugs took to the streets and he relied on mass public events. The CIA used mass protest behind which they installed the Shah and deposed a democratic government in Iran. Colour revolutions were the same. The Egyptian protests agains the Muslim Brotherhood were full of Mubarak supporters, of the middle and wealthier classes, as well as others in a state of political confusion.

The left and the working class is numerically the strongest and if they take to the streets have a good chance of winning out. When they have no leadership or a leadership that is programmed to shoot itself in the foot, then the danger of the right as a fascist movement comes in. That is exactly what happened in Germany. The left is at a disadvantage as it appears that what they offer is a difficult road if a social revolution and transformation of society is to be achieved. The media daily works at rubbing in the message that the left is to be feared. The far right does not advertise itself as radical - it puts itself up as the saver of the nation, or some such, - while it prepares behind the scenes to end democractic rights, end press freedom, end trade union rights and crush opposition to market - led destruction of living standards.

[gfmurphy101]

No doubt in my mind who is behind it ....if the Americans smell a hint of getting rid of the socialists and getting their grubby hands on all that oil they will go for it http://gfmurphy101.wordpress.com/201...-in-venezuela/ their own cables prove it!

[C. Flower]

No doubt in my mind who is behind it ....if the Americans smell a hint of getting rid of the socialists and getting their grubby hands on all that oil they will go for it http://gfmurphy101.wordpress.com/201...-in-venezuela/ their own cables prove it!

I started a thread, to discuss that post of yours.

http://www.politicalworld.org/showth...z#.UweeV866WSo

There is plenty of form to show the US active in promoting a right wing coup against the Chavez Government. And plenty of other left or democratic governments.

[Richardbouvet]

But PW, my point stands. Is it not appalling that in the midst of severe austerity, privatisations and attacks on workers, it is only the right who are out on the streets?

We have been in an economic crisis since 2008, and in that time the left has achieved absolutely nothing. I sometimes wonder if there is any point in going on with politics.

[Dr. FIVE]

The left are in government implementing austerity, privatisations and attacks on workers here

[Sidewinder]

This reminds me of the old "Kuwaiti babies in incubators" stuff at the start of Gulf War I

There's a lot of disinformation about Venezuela coming from reactionary ultra-right-wing sources

http://www.voltairenet.org/article182251.html

[C. Flower]

This reminds me of the old "Kuwaiti babies in incubators" stuff at the start of Gulf War I

There's a lot of disinformation about Venezuela coming from reactionary ultra-right-wing sources

http://www.voltairenet.org/article182251.html

At this stage I could almost write the script for them.

The BBC has used a number of faked images at these moments of transitional "midwifery" efforts by the US.

RTE laps every drop of it up and regurgitates it all.

[C. Flower]

But PW, my point stands. Is it not appalling that in the midst of severe austerity, privatisations and attacks on workers, it is only the right who are out on the streets?

We have been in an economic crisis since 2008, and in that time the left has achieved absolutely nothing. I sometimes wonder if there is any point in going on with politics.

Mainly the credit bubble, in my opinion, and failure to learn as yet the very rich lessons of all the defeats since the 1980s.

The same few gambits are used over and over again by the right/estabilishment, and it seems to come as a surprise to the left every time.

[Sam Lord]

But PW, my point stands. Is it not appalling that in the midst of severe austerity, privatisations and attacks on workers, it is only the right who are out on the streets?

We have been in an economic crisis since 2008, and in that time the left has achieved absolutely nothing. I sometimes wonder if there is any point in going on with politics.

Well the long term options were always socialism or barbarism. It might well end up the latter. It's not like the capitalists are going to solve any problem anywhere for the betterment of humanity.

[Holly]

With the increasing violence of the Venezuelan government against peaceful protesters, Maduro is numbering his days. Using armed police to kill citizens means the game is already up.

[fluffybiscuits]

With the increasing violence of the Venezuelan government against peaceful protesters, Maduro is numbering his days. Using armed police to kill citizens means the game is already up.

+1

I dont doubt that atrocities are happening on both sides but to believe that its only one side capable is fairly myopic. Well put Holly

US intervention is an element of the protests though.

http://rt.com/news/maduro-accuses-obama-venezuela-988/

Venezuela’s ruling party, meanwhile, has long maintained that the US is playing a role in propping up the country’s opposition, and seeking to subvert the Maduro administration. That vitriol was sustained during Hugo Chavez’s tenure as the country’s leader; he often referred to an unsuccessful 2002 coup which heavily implicated US coordination.

The latest spout of violence came on the heels of opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez’s surrender to government authorities during a large rally in Caracas. Lopez, who has recently become a rising star among Maduro opponents, is alleged to have played a role in the 2002 coup attempt.

Lopez, the Harvard educated 42-year-old leader of the Popular Will party and a former mayor, is being held responsible for the casualties that have resulted as demonstrators continue to clash with government forces.

Oil stops flowing and the US will dirty its hands...