The Economist trotted out a farcical excuse that has become popular among Obama’s apologists – that labeling the situation in Venezuela an “extraordinary threat” to declare a “national emergency” was just a legal nicety: “American law requires the administration to use such language if it wants to impose sanctions on individuals in another country.”
Similarly, David Smilde, a US academic living in Venezuela who is frequently quoted by the corporate press, told radio journalist Ian Masters that Obama “has to” use that language and basically dismissed its significance, except as a blunder that helps Maduro’s government by making the USA look like a threat. The US government looks like a threat because it is, but the emperor’s sycophants dare not say it.
In reality “American law” – the actual wording of it – does not allow fraud. Obama seized emergency powers by declaring an insanely fake threat because the political class, including its corporate media, is united in its acceptance of that kind of fraud. Provided Obama cynically abuses the law for purposes like overthrowing a left wing government he will face negligible organized opposition at home – though there have been narrow tactical complaints of the kind raised by Smilde and the Economist.
The Economist also said Obama is not seeking “regime change” in Venezuela but then contradicted itself by adding “…far from provoking cracks in the regime, as the administration hopes, the sanctions are likely to solidify it.”
The strategy of targeting specific officials in a government it wants overthrown was used by the Bush administration prior to the US-perpetrated (not simply US- backed) coup that ousted Haitian president Jean Bertrand Aristide in 2004. US troops abducted Aristide in the middle of the night and flew him off to Africa. It then set up a dictatorship that ruled with tremendous brutality for two years.
If a free press existed in the US and Canada, its citizens would immediately recognize the “regime change” tactics Obama is using because they would know what happened in Haiti which, to anyone with a shred of decency, was a very big deal.
ZNetwork is funded solely through the generosity of its readers.
Donate
1 Comment
Joe,
Don’t forget about Honduras and there Hillary’s hands are as dirty as Obama’s!!! Zelayas pulled out of bed and dumped on the airport tarmac in his pjs. Bye bye so sayeth the whatever US corporate-controlled political party pimped out bully of the day or election season.
So why are we buying the fact that spreading democracy and protecting human rights means supporting right wing fascist regimes and demanding regime change if “American interests” are not fed — American interests of course meaning money and power ONLY to the upper 1%?
Even supporting Nazi regimes in the case of Ukraine now is spun as a humanitarian intervention for the poor residents of Ukraine. Bullshit. And the Yemenis who seem to have a prob with drones killing off friends and family. How dare they not eat sh*t and smile — or DIE!!! How dare they resent US puppets in power?
There are bullies and then there are global gangsta bullies — on steroids. And yet, sweet talking personality not character Trojan horse for oligarchs Obama sure doesn’t look like a bully. Nor does Bill or Hillary, smiley faced and hypocrisy-feeding.
Gotta love (not) the US media for mass hypnosis in manufacturing consent!!
Well said above, btw.
Regime change is certainly becoming a very bad habit with our sociopathic governance!
best, libby