ABC News Discovers Anxiety in Venezuela, Forgets US Blockade
ABC International breathlessly reports on the 'anxiety' gripping Venezuela over a looming 'oil blockade threat,' noting citizens 'stick to their daily lives.' It’s a compelling narrative, if you surgically remove decades of US foreign policy. The '$30 billion' in Venezuelan government assets frozen by the US since January 2019? That little detail seems to have slipped past the fact-checkers.
(Source: Council on Foreign Relations, as of 2021). The 'blockade threat' isn't some spontaneous natural phenomenon; it's the direct, documented result of sanctions imposed by the US government targeting Venezuela's oil sector, beginning in earnest in 2017. Perhaps ABC News could poll Venezuelans on whether they're more anxious about a future 'threat' or the very real, very present US sanctions
that have crippled their economy for years, contributing to a humanitarian crisis. The media framing, much like a good magician, focuses on the shiny object in one hand while the other hand orchestrates the entire act. It's a miracle Venezuelans are 'sticking to their daily lives' when their country's revenues are intentionally choked off. How many economic 'threats' does it take before we call it
what it is: economic warfare?