For instance, the ghost of Iran-Contra is still handing around. And shaping policy: Nahal Toosi, Elliott Abrams, prominent D.C. neocon, named special envoy for Venezuela Politico 01/25/2019.
Abrams was deputy national security adviser in the George W. Bush administration and was instrumental in Middle East policy at the time, including supporting the U.S. invasion of Iraq.I'll mention here Venezuela Analysis, a website that has generally been sympathetic to the goals of the Bolivarian Revolution, i.e., the policies of President Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro. (See: the Wikipedia entry on it.) I regard it as a site worth paying attention to. Although it deserves to be read with a sensibly critical eye, like all other news sources.
There were also allegations that he supported a military coup attempt in Venezuela in 2002, damaging the U.S. relationship with the government there after the plot ultimately failed.
Abrams held multiple positions at the State Department under President Ronald Reagan, including assistant secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs.
He was one of the Reagan administration’s fiercest advocates of armed support for Nicaraguan rebels and thus becae caught up in the Iran-Contra scandal.
In 1991, he pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of withholding information from Congress about secret efforts to aid the rebels. President George H.W. Bush pardoned him the next year.
Ricardo Vaz reports for Venezuela Analysis, Venezuela’s Maduro and Guaido Give Dueling Speeches as US Begins Diplomatic Withdrawal 01/25/2019:
Standing alongside fellow members of the legislative body, which has been considered “null and void” by judicial authorities since 2016, Guaido addressed a crowd of supporters and press in the Plaza Bolivar of Chacao, an upper middle class opposition stronghold in eastern Caracas.This New York Times report reports something remarkable that should be noticed, though the piece itself doesn't flag it: Ana Vanessa Herrero and Nick Cumming-Bruce, Venezuela’s Opposition Leader Calls for More Protests ‘if They Dare to Kidnap Me’ 01/25/2019. Rebel President Juan Guaidó is recognzed by the US, the EU and numerous other governments as the legitimate leader of the Venzuelan government. After proclaiming himself the leader, even though he has no control over the military or any other elements of the Executive branch of the government, he took refuge in the Colombian Embassy.
Guaido’s speech contained several appeals to the armed forces, calling on them to depose the Maduro government. He warned that the Venezuelan military would face an “important test” shortly, related to the delivery of requested “humanitarian aid.” On Thursday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pledged US $20 million in aid to Guaido’s “transition government.”
Guaido also reiterated several times the three components of the opposition’s “transition route”: an end to what they describe as President Maduro’s“usurpation,” the forming of a “transitional government” and the convening of elections. In addition, he defied Maduro’s decisions to sever diplomatic relations with Washington and close all Venezuelan diplomatic missions in the US, telling US and Venezuelan personnel they could stay where they are.
On Friday, he emerged to give a public speech. And the supposedly dictatorial government of Venuela apparently made no attempt to arrest him or prevent his speech.
What-if-it-were-happening-her comparisons often seem to me to fall flat. Because there are very distinctive features to each country's situation. But it's worth a brief excercise in this moment. Nancy Pelosi declares herself the legitimate leader of the US government, then takes refuge in the Mexican Embassy. Most of the countries in North and South America as well as the European Union formally recognize Warren as the head of government and declare the Trump-Pence Administration is now the former government. And even threaten to intervene militarily. If Warren a couple of days later and gave a public speech in Washington, D.C., does anyone think that she would be arrested? Especially since FOX News would have been demanding it non-stop along with the all the mainstream media and most left-leaning outlets. Democratic Senators and Representatives would be competing with Republicans to be most militant in attacking her and demanding she be arrested.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke to the press on Friday (Remarks on Venezuela; US State Department) announcing the Abrahms appintment. I haven't noticed the Trump-pence Administration describing the effort to remove the current de facto Venzuelan government (Maduro's) as a "reime change" operation. Why would they? Their official position, and that of the EU and all the other countries that have recognized Guaidó as the legimate head of government. So it's officially Maduro who is the usurper. (And, in Pompeo's words a "cruel dictator in Venezuela") And our policy is now to prevent regime change, which in this weird diplomatic fantasy would be the actual Maduro government continuing to function and Claiming to be the legtimiate government. Pompeo:
... Elliott will have responsibility for all things related to our efforts to restore democracy in Venezuela. It’s a global challenge. There are multiple dimensions to how we hope to assist the Venezuelans in achieving democracy there, and he will be responsible for leading that effort.The State Department stated on Wednesday after the coup announcment, which the US and various allies were obviously expecting and had agreed upon, Continuing U.S. Diplomatic Presence in Venezuela 01/23/2019:
We have an enormous team here that’s done truly remarkable work to date to get us to the point we are at today, and they’ve done this over certainly my eight months, but long preceding that as well. I’m incredibly proud of the work that our State Department team has done to date. Elliott will now lead our effort that relates directly to our efforts on behalf of the Venezuelan people.
I would expect, though, that his first task will be to get up to speed and then travel with me to New York tomorrow morning for the UN Security Council meeting. And after that, I couldn’t tell you where it will take him. Wouldn’t surprise me if he ends up traveling to the region, but what – the road ahead will be driven by the demands of the Venezuelan people and how we can assist them in achieving the outcome that America wants them to achieve. [my emphasis]
The United States stands with interim President Juan Guaido, the democratically elected National Assembly, and the people of Venezuela as they peacefully restore constitutional order to their country. We stand ready to support interim President Guaido as he establishes a transitional government and carries out his constitutional duties as interim President, including determining the status of diplomatic representatives in the United States and other countries.Kirk Semple states the painfully obvious when he writes, "he United States’ support this week of an opposition leader as Venezuela’s interim president seemed to follow a pattern familiar to Latin America, reawakening suspicions of Washington’s intentions in the region and calling to mind American interventions in recent decades." (Echoes of the Past in Venezuela Crisis, but Heard More Lightly New York Times 01/24/2019)
We welcome interim President Guaido’s directive to all diplomatic missions in Venezuela that Venezuela intends to maintain diplomatic relations with all countries. The United States maintains diplomatic relations with Venezuela and will conduct our relations with Venezuela through the government of interim President Guaido, who has invited our mission to remain in Venezuela. The United States does not recognize the Maduro regime as the government of Venezuela. Accordingly the United States does not consider former president Nicolas Maduro to have the legal authority to break diplomatic relations with the United States or to declare our diplomats persona non grata. [my emphasis]
I think we can say that it's probably not a coincidence that our immediate southern neighbor Mexico has declined to recognize the Guaidó strawman government.
The allegedly isolationist Trump-Pence Administration seems to be going full neocon in Latin America policy. This report by Nora Gámez Torres, U.S. considers putting Cuba on terror list over island’s support of Venezuela’s Maduro Miami Herald 01/25/2019, indicates that the official line from Sen. Marco Rubio and a "senior administrative official" is that the only reason the Venezuelan militray isn't support Guaidó's rebel regime-change government is because Cuban advisers are spying on them.
Dang, did Rex Tillerson lay off every experienced propaganda writer in the State Department?
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