US Escalation in Venezuela & Latin America: An Interview with José Luis Granados Ceja

Escalating US Military Actions in Latin America

• 🚀 Escalation is the right term for the dramatic worsening of the situation for the people of Venezuela, Colombia, and all of Latin America.
• 🚢 US military actions, including bombings of boats in international waters, have expanded from the Caribbean to the Pacific off the coast of Colombia and near Mexico.
• ⚠️ This campaign is framed as an aggression not just against Venezuela, but against all of Latin America, challenging regional sovereignty.

Mexico's Response and International Law

• 💬 Claudia Sheinbaum has explicitly stated her disagreement with the attacks, calling the ambassador for consultations and emphasizing Mexico's commitment to international law.
• ⚖️ Mexico's response is based on defending international law and conventions, highlighting the US government's rogue actions and disregard for international norms.
• 🚨 The US is accused of engaging in another regime change effort against Nicolás Maduro, shifting its rhetoric from democracy promotion to combating narco-terrorists.

US Foreign Policy Failures and Neoconservative Agendas

• 🎯 The US is accused of acting in a rogue fashion, with no regard for international law or bilateral relationships, aiming for regime change in Venezuela.
• 🗣️ Senator Rand Paul is cited for criticizing the US actions as illegal, lacking due process, and constituting extrajudicial killings without congressional consultation.
• 💰 The underlying interests are identified as capitalistic purposes, with neoconservative factions aiming to overthrow Maduro and access Venezuela's resources and markets.

Regional Solidarity and Resistance

• ✊ The US intervention provokes a reaction across Latin America due to a long history of US imperialism.
• 🤝 Leaders like Petro and Lula have taken a clear stance against the US actions, defending sovereignty and the concept of the region as a zone of peace.
• 🌍 There is a call for regional solidarity to counter US aggression, with groups like the MST from Brazil organizing internationalist brigades to defend Venezuela.

Venezuelan Opposition and US Strategy

• 👤 María Corina Machado is presented as a far-right figure being positioned by the US as a potential successor to Juan Guaidó, despite her history of supporting coups.
• 🚫 Machado has been banned from running for office due to her positions and past actions, including supporting the 2002 coup against Hugo Chávez.
• 📈 Her increased notoriety, including a Nobel Peace Prize nomination, is seen as an effort to elevate her position to fill a potential void if Venezuelan leadership is targeted.

Maduro's Reign and US Interference

• 🇻🇪 Venezuela has been under relentless attack from the United States since the election of Hugo Chávez, particularly after adopting an anti-capitalist, socialist position.
• 📉 Economic difficulties in Venezuela are attributed primarily to US interference, including sanctions, a blockade of the oil industry, and efforts to make the economy 'scream'.
• 🏛️ The narrative of Maduro being a dictator is challenged by highlighting the institutions of Venezuela and the opposition's history of crying foul in elections they lose, while accepting victories.

Complicity and Regional Consequences

• 🇹🇹 The Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago is criticized for breaking with tradition and aligning with the US, leading to the suspension of a gas project with Venezuela.
• 🇪🇨 Ecuador's President Noboa is seeking to allow US military presence on Ecuadorian soil, taking advantage of the regional situation.
• 💥 Potential US strikes inside Venezuela could provoke unrest, civil war, and a huge migration crisis, with a popular rejection of US-imposed leadership.