Pence announces new sanctions in effort to unseat Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro
Source: The Washington Post
By Anne Gearan, Anthony Faiola and Carol Morello February 25 at 12:05 PM
BOGOTA, Colombia — In a meeting with regional leaders, Vice President Pence on Monday announced minor new U.S. sanctions against loyalists of President Nicolás Maduro and called on other nations to follow the Trump administration’s lead in freezing the assets of Venezuela’s state oil giant PDVSA — a move meant to further cut Maduro’s international cash flow.
Following a weekend that saw the Venezuela military and pro-government militias violently put down an opposition attempt to break Maduro’s blockade of humanitarian aid, Pence arrived in Bogota to reiterate that Washington will not back away from diplomatic confrontation. His trip comes as some in the Venezuelan opposition have begun openly calling for the use of “force” to oust Maduro’s socialists from power.
Pence did not publicly back immediate military force, but reiterated a long standing administration stance that all options were being considered.
“As we continue to bring economic and diplomatic pressure to bear on the Maduro regime, we hope for a peaceful transition to democracy, but as President Trump has made clear, all options are on the table,” Pence said.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/pence-to-address-regional-leaders-about-unseating-venezuelan-president-nicolas-maduro/2019/02/25/afd5da74-390c-11e9-a2cd-307b06d0257b_story.html
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yaesu
(8,020 posts)Perseus
(4,341 posts)I hate to tell you but when Chavez smelled the sulfur the stench was coming from himself, and I am no fan of GW Bush...
It is OK to not like Pence, and I don't like him, but to bash Pence when the other side is worst shows a need to inform oneself of the real situation in Venezuela.
Please read more about it, Venezuelans do want the USA and its coalition to intervene to get rid of the cancer that has taken over the country and sucked all of the people's resources.
yaesu
(8,020 posts)meddling in Latin America, just don't want to see it repeated
https://www.yachana.org/teaching/resources/interventions.html
GatoGordo
(2,412 posts)You remember history, but offer no solutions.
atreides1
(16,079 posts)Pence really isn't much better then Maduro...if he had his way he would have every gay American in a conversion camp! Elliot Abrams already has a history of trying to cover up a massacre carried out by US trained personnel, and Bolton hasn't met a war he didn't love, especially when he doesn't have to put his ass on the line!!!
By the way in case you weren't paying attention, currently in Yemen the Saudis who are trained by the US military and using equipment provided by the US are doing a bang up job of killing innocent men, women and children! The US has done it's share of killing children and oldsters in places like Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan!
So let's hear your solution to this problem...without Pence and his little circus of clowns!!!
GatoGordo
(2,412 posts)Do you think food and medicine for a nation of 29 million just gets pulled out of someones ass?
There are VERY FEW nations who can pull off a large scale humanitarian exercise. Russia and China don't give a shit. They just want to be a pain in the ass to Uncle Sam, and their loans repaid. The EU? They can't decide how outraged they want to be.
Do you believe that Venezuelans are suffering? (Either you believe it, or you don't). If you don't believe that they are suffering, then you join the Chavista regime in that denial.
Maduro refuses aid from the United States (¡El Imperio! ¡Capitalistas!), because he denies any humanitarian crisis exists. Yet 16 days later, will accept humanitarian aid from Russia or China (neither offering aid) for a humanitarian crisis that he says doesn't exist?
WTF???
So there are your choices.
1. Let them die. There is no crisis. (The Maduro Plan)
2. Assist them with food and drugs. (even if it means the the US flag appears on an aid box)
This "military adventurism" angle is a red herring used by the fringe left to justify Chavismo as legitimate governance.
Jake Stern
(3,145 posts)Where was this zeal when it came to the tyrant Robert Mugabe or the military junta in Burma? They produced humanitarian crises far, far worse than the current leadership of VZ.
Noticed there isn't much appetite on here for invading Sudan to topple a regime has literally committed genocide.
The people of Turkmenistan could sure use some freedom from what Human Rights Watch calls one of the most oppressive governments on earth.
Can't help but wonder how many Dems who are now giving "humanitarian" military intervention the okey dokey were the same ones out in the street in opposition when we invaded dictator Saddam Hussein's Iraq.
oldsoftie
(12,548 posts)And as i said elsewhere, that guy could come from Columbia or any other neighboring country besieged by the massive flow of starving people out of that failed state.
Perseus
(4,341 posts)Maduro does not control Venezuela, Raul Castro does, and the Russians are slowly moving in, if the USA and the coalition do nothing, the World will become a very dangerous place, South America will become what Iraq, Syria and other places in the middle east are.
I am so surprised that on the topic of Venezuela their is so much of a narrow view by the members of DU, things are not that simple, Venezuela is a key country for the USA and the World, GW Bush, Obama should have done more during their tenure, and they did not, now it has gone to very dangerous levels and unless the regime is removed, it will be a big win for Cuba and Putin.
You also underestimate the security that Cuba provides to Maduro, why do you think Fidel Castro lived so long? How many times did the USA and other countries try to get rid of Fidel Castro? He died a natural death, they were never able to get him, and that security by Cuba is protecting, not so much Maduro as he is a puppet, but their interests in Venezuela.
oldsoftie
(12,548 posts)i totally agree VZ needs to be rid of Maduro. The difference between them and Cuba and the rest is that the people are rising up. ANd Maduro will control less and less of the country going forward. His oil is worthless, his military has started defecting. Hopefully that will accelerate.
But its tough for the US to do anything forceful without the agreement of VZs neighboring countries
Perseus
(4,341 posts)It is not the USA only, it is USA/England/Brazil/Colombia, and if you are not from Venezuela or live there then you may not understand how dire the situation there is, and why they want so much for the coalition to come in and take away those thugs.
Its more surreal to find people opposing it when they don't seem to know the reality of the situation the Venezuelan people live today, it is similar to what Hitler did.
You think things are good there? Then take a trip, go for a nice vacation.
Cold War Spook
(1,279 posts)we would not have done anything. The problem with the US is it knows how to invade countries, it does not know what to do once it has invaded a country.
Jake Stern
(3,145 posts)Double points for recycling an old RW talking point!
That is, almost verbatim, what right wingers were saying in the lead up to the invasion of Iraq. What's next? Calling opponents "Maduro's Angels"?
Perseus
(4,341 posts)"Maduro's Angels"...what does that mean?
I don't think you are well informed about the situation in Venezuela. I talk to people who live there on a daily basis, at least try to rebut my points with facts, and maybe you can explain that "Angels" stuff...not sure what it means.
And last, I am not right wing, far from it...and anyway, when have you heard right wingers talk like that?
Not sure what you mean with "double points" either...I do mean it...take a vacation there, right now seems to be the best time for an adventure.
GatoGordo
(2,412 posts)You ought to take notes from one of the Latin American forum's Spam Queen.
If there is truly a humanitarian crisis (there is, I have a good friend there helping his parents) this is another area where the US and Trump have truly damaged the world order. The situation seems ready made for a UN humanitarian intervention and new elections. However, we have abdicated credibility and leadership within that body.
GatoGordo
(2,412 posts)They deny any humanitarian crisis exists.
So the UN angle is a dead end.
Mr. Smith
(65 posts)...you might want to reconsider your position.
Jake Stern
(3,145 posts)Bolton hasn't met a war he didn't like.
SSDD - just like the Iraqis were "begging" us to intervene, that we would be welcomed as liberators and that we'd be done in 6 months.
Perseus
(4,341 posts)then you align with whomever can help them. You also seem to miss the point that this is not a USA enterprise, it is a coalition.
Many here do not seem to understand the implications of allowing Cuba to continue to rule Venezuela, they are the ones pulling the strings there, and are trying to align with Putin.
It is a bit disappointing that at DU we all become frustrated at MAGA people because they don't listen, they don't try to find the facts, all their answers are based on ideology and ignorance, and in this topic of Venezuela the same thing seems to be happening here.
Don't believe what I write, do your own research then determine, from facts, what you think is right, but blind ideology doesn't work.
If the right-wingers are the only ones who understand the implication of loosing Venezuela to Putin, then this is a moment when they are on the right side of history, anyone debating this issue without facts is jumping to conclusions because of ideology, and that is a shame. Democrats are supposed to be more open minded, more liberal, we refuse to fall for fake information, to the anger of many, because of our open mindedness, many democrats become frustrated due to people learning the facts and acting on it, but that is not what I am seeing here.
I am ok to be proven wrong, but this is a topic that I know very well, I know people in Venezuela, I talk to them on a daily basis, and the people I know come from all facets of society. There is hunger, no medicines, there is massive government corruption, people are dying, people are being tortured, mostly young people who have dared to protest, and you are more worried that someone at this moment agrees with some republicans?
Yes, Elliot Abrams worries me, but not the rest, if they help England, Colombia and Brazil help Venezuela, I am ok with that.
MRubio
(285 posts)......for them, it's a badge of honor to show the revolutionary masses that they're doing their part.
Of course, what's never mentioned on ChavezTV by these governors (and ANC members) who all rant against the imperialist devil, is that most all of them have bank accounts in the States and visas to visit. Plenty of them also own properties in the US.
Being in charge of the revolution must be rewarding and profitable gig.
oldsoftie
(12,548 posts)DU members are gonna have a hard time backing trump on anything, especially any military action.
Also, We have a smaller faction that will ALWAYS defer to "revolution" by Chavez types. You've seen their OPs. You likely are better educated on the VZ topic than 90% of the people here. I support your assertions. But Brazil recently said we cant use THEIR country for any military action. I dont know about the others. If something does happen, i would hope we could pull together a coalition similar to what HW Bush did in Kuwait.
MRubio
(285 posts).........for the record I'm not in favor of military intervention and am still holding out hope that one can be avoided. What's that old saying about military plans and that first shot fired?
George W. Bush did nothing but support a bungled coup attempt at a time when Hugo Chavez still probably enjoyed support by a majority of the population. That failed coup attempt most certainly pushed Chavez to double down on his "project" by doing everything possible to take complete control of the government and economy as quickly as possible. And as luck would have it, he enjoyed sky-rocketing oil prices to bolster and support his plans. Check out the linked graph of historical oil prices and place your cursor on April 2002 to see what I mean.
https://www.macrotrends.net/1369/crude-oil-price-history-chart
Sanctions are working today. This regime has been on its heels like I've never seen before but they've made it clear they're not going down without a fight. I think even more strict sanctions will be required to finally see this thing resolved.
GatoGordo
(2,412 posts)Leon Trotsky, Lenin, Stalin, Mao and Che Guevara?
George II
(67,782 posts)Jake Stern
(3,145 posts)GatoGordo
(2,412 posts)PdVSA can't pump out its own oil. It can't refine its own oil. It buys gasoline from Mexico. It has invested ZERO over the last 20 years in upgrade and maintenance.
That's a far cry from the glory days of self sufficiency pre-Chavez. It will take an estimated $40 billion to get PdVSA back to where it was 20 years ago.
GatoGordo
(2,412 posts)That is what Chavismo is offering. Genocide.
Military adventurism is Venezuela is what nobody wants, except the Orange Menace. You are foisting your world view upon those who ONLY seek to offer humanitarian aid.
Why the love for Maduro and Bolivarian Socialism?
ripcord
(5,404 posts)Topples Maduro and pulls out right away leaving him looking good in the eyes of many Americans.
Perseus
(4,341 posts)Let Putin take control of Venezuela, and subsequently take control of all South America, just so that the orange buffoon will not look good...wow.
oldsoftie
(12,548 posts)GatoGordo
(2,412 posts)Into a cesspool.
oldsoftie
(12,548 posts)
JonLP24
(29,322 posts)Economic sanctions lead to an increase in the poverty gap and deprived sections of the population feel the most impact.
For the most part sanctions fail to achieve their aims and elites manage to negotiate the adverse effects to a far greater level than poorer citizens.
Sanctions have a damaging effect on income inequality and impact ordinary people more than the sanctioned country’s leaders.
Sanctions tend to harm rural and non-industrialised areas more, as resources are refocused in power and production centres.
Economic sanctions have a negative impact on the cost of reconstruction and economic growth following the lifting of the sanction(s) or regime change.
Sanctioned regimes often attempt to magnify the sanctions’ negative effect on the economy to prevent the population from revolting.
https://gsdrc.org/publications/impact-of-economic-sanctions-on-poverty-and-economic-growth/
