A
Anonymous
Guest
CIA Watchers - keep an eye on Venezuela
Since being elected President of Venezuela in 1998, Hugo Chavez has embarked on one of the most progressive programmes seen in South America since the days of Allende.
In laws ratified last year, Chavez has begun serious land reform and guaranteed indigenous and women's rights and free healthcare and education and laws regulatng Venezuelan's oil industry.
Of course such policies have made Mr Chavez a few enemies, the oil industry, the traditional parties of the Christian Deomcracts, the Catholic Church, the media and the avowedly 'non-communist' national Trade Union Movement (itself long contaminated by the CIA created American Labour Office - see Willy Blum - Killing Hope)
But much worse than that, Chavez has dared to sell oil to the Cubans, and refuse the United States the use of Venezuelan airspace for aircraft supplying 'Plan Colombia'.
The US reaction has been swift, The NSA, Pentagon and the State Department were called to a two day meeting to discuss 'the problem of Venezuela' and Colin Powell has gone on the record warning Chavez to correct 'his understanding of what democracy is all about'.
Meanwhiles the IMF have indicated its support for a 'transitional government', and Venezuelan army colonels have been muttering in the right wing papers about 'saving Venezuela from itself'.
I don't need pointing out to any students of South American history how depressing familiar this all is - the US causes financial trouble, the IMF make it worst, American funded groups take to the streets, stories are planted in the press, and suddenly a colonel steps up to save the country from communism, or in these modern ages, maybe it will be that catch-all term 'terrorism'.
(Got this snippet from the always readable John Pilger - http://www.johnpilger.com
Since being elected President of Venezuela in 1998, Hugo Chavez has embarked on one of the most progressive programmes seen in South America since the days of Allende.
In laws ratified last year, Chavez has begun serious land reform and guaranteed indigenous and women's rights and free healthcare and education and laws regulatng Venezuelan's oil industry.
Of course such policies have made Mr Chavez a few enemies, the oil industry, the traditional parties of the Christian Deomcracts, the Catholic Church, the media and the avowedly 'non-communist' national Trade Union Movement (itself long contaminated by the CIA created American Labour Office - see Willy Blum - Killing Hope)
But much worse than that, Chavez has dared to sell oil to the Cubans, and refuse the United States the use of Venezuelan airspace for aircraft supplying 'Plan Colombia'.
The US reaction has been swift, The NSA, Pentagon and the State Department were called to a two day meeting to discuss 'the problem of Venezuela' and Colin Powell has gone on the record warning Chavez to correct 'his understanding of what democracy is all about'.
Meanwhiles the IMF have indicated its support for a 'transitional government', and Venezuelan army colonels have been muttering in the right wing papers about 'saving Venezuela from itself'.
I don't need pointing out to any students of South American history how depressing familiar this all is - the US causes financial trouble, the IMF make it worst, American funded groups take to the streets, stories are planted in the press, and suddenly a colonel steps up to save the country from communism, or in these modern ages, maybe it will be that catch-all term 'terrorism'.
(Got this snippet from the always readable John Pilger - http://www.johnpilger.com