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posted by martyb on Wednesday May 01 2019, @06:11AM   Printer-friendly
from the no-comment dept.

Venezuela Crisis Live Updates: Clashes Erupt After Opposition Leader Calls for Uprising

• Clashes between anti-government protesters and law enforcement officers erupted in Caracas on Tuesday after the Venezuelan opposition leader, Juan Guaidó, appeared alongside soldiers at a military base and called for the population to rise up against the president, Nicolás Maduro.

• Mr. Guaidó has urged the Venezuela military to join his side since he declared himself interim president more than three months ago. But it was a new step for him to make the declaration with men in uniform by his side. Still, it is unclear how much of the military supports him.

• The Trump administration, which has backed Mr. Guaidó since he first declared himself interim president in January, expressed immediate support for his latest move. President Trump tweeted, "The United States stands with the People of Venezuela and their Freedom!"

• Video and photos showed at least one instance where an armored vehicle rammed protesters. It was not immediately clear how many people were injured.

See also: Venezuela's Guaidó accused of coup attempt by government

Previously: Turmoil in Venezuela Surrounding Aid Deliveries


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  • (Score: 0, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 01 2019, @06:24AM (8 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 01 2019, @06:24AM (#837098)

    Late-stage Socialism at work.

    Saddest thing about it, the guy who is trying to replace him is a "Socialist" as well. It's like you need to be next level retarded to get off at Socialism Central, and get right back on the same train to nowhere.

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  • (Score: 5, Informative) by c0lo on Wednesday May 01 2019, @06:54AM (6 children)

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday May 01 2019, @06:54AM (#837110) Journal

    Late-stage Socialism at work.

    Or... oil interest:
    Feb 2019 Be Wary of American Interest in Venezuela [columbia.edu]

    Indeed, the hypocrisy from the White House with regards to the stability of Venezuela is palpable. The United States has as its president an unabashed nationalist in Donald Trump, whose rallying “America First” dogma, anti-interventionist convictions, and continual retreat from global commitments helped carry him to the Oval Office and retain the enduring support of his base. Ordinarily, Trump displays a disinterest in, and perhaps ignorance of, issues of human rights and democracy beyond America’s shores. Yet in the case of Venezuela, we are witnessing his consideration for quelling unrest in a region that ranks quite low on the foreign policy concerns of the US.

    Feb 2019 John Bolton: “Big difference” if “US oil companies invest in & produce oil in Venezuela” [priceofoil.org]

    There is no doubt that Venezuela and Nicolás Maduro have been in Trump’s sights for a while, though, regardless of the poverty of the population. Last November, National Security Advisor, John Bolton labelled the country in his “troika of tyranny” speech, naming Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba. “The United States looks forward to watching each corner of the triangle fall: in Havana, in Caracas, in Managua.”

    But is oil a factor too? As Al Jazeera notes: “The White House is very clear – it wants to overthrow the governments in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua; and the US control over the world’s largest oil reserves.”

    Last month, Bolton told Fox News: “We’re in conversation with major American companies now. I think we’re trying to get to the same end result here. … It will make a big difference to the United States economically if we could have American oil companies really invest in and produce the oil capabilities in Venezuela.”

    You could see why America would be interested in securing the country’s oil and backing the opposition leader, Juan Guaidó, who declared himself interim president on 23 January.

    ---
    .. and maybe the next (proxy?) cold war (let's hope it stays at "maybe" and "cold"):

    March 2019 - Russia acknowledges presence of troops in Venezuela [theguardian.com]

    “Military experts are there; they are tasked with the practical implementation of provisions of military-technical cooperation agreements,” a Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman said in a televised briefing.
    ...
    A Kremlin spokesman denied Russia was meddling in Venezuela’s affairs, saying that the US “should follow our example and allow Venezuelans to decide their own fate”.

    Asked to clarify the nature of the cooperation, Dmitri Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said “military contracts, military equipment, military hardware”.

    Apr 2019 - China’s PLA Troops in Venezuela Is Game Changer [foreignpolicy.com]

    Unlike Russia, which has a history of force projection abroad, this is an extremely rare Chinese move. Although vital Chinese interests are at stake in the war against terrorist groups in Afghanistan and Syria, China refrained from publicising any such deployment.

    The reports mention that the group of Chinese military personnel is 120-strong and arrived on the Margarita Island in the Caribbean Sea off the Venezuelan mainland on March 28 ‘to deliver humanitarian aid and military supplies to the government forces.’ After delivering the humanitarian supplies, the Chinese PLA troops were apparently transferred to a Venezuelan military facility.
    ...
    Both Russia and China have heavily invested in Venezuela, the latter by far outstripping the former. According to a recent report in the LA Times,

    “Over the decade ending in 2016, China loaned Venezuela approximately $62 billion, much of which Caracas could repay with oil. Moscow in the last several years gave Venezuela $17 billion in loans and investment, and in December the two governments signed a new deal in which Russia will invest $6 billion in Venezuela’s oil and gold sectors.”

    “China and Russia are Venezuela’s two main creditors, and they have been the principal economic force keeping the Maduro government afloat, making the difference between solvency and bankruptcy, financial experts say.”

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
    • (Score: 4, Informative) by loonycyborg on Wednesday May 01 2019, @07:22AM (1 child)

      by loonycyborg (6905) on Wednesday May 01 2019, @07:22AM (#837123)

      If not for threat of nuclear annihilation this could easily escalate into world war. US is too proud to stop their government changing operation and Russia and China don't feel too subservient anymore.

      • (Score: 3, Informative) by c0lo on Wednesday May 01 2019, @07:31AM

        by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday May 01 2019, @07:31AM (#837126) Journal

        US MIC is too proud greedy to stop their government changing operation

        FTFY.
        Seems they feel hungry lately.

        --
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
    • (Score: 2) by aristarchus on Wednesday May 01 2019, @07:43AM

      by aristarchus (2645) on Wednesday May 01 2019, @07:43AM (#837130) Journal

      This is something of a tautology, but modding c0lo "informative" is almost by definition redundant. Post on, paduwan!

    • (Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday May 01 2019, @11:14AM (2 children)

      by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday May 01 2019, @11:14AM (#837173) Journal
      Sounds like we need to be more wary of Russian and Chinese interests in Venezuela.
      • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 01 2019, @12:48PM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 01 2019, @12:48PM (#837194)

        And why is that?
        No declaration of "do as we are telling you, or else..." from the Russians or the Chinese,
        Plenty [pbs.org] from [politico.com] the US [forbes.com] bully [vox.com]

        • (Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday May 02 2019, @02:04AM

          by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Thursday May 02 2019, @02:04AM (#837641) Journal

          No declaration of "do as we are telling you, or else..." from the Russians or the Chinese

          There are other ways to harm than bullying, such as material support for a tyrant.

  • (Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Wednesday May 01 2019, @05:08PM

    by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Wednesday May 01 2019, @05:08PM (#837380) Journal

    Right, because the CIA and the US have absolutely nothing to do with this, just like they've never ever ever ever done anything foul in Latin America, no sir.

    Who the fuck upmodded you?!

    --
    I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...