🧵🧵🧵We just came across an incredible piece from the Financial Times (not in a good way). It has a remarkable blend of fallacious arguments, outright lies, bias, and lack of standards. This is a long thread, so bear with us!
This is the article in question from @FT (tinyurl.com/y32pmvtk). You can tell from the off that you're in for a ride because it's based on this assumption that the West "presses for free and fair elections" when this in fact has happened less frequently than Yeti sightings
FT "journalists" must get a bonus for every use of the word "authoritarian." It's not often that a piece starts w/ an outright falsehood, b/c "democracy" never left Venezuela, only the US didn't like election results. But this apocalyptic tone is worthy of a good chuckle
Notice how corporate outlets don't even bother arguing what was wrong w/ the 2018 election, there's not even a hyperlink. It's really the cheapest way to justify a string of regime-change efforts, not to mention sanctions that have killed over 100,000 #SanctionsKill
It's worth remembering how in 2020 these same journalists were losing their sh*t b/c Trump was alleging fraud. "HE PRESENTED NO EVIDENCE" they would scream. Yet here no one cares, the US State Dept said so, that's good enough for these glorified stenographers
It's worse than reversing the burden of proof (on the legitimacy of the 2018 elections and thus Maduro as president). It's not "guilty until proven innocent", it's "guilty until Washington declares you innocent." Which entails concessions to its clueless surrogates
By the way, assassination attempts, threats of military invasion, international isolation and (we would add) wide-reaching deadly sanctions are the west's way of "pressing" for "free and fair elections" (here it's code for regime-change)
From a revolutionary standpoint the yardstick for "democracy" goes beyond just holding elections. But Maduro has all the right to boast given this is the highest liberal democracies aspire to. And that's what bothers the US and its allies so much
How dare Lula do something without getting permission from the White House first??? It's like he does not understand that this is the US' "backyard"! Seriously, though, do these imperialist propagandists ever hear themselves? Just so high on their own supply...
It's too big a detour to tackle the bias of the ICC investigation, which Caracas has denounced as "judicial colonialism" (which isn't to say there have been no human rights issues). As for the "NaRcOtErRoRiSm", it requires as much evidence as the "election fraud" for the media
Well, good for them for not meddling in other countries' affairs. However, they *did* criticize the main driver of this migration wave (to call them "refugees" is false): deadly US sanctions that have terribly worsened economic difficulties. Even Chile's disappointing guy did so
To get this straight: b/c Biden granted ONE license, that allows Chevron limited operations while placing hurdles at every turn for Venezuela to receive revenues, it's no longer "maximum pressure"? Should we call it "99% pressure" or something? Just so, so dishonest
The FT doesn't say it, but this was more of a "concession" to Chevron. And (see right image) it's hilarious that the non-release of funds is treated as some kind of natural disaster, when these resources are being held in the US and other western countries
Another case of blaming the victim. According to these propagandists, it's perfectly legitimate for Washington to impose unilateral sanctions and enforce them extraterritorially. But Vzla is in the wrong for "dodging" them. Also here it sounds like Maduro drove the ships himself
No offense, but the EU doesn't really grant anyone "legitimacy," it's just a club of fancy-dressed bureaucrats that profess a kind of low-calorie imperialism. Plus the EU already sent a mission for the 2021 elections and didn't really find major issues. So they'd be flip-flopping
We have to correct the right honorable stenographers here.The attempts to "recognize" the "alternative government" were quite successful, the clown-in-chief was even paraded in western capitals and given head-of-state receptions. It was ousting the actual gov't that proved tricky
Anyway, that's all in this latest edition of "corporate media dishonesty" on Venezuela. Be sure to follow us on your favorite social network to get accurate reporting & analysis, and these takedowns of dishonest propaganda as a bonus. To support us visit: venezuelanalysis.com/donate
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The Venezuelan National Assembly approved a reform to the country’s Hydrocarbon Law in its first discussion. A second discussion and final vote are expected soon. This is arguably the country’s most important piece of legislation, so let’s look at what’s at stake 🧵🧵🧵
Some background: Venezuela’s present energy legislation was established under the Hugo Chávez govts. It was first approved in 2001 and later had some amendments. In essence, it reaffirmed the state’s sovereignty over natural resources and established control over the oil industry
Chávez’s reforms mandate that state oil company PDVSA hold majority stakes (in some cases at least 60%) and run oilfield operations. Taxes on oil profits were set 50%, royalties were raised (in some cases from 1%) to 30% across the board
The bar is always high (or low, rather), but every now and then the New York Times delivers an all-time masterpiece of journalistic dishonesty and pliant service to US imperialism. This is a piece about (imaginary ties) between Hezbollah and Venezuela: 🧵 archive.is/FPrMQ
First off, the US kidnapped/abducted Maduro. But US exceptionalism runs so deep that corporate stenographers believe Washington can just "seize" foreign leaders. But the relevant part here is that all we have here are claims by Rubio and US officials
This section is just empty fluff meant to malign Iran and Venezuela. Notice the nonsense of saying the countries are "bound by anti-American ideology" like it's some kind of bad taste in music, as opposed to the result of decades of imperialist attacks
A controversial afternoon (on Twitter) after the orangeman-in-chief lashed out at Colombia after the Petro government refused to accept repatriation flights with shackled migrants in military airplanes. Trump threatened tariffs and sanctions, Petro replied defiantly
Trump's disgusting (even by his standards) xenophobic and imperialist antics barely a week into his term have drawn fierce rebukes across the hemisphere. Honduran President Xiomara Castro called for an extraordinary summit in a few days
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro also voice his support, telling his Colombian counterpart he can count on the "strength and experience" of the Venezuelan people and calling for further regional unity
🧵When it comes to reporting about Venezuela, there is no corporate outlet even remotely close to the level of dishonesty of the New York Times. Seriously, it's one piece of misrepresented bullsh*t after another. Follow this thread as we break it down
This is the piece:
The article is not to be taken seriously b/c it starts from a blatant lie. US "prodding" has nothing to do with Venezuela holding elections. It is dictated by the Constitution that they be held this year and they were never in doubt shorturl.at/LFusR
Anyone not high on Western exceptionalism would actually be ashamed of their government meddling in other countries' affairs. But alas, this is the NYT.
In corporate media spiel, "restoring democracy" just means a US puppet being back in the presidential palace
🧵🧵The border dispute between Venezuela and Guyana has flared up recently, leading to a war of words, increased military deployment and increasing signs of US intervention. We have prepared an infographic to explain the history and context of the controversy (thread)
The Essequibo Strip is a sparsely populated, 160,000 square km region spanning to the west of the Essequibo River. It has been the subject of centuries of dispute which, sadly, have never taken into account the indigenous population
Instead, it has always been pretty much about resources. Gold mining is what drove British expansion westward (more on this below), and the recent discoveries of massive oil deposits led to Venezuela and Guyana raising tensions too
About time... Spain's @el_pais reports that the $3 billion in frozen Vzlan assets will soon be released. This was agreed to between the Venezuelan govt and opposition last November! But this thread is to point out the dishonest b.s. from the Spanish establishment's mouthpiece 🧵
This is the article in question:
It essentially relies on anonymous sources who say that the funds will soon be released. El País then covers this fairly straightforward report in a cloak of lies and misconceptionsenglish.elpais.com/international/…
So it begins. How dare Maduro want to access Venezuelan funds? Then it's incredibly disingenuous and racist to claim the govt wants to fix schools/hospitals to "polish its image." If a western govt builds a hospital, it's laudable. If Vzla does it it's to fool voters. GTFOH