By Gregory William
The Trump administration has made no secret that they want to overthrow the democratically elected government of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela. Trump (with the Democrats following his lead) has thrown his support behind right-wing forces surrounding Juan Guaidó, who simply declared himself president in January. These extreme right-wingers want to overturn every gain made by the Venezuelan people. They want to make cuts to healthcare, education, and everything else that actually lifts up workers. They want to privatize Venezuela’s natural resources, including oil and gas, so that the rich can amass even more wealth. There is nothing good about anything Guaidó and his supporters plan to do.
As part of Washington’s escalation against the Venezuelan people and government, Trump signed an executive order at the beginning of August imposing what amounts to a full embargo against the country. Trump’s war-mongering National Security Advisor, John Bolton, announced the new policy at a meeting in Lima, Peru. Keep in mind that Bolton played a key role in the George W. Bush administration’s attacks on Iraq, and he has made a speaking career for himself going around the world promoting war against Iran. His policies devastated the Middle East, resulting in the deaths of millions, including thousands of U.S. soldiers who died for no reason (except to secure profits for U.S. weapons manufacturers and oil conglomerates).
Economic embargoes are war by other means. The primary victims are ordinary people, with children and the elderly being the most vulnerable and the most impacted. Economists Mark Weisbrot and Jeffrey Sachs conducted an extensive study that came out in April 2019, concluding that U.S. government sanctions against Venezuela have already killed 40,000 people. They wrote, “the sanctions are depriving Venezuelans of life-saving medicines, medical equipment, food, and other essential imports. American sanctions are deliberately aiming to wreck Venezuela’s economy and thereby lead to regime change.”
On August 10, thousands of Venezuelans flooded the streets of Caracas to protest the U.S. embargo. Many held signs and banners that said #NoMoreTrump! The embargo is an act of economic terrorism intended to crush every last vestige of democracy in Venezuela and to bolster the rich at the expense of the working class. As workers, we must stand in solidarity with the Venezuelan people and call for an end to U.S. imperialism.