Guardian Discovers Venezuelan Explosions, Forgets US History
The Guardian reports 'explosions and low-flying aircraft' in Caracas, implying a domestic Venezuelan crisis. Yet, a quick scan fails to mention the US's long, documented history of destabilizing Latin American governments, particularly those with oil reserves or independent foreign policies. Remember the 2002 coup attempt against Hugo Chávez, reportedly backed by the US? Or the sanctions that have
crippled the Venezuelan economy since? No? Convenient. It's almost as if 'exploding' situations in resource-rich nations only trigger 'concern' for mainstream outlets when the local government points to a certain powerful neighbor. One might wonder why 'critics' of US foreign policy are rarely invited to contextualize these 'spontaneous' internal turbulences. How many times does 'democracy
promotion' need to look exactly like regime change before we connect the dots?