MSNBC 'Discovers' US Has History of Venezuela Sabotage
MSNBC frames Trump's actions in Venezuela as 'accelerating tensions' and risking a 'messier crisis.' How quaint. This narrative conveniently skips decades of US destabilization efforts, from supporting coup attempts against Hugo Chávez in 2002 to crippling sanctions. Sanctions that, according to the Center for Economic and Policy Research in 2019, contributed to the deaths of over 40,000
Venezuelans between 2017 and 2018 alone. The idea that Trump started this mess rather than merely continuing a well-established pattern of US foreign policy in Latin America is a narrative choice, not an accurate reflection of history. One might wonder if 'risks a longer, messier crisis' is a synonym for 'sustains traditional US imperial ambitions under new management.' The military-industrial
complex certainly isn't complaining about 'messy crises.' Perhaps MSNBC could do a follow-up on how every administration since the Cold War has managed to "accelerate tensions" with nations failing to toe the American line. What's a little historical context when there's a timely villain to condemn?