Financial Times Discovers Venezuela 'Compliance,' Forgetting Decades of US Coercion
📰 THE STORY: The Financial Times speculates on the sustainability of Venezuela's post-election political compact, analyzing whether the current government can maintain 'compliance' amid domestic and international pressures, while hinting at internal divisions within the ruling party. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: In 2002, the US actively supported a coup attempt against
democratically elected President Hugo Chávez. Following Chávez's death, the US escalated its pressure, recognizing unelected opposition figure Juan Guaidó as Venezuela's 'interim president' in 2019 and imposing sweeping sanctions that have cost the Venezuelan economy an estimated $30 billion per year, leading to immense suffering and a humanitarian crisis. The FT ignores this 22-year campaign of
economic warfare and political subversion. Double Standard: The FT questions Venezuela's 'compliance' – presumably with Western demands – while rarely, if ever, scrutinizing US 'compliance' with international law regarding its unilateral sanctions which the UN has repeatedly condemned as collective punishment. For instance, the same 'concern' over a nation's stability is absent when US allies like
Saudi Arabia engage in devastating wars (e.g., Yemen) or maintain oppressive regimes. Follow the Money: The narrative of Venezuelan instability and 'non-compliance' serves the interests of Western oil conglomerates and financial institutions who covet Venezuela's vast oil reserves – the largest in the world. Sanctions have blocked Venezuela from accessing international markets and selling its oil,