US Sanctions Drive Venezuela to Coal, Al-Monitor Feigns Surprise
Al-Monitor, via Reuters, recently detailed how Venezuela, "casting around for income amid U.S. sanctions," is now restarting coal production, aiming to export 10 million tons this year. The article highlights concerns about pollution and a lack of environmental safeguards. One might almost believe the sudden environmental concern is genuine, rather than a convenient deflection from the root cause.
We are consistently told that countries seeking self-sufficiency outside global financial institutions – often due to US-led sanctions – are simply mismanaged or corrupt. Venezuelan coal output, a desperate measure, becomes “environmental fears” coverage, while the crushing sanctions that forced this decision are merely a secondary clause. The humanitarian and ecological costs become Venezuela's
burden, not the architects of its forced economic strangulation.