The US Treasury Department issued a license today on its Venezuela sanctions package authorizing the exportation or reexportation of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to Venezuela through July 8, 2022. However, the measure having a positive impact is far from a given (thread)
LPG's main use in Venezuela is as cooking gas. Severe shortages as a result of US sanctions have forced many people to resort to wood for cooking, adding extra difficulties in day-to-day life, health issues and causing deforestation
So on the surface, if the measure allows Vzla to address these shortages it will be a welcome step from the Biden administration. It is also the first sign that Washington is listening to the growing chorus denouncing sanctions for what they are: murderous collective punishment
That being said, the license blocks the gov't and PDVSA from paying with petroleum products or through other blocked companies. Therefore, if PDVSA cannot access financial markets and cannot do swap agreements, how the hell is it supposed to pay for LPG???
So we'll keep optimism that it might be a sign of more (actual) sanctions relief or that a loophole will emerge. Because on the surface this is like saying "you can buy from this store but we don't accept your currency and won't let anyone pay for you" #SanctionsKill
As always, count on the corporate media not to raise these points, but kudos as always to Reuters. In its attempt to justify sanctions it brings up the reheated unproven (false) "election rigging" accusations. But that's not the best part! (cont)
The delusional cherry on top of the American exceptionalism cake is this bit: "The Biden admin. has sought more input [...] as it seeks to put the country on a path to fair elections."
As if it was up to a murderous, decadent empire to put anyone "on a path to fair elections"!
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Solidarity from Venezuela did not take long in the face of US-backed unrest in Cuba. Foreign minister @jaarreaza: "the revolutionary people of Cuba are out on the streets protecting their sovereignty and dignity"
Though not Venezuela-related, here are a few more elements of the "spontaneous" protests in Cuba we know so far. Pro-government crowds took to the streets following President Díaz-Canel's call to face the anti-govt efforts
As with Venezuelan opposition rallies, the US flag is out in no time. No wonder Chávez called them "pitiyanquís" ("little yankees" or "yankee wannabes"). Given the umbilical cord tying all Cuban opposition efforts to Washington, it's really no surprise
When it comes to effortless imperialist cheerleading, no one can top the Wall Street Journal. The headline already says it all, as apparently China buying oil from Iran and Venezuela has something to do with Biden. American exceptionalism in a nutshell
The entire article is built around this premise. China buying oil from Iran and Venezuela kind of ruins US regime change plans. Or as the @WSJ puts it, it's a "challenge to two Biden administration foreign-policy priorities"
We won't go into all the falsehoods about Iran and the nuclear deal, since that's outside our jurisdiction. The Vzla bits are egregious enough: "the U.S. has been trying to use sanctions to pressure the Maduro regime into holding credible democratic elections." #SanctionsKill
You'll forgive Venezuelans for not really seeing Biden as the "lesser evil".
And major kudos as always to Reuters for its imperialist stenography, just surrendering the floor to the anonymous White House official
The typical example: "Maduro, who calls Guaido a U.S. puppet..."
Right, this disgraceful lowlife who acts on Washington orders, holds assets the US stole from Vzla and calls for US sanctions or even an invasion. Yet it's *Maduro's opinion* that he's a US puppet...
One of the empire's most trusted propaganda weapons, the Washington Post, is back at it. Regime change propaganda now has a shiny environmental cover. And "world must act" is code for "military intervention to return decadent elites to power"
The piece has too many falsehoods and distortions to pick apart one by one. The fall in oil revenues is presented as a deliberate Maduro effort, and sanctions are later mentioned as "having not been effective in bringing about a peaceful democratic transition in Venezuela"
There's talk of rising malaria cases w/o mentioning how the US blockade has stopped/delayed vaccine purchases. The authors rail against obscure trade channels but don't find it relevant to tell readers that Venezuela's state mining company was sanctioned
One perk of being a US puppet (besides tons of stolen cash) is the hagiographic portrayal by the corporate media. Case in point: the NYT's recent piece about self-proclaimed @jguaido. But even the paper of record sees the writing on the wall (long thread) nytimes.com/2021/02/13/wor…
The NYT wants you to shed a tear for all these disgraceful US puppets and the "toll" they've suffered just for trying to overthrow the elected government. How dare the gov't threat to arrest people who did nothing more than call for a military coup or a foreign invasion?
Still, for all the Times' effort to portray this buffoon as a misunderstood hero, there's no hiding that nobody takes him seriously anymore. The report mentions opposition leaders who already call the pretend gov't for the joke it is, others who want to take part in elections
As the Bolivian people celebrate their historic victory over US imperialism and its lackeys, we will not forget the Western “left” media outlets and intellectuals who helped pave the way for the November 10, 2019 coup and subsequently legitimized it. fair.org/home/how-the-g…
Nor will we forget the role these “progressive” platforms continue to play in amplifying corporate media propaganda rationalizing the murderous US assault on Venezuela. venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/14788