US Congress Demands 'Democracy' in Venezuela After Decades of Destabilization
📰 THE STORY: Members of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee have issued a call for María Corina Machado to govern Venezuela, citing her past electoral performance and alleging the current government is illegitimate. The NYT frames this as supporting 'democratic processes' against an 'authoritarian regime.' 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: In 2002, the US-backed an attempted
coup against the democratically elected Hugo Chávez, orchestrating economic sabotage and supporting opposition figures. This was not an isolated incident; declassified documents show US efforts to destabilize Venezuela stretch back decades, long before Chávez or Maduro. The narrative of 'Venezuelan authoritarianism' is often used to justify interventions, regardless of popular support for the
ruling PSUV party. Double Standard: The same US politicians and media outlets that decry Venezuela's elections as 'illegitimate' rarely scrutinize the deep-seated campaign finance corruption in their own system, or the electoral integrity of key allies (like Saudi Arabia or Israel, neither of which are democracies by any stretch). The immediate acceptance of US-backed interim president Juan Guaidó
in 2019, despite him never having run for president, stands in stark contrast to how Washington treats elections that don't produce its preferred outcome. Follow the Money: Key figures in the US Congress advocating for regime change in Venezuela often have ties to defense contractors and oil interests that stand to gain from destabilization and a more compliant government in Caracas. For instance,