Venezuela
Orinoco Tribune: Washington Announces Renewed Economic Warfare Against Venezuela, Caracas Responds The US government confirmed that it will not renew the Office of Foreign Assets Control License 44, which partially and temporarily relaxed some of the illegal sanctions imposed on Venezuelan oil and gas and mining sectors. The US accuses Venezuela of violating the Barbados Agreement, even though that clearly states all the parties will refrain from using violence for political gains, something violated by the far-right opposition that plotted to execute a coup and assassination attempt on January 1, 2024. The plot involved far-right politicians including María Corina Machado. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement included “The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela repudiates the most recent attempts of blackmail and interference in its affairs by the Government of the United States of America, which constitute an ultimatum against Venezuelan society and, through coercion and threats, seeks to impose a coup, ignore the institutions of the Republic, apply new coercive measures, and destabilize the Venezuelan economy and the well-being of its people.”
Forbes: Venezuelan Business Community Speaks Out Against Threat Of Sanctions With the granting of limited sanctions relief from the US, economists had forecast growth near 10% in 2024. The US is also threatening to reimpose sanctions on oil if the Supreme Court does not reverse its decision, which would have a dire impact across the country’s economy. This is causing shock and dismay in the local business community. “We are going to continue insisting that we need a flexibilization of sanctions,” said Adan Celis, president of Fedecamaras, the largest business federation. Jorge Botti, a former president of Fedecamaras, added “We have problems opening overseas accounts, we cannot access overseas credit, while foreign firms stay away from this country just from over-compliance…Without international private credit, businesses here must pay everything in advance. This represents an immense cost for us, even though we have no connection to the regime.”
“By removing GL 44 [the sanctions relief] in April [2024], GDP growth is forecast at 4% instead of 9.6% this year,” argues Asdrubal Oliveros, a Venezuelan economist and director of Ecoanalitica. “Similarly, demand growth would be revised down from 15% to 4%, and state revenues from $25 billion to $19 billion…Venezuela’s economy shrank by approximately 75% between 2013 and 2021. This has most to do with the loss of oil revenues. The human suffering is enormous, thousands of private businesses disappeared, and the remaining just strive to survive.”
Venezuelanalysis: Venezuelan Gov’t Rejects Oil Sanctions Threats, Prepares Electoral Schedule Following the US relaxing economic war measures last year, Caracas has re-entered international oil markets and seen an increase in exports. In previous years, the country was forced to sell crude shipments at a reduced price through intermediaries. US oil giant Chevron, as well as European firms Eni, Repsol and Maurel & Prom, have received approval from the US Treasury to increase dealings in Venezuela’s energy sector. The removal of the oil and gas waiver on US coercive measures could cost Venezuela $1.6 billion in 2024. Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez replied forcefully to Washington’s threats, warning that further aggression will lead to the suspension of any ongoing cooperation mechanisms, including deportation flights that began in October.
Al Mayadeen: ‘No to blackmail, no to the North American empire’: Maduro President Maduro affirmed that the judicial order disqualifying opposition presidential candidate Maria Corina Machado is final. While participating in the opening session of the judicial year 2024, Maduro ascertained that “no one is above the Venezuelan Constitution and law,” adding that “extremists interpret Venezuela’s honest gestures as weaknesses, but we ask them to avoid making mistakes.” Maduro also vehemently rejected the pressures imposed on Venezuela, asserting, “No to blackmail, no to threats, no to violence, no to the Northern American empire.”
He also added that for 25 years, Venezuela has walked hand in hand with the people and was never among the elites or those bearing prestigious titles. “We have always been among those who strive in the streets; there is where our struggle lies.”
TeleSur: The US Tried to Build Drug Cases Against Venezuelan Officials Associated Press published a report depicting an operation that the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) developed with the purpose of forging “drug trafficking cases” against President Maduro and other high-ranking officials. Recently, President Maduro accused the CIA and other US institutions, which behave like “independent, imperialist and criminal organizations,” of carrying out efforts to destabilize Venezuela. Operation Money Badger was written at a time when President Trump was trying to exert “maximum pressure” on the Maduro administration to force a regime change favorable to the U.S. geopolitical interests.
Venezuela webinar video: U.S./Canada: Hands Off Venezuela! End Sanctions on Venezuela! With (1) Carlos Ron, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs for North America at the Venezuelan Ministry of External Affairs and President of the Simon Bolivar Institute for Peace and Solidarity Among Peoples.(2) Maria Paez Victor, one of the founders of the Louis Riel Bolivarian Circle, founded in 2003 in Toronto, Canada and producer of the only radio program in Canada exclusively on Venezuela, Venezuela Viva. (3) Jill Clark-Gollub, organizer with Friends of Latin America, a solidarity organization based in Maryland. Jill will be speaking about the new Americas Without Sanctions campaign.
Leonardo Flores Speaks on Julian Assange, Wikileaks, and Venezuela a two minute video for the Assange Defense campaign.
New Book: “Corporate Coup: Venezuela and the End of US Empire” Anya Parampil As Parampil’s subtitle—Venezuela and the End of Empire—implies, the hybrid warfare against Venezuela worked to enrich Western corporations, but only in the short term. In the long term, they proved the US and its Western allies to be dishonest international partners and inspired nations like Venezuela to establish new trade relationships—including trade not transacted in US dollars—with more trustworthy partners in the new multipolar world. – While the sanctions regime had reduced Venezuela’s GDP by 75%, its living standards by 72%, and increased its mortality rate by 31%, the CLAP program delivered regular shipments of government subsidized pantry staples and household products to millions of families nationwide.
Orinoco Tribune: María Corina Machado’s Lengthy Criminal Record The seven reasons of the TSJ for her disqualification (1) She engaged in the corruption plot orchestrated by the usurper Juan Guaidó, who promoted the criminal blockade of Venezuela. (2) She supported the dispossession of the companies and wealth of the Venezuelan people abroad, including the seizure of CITGO, which caused property damage of US $32.5 billion. (3) She supported the dispossession of the Colombian-Venezuelan company Monómeros, which was returned to Venezuela bankrupted when President Petro took office in Colombia. (4) She supported the illegal retention of 31 tons of gold by the Bank of England.
(5) She supported the freezing of $4 billion in the international financial system. (6) Machado requested sanctions that prevented the purchase of medications for 60,000 HIV patients. (7) She accepted the position of diplomatic representative of Panama at the OAS.
Nicaragua
Government of Nicaragua to hold United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Canada responsible under Crime of Genocide “The Government of Reconciliation and National Unity informs the people of Nicaragua and the international community that it has notified the governments of the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Canada of its decision to hold them responsible under international law for gross and systematic violations to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, international humanitarian law and customary law, including the law of occupation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, in particular the Gaza Strip…Nicaragua has warned that the recent announcements by these governments on the suspension of the funds to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) further exposes that in the present scenario, the Governments of the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Canada continue to disregard their obligations, and to actively facilitate violations of the rules of international law by Israel to the severe and immediate prejudice of the Palestinian people, particularly Gazans, and the international community as a whole.
Cuba
On PBS: Cuba in Africa is a documentary highlighting Cuba’s remarkable and often overlooked role in the struggle for freedom in Southern Africa. See the link for the schedule.
Acere: Remove Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism List Why the US put Cuba on this list, the impact on Cubans livelihood, what you can do.
Events
February 4: 25 Years of the Bolivarian Revolution
UNAC Conference, April 5-7, St. Paul: “Decolonization and the fight against Imperialism”
May 4-5: 8th International Seminar for Peace and the Abolition of Foreign Military Bases, Guantanamo, Cuba sponsored by The Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), and the World Peace Council
Protest at Republican National Convention, July 15-18, Milwaukee
Protest at Democratic National Coalition August 19-22, Chicago
Trips to Nicaragua, Cuba
Nicaragua: Casa Ben Linder 2024 delegations:
June 6-16: Global Health Intensive
July 9-21: Solidarity in Action: Celebrating 45 Years of Revolution in Nicaragua
November 8-17: Salud & Solidaridad: Hands-On Healthcare in Nicaragua
Cuba Delegations
April 25- May 4/ or May 8: Celebrating Labor and May Day in Cuba. Sponsored by BuildingRelationswithCuba.org
US-Cuba May Day Labor Delegation join-the-us-cuba-may-day-labor-delegation-2024-1Download
Cuba April 27 – May 11 Che Guevara Work Brigade
Other delegations to Cuba: IFCO/Pastors for Peace 32nd Friendshipment Brigade; Venceremos Brigade; International May Day Brigade
Friendly Planet trips to Cuba
June 14-23 Witness for Peace: Cuba Art and Revolution
Please Donate:
Remember the Children of Gaza Let’s help them have at least food, clean water and medical care.
Global Health Partners: Donate to Support Medical and Health Programs in Cuba and Nicaragua
The Hatuey Project: Campaign To Provide Medicines For Cuban Children With Leukemia And Lymphoma
Latin American School of Medicine Scholarships deadline is February 15
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]
