This past November, months before the trend was covered by the mainstream media, the Trends Journal forecast that the United States and its South America allies were ratcheting up war against Venezuela.
“Should the governments of Argentina, Columbia and Brazil team up to take out the Venezuelan government – with the assistance of the United States with its long history of inciting, planning and supporting military coups and social unrest throughout South and Central America – they all have enough weapons of mass destruction to destroy a good part of life on Earth. (See, Triangle of Death, Trends Journal, November 2018)”
In January, Juan Guaidó, the head of Venezuela’s National Assembly who had been primed and groomed by the Trump administration–meeting with U.S. officials and Senator Marco Rubio in Washington, staunch opponents of Venezuelan President Nicholás Maduro – swore himself in as interim president of Venezuela, directly attacking the duly elected president Maduro.
And on 26 January, officials from the UK, Spain, Germany and France demanded new elections be called within eight days or Guaidó would be recognized as president. Overall, of the world’s 195 nations, some 50 countries have denounced the Maduro government and support the self-proclaimed interim president Guaido as the leader of Venezuela.
Now, four months and several failed attempts later to overthrow the Maduro government, new elections have not been called and considering the lack of support he has received from the Venezuelan people and government institutions, it’s delusional to perceive Guaidó as a functioning interim president. Yet, the United States and the 50 nations still do.
FAILED COUP ESCALATES THREATS
The most recent Guaidó failure was this past 30 April when his call for the Venezuelan Army to rise against the Maduro government and for the people to join him fell on deaf ears, with only a few soldiers defecting and a few thousand people taking to the streets.
Nonetheless, it took the United States less than a day to threaten military intervention with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declaring that American “military action is possible…if that’s what’s required, that’s what the United States will do.”
And when asked a day after the failed coup attempt how he would respond if U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton offered military support, Guaidó replied: “Dear friend, ambassador John Bolton, thank you for all the help you have given to the just cause here. Thank you for the option, we will evaluate it, and will probably consider it in parliament to solve this crisis. If it’s necessary, maybe we will approve it.”
Then on 10 May, Guaidó was quoted in the Italian newspaper La Stampa as saying, “If the North Americans proposed a military intervention, I would probably accept it.”
And also on 10 May, Bolton, taking direct aim at countries that support Maduro, tweeted: “The subversion of democracy and sponsorship of repression in Venezuela by foreign military actors, namely Cuba, Russia, and Iran, will not be tolerated. Those actors are on notice.”
That was followed by an 11 May letter addressed to U.S. Southern Command Chief Navy Admiral Craig Faller, Venezuela’s U.S.-endorsed opposition party wrote it “welcomes the support of the United States and confirms our government’s willingness to begin discussions regarding the cooperation that has been offered.”
The letter, signed by Guaidó’s U.S. envoy Carlos Vecchio, further stated: “We welcome strategic and operational planning so that we may fulfill our constitutional obligation to the Venezuelan people in order to alleviate their suffering and restore our democracy.”
Despite Pompeo’s threat that “every country that is interfering with the Venezuelan people’s right to restore their own democracy needs to leave,” Maduro is still backed by Russia and China which are deeply financially invested in Venezuela, and other countries.
ORCHESTRATED RISE TO POWER
As we have underscored in our ongoing analysis, the 35-year-old Guaidó, referred to by the media as “right wing,” was virtually unknown before leading the opposition earlier this year and swearing himself in as interim president of Venezuela.
His Washington-choreographed rise to power was fueled by a propaganda campaign designed to brand Maduro’s victory in the election as a fraud.
In media releases, press conferences, interviews with media, across social media and plastered on official state department websites, President Trump’s administration and with ample support from both sides of congress, branded Maduro’s election as “heavily rigged,” “fraudulent,” “a sham,” “a joke” and “a disgrace.”
Barely reported, however, was the fact that elections in Venezuela were closely monitored by several international monitoring organizations that affirmed their fairness.
Moreover, the Venezuelan government asked the United Nations to send teams to monitor election fairness and accuracy last May but a successful U.S.-led effort blocked that request.
Nonetheless, the propaganda campaign against Maduro was armed and ready to launch in January, exemplified by President Trump’s definitive declaration (23 January): “Maduro is no longer president of Venezuela. I will continue to use the full weight of United States economic and diplomatic power to press for the restoration of Venezuelan democracy.”
Further, Bolton, Vice President Mike Pence, Pompeo, Republican and Democratic leaders and, of course, a supportive Presstitute media, have all used the same buzzwords to label Maduro as an illegitimate dictator and Guaidó as the true president.
A SUFFERING COUNTRY
Marked by deepening economic depression, greatly worsened by America’s economic sanctions… exploding emigration, accelerating scarcity of food, clean water, electricity, housing and other basic staples of daily life, the nation has long teetered on the edge of implosion. Venezuela’s currency, the Bolivar, is essentially worthless. And by the end of this year unemployment is expected to reach 44 percent and the International Monetary Fund predicts that Venezuela’s inflation rate will reach 10 million percent… making it the worst case of hyperinflation in modern history.
With the nation in steep decline, the United Nations estimates 5.3 million Venezuelans will leave their country by the end of 2019.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: For decades, America’s playbook on intervening in the affairs
of other nations, predicated on promoting the guise of bringing “Freedom and Democracy” to countries in crisis, has logged one dismal, indisputable failure after another.
“Exceptional” America is exceptional at making desperate, bad situations much worse… Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Honduras, Ukraine, Yemen, to name just a few.
Continuing down that same road in Venezuela, the Trump administration hired Iraq warmonger cheerleader Elliott Abrams, who championed the Latin American death squads that slaughtered tens of thousands.
Speaking of Abrams, who was convicted in the Iran-Contra scandal in which Ronald Reagan’s administration secretly funded paramilitary groups in Nicaragua, Pompeo praised Elliott saying he “will be a true asset to our mission to help the Venezuelan people fully restore democracy and prosperity to their country.”
Once again, there is virtually no formidable, widespread opposition among the people, Congress or the leading Democratic candidates in the Presidential Reality Show® condemning America’s overt intervention in Venezuela.
Earlier this year, Sen. Marco Rubio said about Maduro’s future: “It’s just a matter of time. The only thing we don’t know is how long it will take — and whether it will be peaceful or bloody.”
Today, considering Guaido’s failures to overthrow the Maduro government, the trend line points to a “bloody” path. TJ
TRENDPOST
As the “Triangle of Death” trend line strengthens following the most recent failed coup attempt, military action by the U.S. appears far more likely.
Further, as the turmoil escalates the explosive effects will spread far beyond the region.
On the economic front, if oil prices spike, the implications on the already slowing global economy will not only push nations into recession, it will sharply increase equity market volatility, which will in turn drive gold prices higher as investors seek safe haven assets.
Further, a war with Venezuela will spread throughout the region, escalating the Human Wave of refugees fleeing the violence, mayhem and destruction.