Venezuela & ALBA News 2.10.2023: Venezuela celebrates February 4; Foreign Affairs mag on US Sanctions; Iran’s closer relations with ALBA countries

PeoplesDispatch: Socialism is increasingly popular in the US. So the House of Representatives denounces it 219 members of the Republican party and 109 Democrats voted in favor (the list is here). House Congressional Resolution “Denouncing the horrors of socialism” “Whereas many of the greatest crimes in history were committed by socialist ideologues, including Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, Fidel Castro, Pol Pot, Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un, Daniel Ortega, Hugo Chavez, and Nicolás Maduro; Whereas the Castro regime in Cuba expropriated the land of Cuban farmers and the businesses of Cuban entrepreneurs, stealing their possessions and their livelihoods, and exiling millions with nothing but the clothes on their backs; Whereas the implementation of socialism in Venezuela has turned a once-prosperous nation into a failed State with the world’s highest rate of inflation;” Maybe they forget to blame Ho Chi Minh as responsible for the Vietnam Wars? Or Stalin for invading Germany?

Foreign Affairs: The End of the Age of Sanctions? How America’s Adversaries Shielded Themselves  A look at what other countries have been doing and are planning to do to deal with US sanctions imposed on them.

 

Political Prisoner Alex Saab
Letter of Alex Saab – August 10, 2020

 

Venezuela
Orinoco Tribune: Chavistas March to Celebrate Anniversary of 1992 Civic-Military Rebellion President Maduro stressed that there are three fundamental values that February 4 contributed to the Venezuelan people’s struggle. The first of these is “dignity, betrayed and sullied for centuries.” This is why February 4 is known as the Day of National Dignity. Secondly, the revival of the original Bolivarian ideal, “the project of Liberator Simón Bolívar, again for future times.”

Maria Paez Victor and Nino Pagliccia: USA Pipe Dreams: a Response  The head of the Southern Command of the USA Armed Forces, General Laura Richardson speaking to the Atlantic Council think tank forgoes notions of courtesy and diplomatic language. She used the sheer language of domination, the ugly head of the Monroe Doctrine that basically says that the region belongs to the USA. Let us remember that the mandate of the USA Southern Command based in Florida is the watchful eye over any “transgression” against the USA “national security”. And they will intervene if necessary.

Mision Verdad: The Wilson Center Think Tank Rearms the US Road Map against Venezuela The essential premise of the work is that there is no other way to get out of the “dead end” of the Venezuelan question other than through a negotiation process, one through which agreements are made that affect “the interests of both the government Venezuelan and the democratic opposition”, noting that these are not magic formulas that will resolve the “deep resentments among Venezuelans” or that guarantee an immediate economic recovery. Loewenthal et al  assert that any escalation of “coercive measures” is not only not justified, but rather “would intensify hostilities”. Likewise, from the US, they point out the need to create bipartisan support that definitely moves away from maximum pressure to, instead, “encourage negotiations, build coexistence, protect human rights, facilitate effective democratic governance, and promote economic recovery.”

Consortium News: Guaidó is Gone But London Keeps the Gold Now that Guaidó has been ousted, the legal argument for transferring the gold to the Venezuelan opposition has effectively disintegrated. Despite this, the gold remains frozen in the Bank of England, with no clear resolution in sight. Whatever happens next, this case sets a precedent which could have far-reaching consequences: the U.K.’s coup weapons now include asset stripping a foreign state, and transferring those assets to political actors engaged in regime change.

 

Cuba
Almayadeen: Iran FM heads to Cuba after concluding Nicaragua and Venezuela state visits The Iranian diplomat had concluded a trip to Caracas where he met with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and discussed a number of bilateral issues, including increasing joint cooperation in the energy sector and the necessity of increasing the protection of national interests against foreign powers via increased consultations between the two nations. Amir-Abdollahian further stressed the urgent necessity for the deals concluded in 2022 between the two countries to enter into force this year. Before his visit to Caracas, the Iranian diplomat had completed a state visit to Nicaragua where he held talks with high-ranking officials on various issues and joint development programs.

 

Nicaragua
Daniel Ortega: If the United Nations, its General Assembly has already voted countless times with over 90% of the votes to end the blockade and nothing happens, what does it mean? That the United Nations is in the hands of the Yankee Empire The Secretary General of the United Nations is simply an instrument of imperialist policy, just as the United Nations Human Rights Organizations are instruments of the Empire…The people are protesting, yes, the people are mobilizing, the humble people, the impoverished people, it is the working people who are demonstrating every day there in Peru, and there are now more than 60 murdered. And what do the imperialists of the world have to say? Nothing! There is no condemnation, no condemnation from the United Nations, no condemnation from the Yankees, from the Europeans. They themselves are fueling these crimes, simply because they do not want to recognize the right for the president to resume his presidency, which is what the People demand, for him to be released from prison and to occupy the presidency again. Dramatic situations too like the one we are also experiencing in Haiti, a dramatic situation.

MorningStar: Dan Kovalik: ‘Resistance is continual in Nicaragua’ Nicaragua, alongside Cuba, he says, are really the only remaining remnants of armed revolutionary defeats of US-backed forces in Latin America. “Nicaragua is somehow seen as different by people who support Cuba and Venezuela…Measures to defend and consolidate the Sandinista revolution will be portrayed as dictatorship so we have to vigorously refute this argument…The first duty of any revolution is to defend the revolution from attacks.”

 

Bolivia
Kawsachun News: Bolivia Signs Lithium Deal with China The 2019 coup against Evo Morales’ Bolivia was instigated so the US could control Bolivia’s lithium. President Arce now indicates that Bolivia will work with foreign companies, within the framework of respect for the sovereign business model, where the Bolivian State plays the leading role in the administration of natural and strategic resources.

 

Events 
Thursdays: WTF is Going on in Latin America & The Caribbean with Teri Mattson (or watch here or here)
February 16: National Lawyers Guild webinar on Alex Saab: Imprisonment, Sanctions and a Gag Order
February 19: Washington DC demonstration against the War Machine; David Swanson interview with the organizers
February 25-March 11: Revolutionary Figures art exhibit by Carlito Rovira
March 11-12: International US-Cuba Normalization Conference

 

Delegations/Tours
March 2-12: Venezuela, 10 years commemorating Chávez’s Legacy
March 3-13: Cuba Solidarity Tour – Culture, History, and Politics
March 11-19: Nicaragua Coffee and Cooperatives Brigade
March 10-20: Visit Cuba with The Center for Global Justice
April 4-13: Cuba Agroecology Tour
April 23 to May 7: NNOC-ICAP 2023 May Day Brigade Interest Form
April 25-May 7: Building Relations with Cuban Labor: Celebrating Labor and May Day in Cuba
April 27-May 6 Nicaragua delegation by Friends of the ATC
May 26- June 4: Lessons from Cuba: Exploring Art, Healthcare, Sustainability and Education
May 13-22 and June 19-26 delegations to Nicaragua
June 17-27 Nicaraguan Caribbean Coast Delegation with Friends of the ATC
July 15-29 IFCO/ Pastors for Peace US-Cuba Friendshipment Caravan Participant Application

 

If you have events to publicize or find helpful articles for readers on the ALBA countries, please send them to [email protected],  or you can post them on Facebook here: Venezuela; Nicaragua; Bolivia; Latin America in general (here or here) Or send them to  [email protected]

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