The US Empire & its Protectorate

Last Wednesday, President Trump said, “Now I love Venezuela, I love it… We are importing a lot of oil from Venezuela… Billions and billions of barrels of oil.”

He didn’t love the country before he overthrew Maduro and “seized control of Venezuela’s oil resources,” according to the New York Times.

He loves Venezuela now that “the country’s vast natural wealth [is] open to American businesses.” The Times wrote that Washington turned Venezuela into “a protectorate,” with a puppet government.

The Times wrote that President Trump installed President Delcy Rodríguez as President of Venezuela. Delcy Rodríguez “is running the country under instructions from the Trump administration.”

In other words, Delcy Rodríguez is running a dictatorship under instructions from the Trump administration. The Times admits that the Venezuelan government “remains authoritarian” under Rodríguez.

But Washington approves of Delcy’s dictatorship as long as she takes her orders from Washington. The Times reported, “Ms. Rodríguez overhauled the country’s oil law,” in favor of ExxonMobil, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips.

It’s now openly admitted that Washington overthrew Maduro and installed Rodríguez to pry open Venezuela to US businesses.

C.I.A. director, John Ratcliffe, told the Cubans that they were “the next Venezuela.” The Times admitted, “The Trump administration wants Cuba to… open up to American businesses.” In order to open up Cuba to American businesses, “The U.S. government has imposed a de facto blockade on Cuba, bringing the island into crisis.”

The U.S. oil blockade is a set of “aggressive economic measures aimed at starving the Cuban government of cash.” For nearly seven months, the US has “prevented the arrival of oil to” Cuba. The Times wrote that the U.S. oil blockade “set off an increasingly agonizing energy crisis that,” forced the “collapse of [Cuba’s] education [system].”

The Wall Street Journal said the US oil blockade “has pushed [Cuba] into its worst ever energy crisis, with mass blackouts now lasting nearly all day.”

United Nations human rights experts condemned the “threats and coercion” by the US against Cuba. The US “knowingly deprive[s] a population of the means to survive.”Cuba experiences “severe shortages of food, medicine and frequent blackouts throughout the country.”

The US uses “Food… as an instrument of political pressure” to impose “a full-blown [humanitarian] crisis” against Cuba.

Washington’s aggression and economic warfare cause “a full-blown [humanitarian] crisis” in Cuba. The Wall Street Journal reported that “Cubans are clearly suffering.” Cuba’s economy is unraveling because of the “consistent strangulation coming from the Trump administration.”

Yet, despite the full-blown crisis, the Times revealed that the “C.I.A. has secretly established a Cuba task force, setting in motion plans for a more concerted campaign to pressure the Cuban government.”

Washington won’t stop its strangulation of Cuba even during a crisis. Washington simply squeezes tighter. UN human rights experts advised governments “act quickly to prevent Cuba from becoming a ‘silent Gaza.’”

US taxpayers must raise their voice and demand their government stop using food “as an instrument of political pressure,” against Cuba.

-Anton Porcari