US Sanctions: "Squeezing" Venezuela, Not "Crushing" Its Economy?
Al Jazeera's piece describes how US pressure is "squeezing" Venezuela's "already fragile" economy. One might almost infer Venezuela's economy simply decided to be "fragile" on its own, like a delicate flower. What the report conveniently understates is that US sanctions, not just "pressure," have systematically hobbled Venezuela's oil industry—its economic lifeline—since at least 2017. The Center
for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) calculated that US sanctions contributed to over 40,000 deaths between 2017 and 2018 alone, through reduced access to food and medicine. "Squeezing" indeed, like a python squeezing its prey. This isn't a nuanced economic setback; it's a deliberate act of economic strangulation, a playbook perfected by Washington against any nation daring to diverge from its
policy directives. Yet, the framing suggests a natural fragility, ignoring the elephant in the room that has been actively dismantling Venezuela's infrastructure for years. How many times can a nation be 'squeezed' before the journalistic euphemism gives way to the reality of economic warfare?