Venezuela & ALBA News 10.2.2020 US Finding itself Isolated as Venezuela Elections Divide its Allies

Orinoco Tribune: US Criticism of European Mission to Venezuela Shows Growing Divide over President Maduro The Washington Post raised the issue of the divide between Washington and the European Union over the regime change operation against Venezuela led by the White House for almost two years with no signs of success foreseen in the near future. The Trump administration on Sunday accused the European Union of undermining its efforts to isolate Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, denouncing the bloc’s top diplomat for dispatching a mission to Caracas without asking for Washington’s permission. The dispute suggested a growing divide across the Atlantic over how to handle Venezuela’s socialist government. The Europeans have tended to see Washington’s hard line position as harsh and ineffective.

Orinoco Tribune: Bachelet Ignores “Independent” Mission and Asks to Lift Sanctions Against Venezuela The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, requested the coercive measures against Venezuela, that are more criminal in times of pandemic, be lifted. She also recognized the progress made by her Office with the Venezuelan government, within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding signed on September 20, 2019, the only working official instrument of this United Nations body with Venezuela on human rights. “I would like to reiterate my call to lift the economic sanctions to facilitate the allocation of resources during the pandemic,” she stressed.

Venezuelanalysis: From Elliot Abrams calling US Invasion “Magical Realism” to December Parliamentary Elections President Maduro’s presidential pardon to opposition figures changed the perspectives concerning elections, not just for Venezuelan people, but also for the media as well as governments and other organizations around the world. This could represent a boost for the December 6 National Assembly elections. With former two-time presidential candidate Henrique Capriles calling on people to vote, a new electoral scenario opened up, both for those who backed a violent solution and those who did not. It is an opportunity for the entire opposition to abandon the insurrectional, pro-intervention route it was dragged to by some leaders and try its luck again with the electoral route that generated overwhelming victories in the past.

Orinoco Tribune: Venezuela has 3,230 Active Communes Throughout the Country Venezuela has 48,000 Communal Councils and more than 3,230 Communes, with more than 2 million members already. President Maduro stressed that the construction of socialism of the 21st century, promoted by Commander Hugo Chávez, allows the empowerment of the people, “We have to continue building socialism on the territorial level for the new revolutionary democracy and that is achieved by the community, ” he said.

Venezuelanalysis: Five Examples of Revolution Organization El Maizal Commune, Pueblo a Pueblo, the Pobladoras Movement, Tinta Violeta and the Campesino Struggle Platform. Amidst a tough crisis and a murderous blockade, these organizations (and many others) have doubled down in their efforts to resist and deepen the Bolivarian Revolution.

Task Force on the Americas: UN Report on Venezuela Blames the Victim for Human Rights Violations The “Independent Mission to Determine the Facts in Venezuela,” which published the critical report, was approved by the US and other states that are opposed to the democratically elected government in Venezuela of President Nicolás Maduro. This special Mission circumvents the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, led by Michelle Bachelet, which has an office in Venezuela and is working with the Venezuelan government.The Mission’s report comes when Venezuela is planning parliamentary elections on December 6. The European Union (EU) had been invited to observe the elections by the Venezuelan government but has used the report to refuse the offer. Instead, the EU along with the US has called for a boycott of the elections in direct interference with the internal affairs of a sovereign country.

Tom Whitney: Hitting at Venezuela: the Colombia/US Axis Pompeo’s South America tour of countries surrounding Venezuela shortly before the Venezuelan elections, in part because the economic war has not succeeded and most of the opposition are participating in the election.

Dan Kovalik: US failure to recognize Cuba’s medical efforts during Covid is due to an innate fear of linking socialism with anything positive Cuba has become renowned for sharing the little it has – little, because of a US embargo which has been strangling its economy for nearly 60 years – with the rest of the world. The most significant contribution Cuba has made has been its international medical solidarity, which has benefited scores of countries, mostly, but not solely, in the developing world. However, quite shockingly, the US, standing nearly alone in the world, has opposed the efforts of Cuba to fight the global pandemic from the very beginning. At a time when the US electorate’s support for socialism is greater than it has been in decades – in part because of the inequities and failures exposed by the pandemic – Cuba represents an example which the powers-that-be must destroy, and they are acting aggressively to try to do so.

Guillaume Long: Political trials and electoral bans: the battle for democracy in Ecuador

Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno and his allies have gone to great lengths to prevent former president Rafael Correa and his political movement from returning to power. In order to achieve this goal, the current government has persecuted opponents and barred candidates from running. Moreno’s authoritarianism has, so far, gone largely unnoticed internationally, with elections scheduled for February 2021. There are currently no less than 25 ongoing criminal investigations against Correa.The regime’s other line of attack has been to undermine the organizational strength of correismo. The purpose is to prevent Correa and his supporters from having a coherent and functioning political party. Back in 2017, Moreno successfully stripped Correa of Alianza País, the party Correa had created in 2006 in his first successful bid for the presidency.

Webinars and Tours

Video — Cuban Doctors Speak: 15 years of the Henry Reeve International Medical Brigade Danny Glover and Vijay Prashad  host  this event celebrating 15 years of the contingent.

September 27: SOA Watch – Rooted In Resistance: Defending our Communities & Ending State Violence in the Americas

October 3: Fighting blockades & COVID-19: Why US sanctions in Latin America must end Cuba Solidarity Campaign, Nicaragua Solidarity Action Group and Venezuela Solidarity Campaign

October 4 US Interference and Popular Resistance in Latin America and the Caribbean 

Karen Spring live from Honduras. Nan McCurdy live from Nicaragua.  Ricardo Vaz live from Venezuela plus Pierre Labossiere on Haiti.

October 14: Policing & Caribbean Autonomy in Nicaragua

To follow Venezuela, Nicaragua and Bolivia daily:

2021 Che Guevara Brigade to Cuba

Orinoco Tribune

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Venezuela Solidarity New York

NicaNotes

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