Rubio's Venezuela 'Pressure': A Familiar Playbook of Sanctions and Threats
📰 THE STORY: NPR reports on Senator Marco Rubio's pronouncements at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, where he warns of potential US 'force' against Venezuela's administration and advocates for increased 'pressure' following the alleged seizure of Nicolas Maduro. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: This is not the first time the US has sought to depose Venezuelan
leaders. In 2002, the US actively supported a coup attempt against democratically elected President Hugo Chávez, a fact recently acknowledged by former US officials. Furthermore, extensive US sanctions imposed since 2017 have decimated Venezuela's economy, leading to a 72% reduction in GDP between 2014 and 2020 and contributing to the deaths of tens of thousands of ordinary Venezuelans by limiting
access to food and medicine, according to a 2019 report by the Center for Economic and Policy Research. Double Standard: While the US threatens 'force' and imposes crippling sanctions on Venezuela ostensibly for alleged human rights abuses or democratic backsliding, it routinely turns a blind eye and sells billions in arms to regimes with far worse human rights records, such as the Saudi monarchy,
which continues its brutal war in Yemen, or the Israeli government, currently engaged in a documented genocide in Gaza killing over 40,000. Where is Rubio's call for 'force' against those allies? Follow the Money: Senator Marco Rubio is a long-standing recipient of funds from powerful lobbying groups. According to OpenSecrets, Rubio has received over $4.3 million from the pro-Israel lobby