This might sound like a broken record, but @Reuters reporting is really beyond disgraceful. This is a piece about efforts to reestablish diplomatic/trade relations between Colombia and Venezuela. It was the Colombian Senate which took the initiative news.trust.org/item/202110202…
The beginning gives away that we're in for a bias bonanza: "After two years of mudslinging and ruptured ties, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said it was necessary to repair diplomatic relations with Colombia." "Mudslinging"? Not hiding efforts to thrash Maduro from the off
Then we read that VP Delcy Rodríguez demanded attention to "what she called the Col gov's policy of xenophobia and violence against Vzlan migrants." No mention that this comes after the gruesome killing of 2 Vzlan minors in Colombia. Context shall not get in the way of dishonesty
Colombian president and porky pig impersonator Duque gets the floor to, well, sling mud. As a US puppet he's not to be challenged
"What Colombia is not going to do is recognize a disgraceful, corrupt, drug trafficker dictatorship," Duque said
We wouldn't even know where to begin
First of all, whether Duque likes it or not, he does "recognize" the Maduro govt, because the only border crossing that self-proclaimed @jguaido controls is his building's intercom. "Disgraceful" is rich from a country where on average a social activist is killed every other day
But the most ludicrous part is "drug trafficking". We're talking about the continent's largest drug producer, and it's not close. And even US agencies know the drugs flow north via the Pacific and Central America. It takes real will to serve US interests to let this nonsense fly
And it gets worse (see image). "Aiding the Vzlan opp bring in humanitarian aid" meaning Maduro is the bitter dictator who rejected aid. Only there was hardly any "aid" in what was a stunt to provoke a break in the Vzlan army. Count on stenographers to continue peddling these lies
How big of an imperialist cheerleader do you have to be to use "self-proclaimed" w/o it being in reference to Guaidó? Also the US puppet who has said things freely gets to call Maduro a "dictator," while the demonized humanitarian-aid-hating Maduro only gets a counter-accusation
Colombia's role in coup efforts has been well established, but corporate journos want readers to ignore them w/ the tried and tested "Maduro says" trick. To name just a few
- May 2020 mercenary invasion
- Aug 2018 drone assassination attempt
- May 2004 100+ paramilitaries caught
Anyway, this is the kind of imperialist propaganda that has become the norm. The US-led coup efforts have failed miserably but the corporate media has more than done its part, endorsing everything from mercenary invasions to murderous sanctions. Follow VA to get your antibodies
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Venezuela and Iran are coming together with a united front against US sanctions.
The countries are reportedly preparing a 20-year cooperation accord, adding to current agreements (oil sector chiefly). President Maduro is due to visit Tehran in the coming months.
Recap🧵🧵
"Cruelty as usual for the US." An accurate description by @LeonardoEFA from @codepink of the US Treasury's sanctions review.
The report focuses on finding more "modern" ways to kill people with sanctions, sparking harsh criticism from advocacy groups. venezuelanalysis.com/news/15357
In 2019, Juan Guaidó got his hands on Venezuelan assets abroad. Now, they are all at risk of being handed over to creditors by US courts.
Oil giant ConocoPhillips is a step closer to ripping apart prized asset CITGO to collect an arbitration award. venezuelanalysis.com/news/15358
When it comes to ConocoPhillips, the US-backed Venezuelan opposition is a gift that keeps on giving. And giving here means giving the oil giant ever better chances of seizing billions-worth of Venezuelan assets. Legendary incompetence or something more? Let's take a look 🧵🧵🧵
The latest development is that the ICSID (World Bank arbitration tribunal) has suspended proceedings to annul an $8.5B award given to ConocoPhillips for a 2007 nationalization of its assets. Why? Because the Juan Guaidó merry band of idiots did not fulfill its payment obligations
This is especially significant because the US-backed pretend administration caught a lot of heat for not showing up in a DC court where ConocoPhillips is looking to have its award enforced. We explained it at length in this piece venezuelanalysis.com/news/15340
On #20Oct, 2012, Hugo Chávez gave his last public speech packed with self-criticism and strategic lines on Venezuela's transition towards socialism.
The 3h+ long historic broadcast is considered his political testament, with Chavista people baptizing it "Strike at the Helm." 🧵
Hugo Chávez's "Strike at the Helm" speech focused on a new cycle of the Bolivarian Process, with the leader calling for "radicalization" and turning the wheel towards socialism by transforming the economic landscape from the bottom-up.
Social property was key in Chávez' vision.
"Is building a highway the goal?" asked Chávez, "Or is it changing the entire geographical-human, socio-territorial and cultural relationship with its surroundings the goal?"
The Vzlan leader demanded territorializing the socialist model to break away from the capitalist logic.
🧵The Juan Guaidó experience has been full of what we could (generously) call "unconventional" antics. Pointless infomercials, a banana-fueled coup attempt, a pathetic mercenary invasion, etc. Now w/ the focus on Vzlan foreign assets, the self-proclaimed one continues to surprise
Vzla is facing a bunch of legal cases thanks to pro-corporate int'l arbitration tribunals. The "interim govt", the one "recognized" in US courts, has decided that its strategy is going to be "when the creditors arrive let's just turn off the lights and pretend we're not home"
Yes, you read it right. The US-backed Venezuelan opposition (or its representation) is simply not showing up in court. This allows judges to greenlight corporations' efforts to collect the arbitration awards by moving to seize Venezuelan assets (more on this below)
Well, that didn't take long. It seemed like the European Union was taking a step forward and striking a better tone than Washington by sending an observation mission to the upcoming regional elections. But no, this decadent colonial mentality came to the fore in no time (thread)
There's (justified) controversy about statements made today by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. In some pointless forum, Borrell said the EU is in Venezuela to "accompany" the opposition and that its presence "offers" guarantees to the opposition. Plain cheerleading really
The EU mission is (in theory?) meant to observe the election, and this high-profile suit says they want to hold the opposition's hand through this traumatic experience that is an election. Moreover, Borrell says it's the EU report that'll determine the "legitimacy" of the process
Reuters has been a reliable regime-change enthusiast, but it used to have a more "sophisticated" bias than other corporate outlets. Not anymore. The level of dishonesty is just staggering, even in a piece with just a handful of paragraphs (thread) reuters.com/world/americas…
This is one of the recurring lies. The heroic Vzlan opposition, backed by the generosity of Washington and Bogotá, wanted to bring "humanitarian aid" into Venezuela, and Maduro the monster blocked it. Surely the world's benevolent empire is justified in trying to oust him
Sadly for corporate journos, the truth is different. The Red Cross refused to take part b/c the operation was "not humanitarian aid." USAID itself said the aid would only feed 5,000 Vzlans for a few days. It was a circus meant to trigger a break in the armed forces, and it failed