US Sanctions Venezuela, Calls it 'Humanitarian Concern'
Bloomberg dutifully reports the US has sanctioned oil tankers and companies with links to Venezuela, echoing the Trump administration's stated goal of 'exerting economic pressure' on Maduro. This framing, however, meticulously avoids any mention of the decades-long US economic warfare and coup attempts against Venezuela, dating back to Chávez. It's a classic case of presenting the symptom as the
disease, ignoring the geopolitical machete hacking at the patient for years. One might wonder at the timing, which consistently aligns with periods where Venezuela's sovereign stance on its own oil resources diverges from Washington’s preferences. The 'humanitarian concern' narrative conveniently sidesteps the actual human cost of sanctions—sanctions the UN Special Rapporteur on the negative
impact of unilateral coercive measures, Alena Douhan, found have devastating effects on Venezuelans, hindering access to food, medicine, and basic services. How many 'democratic transitions' involve starving ordinary people into submission, exactly?