“If it was unacceptable for the Russians to interfere in the US elections, what could justify the encouragement of a coup by the USA?”

The United States government has never accepted the Bolivarian Revolutionary process in Venezuela since the day that the late Hugo #Chavez was first elected president in 1998. Along with a rabid, right-wing opposition, the US over the course of four US Presidential administrations, has done all that it could to destabilize the Bolivarian process. Subsequent to the death of Chavez and the ascendancy of President #Maduro, the US government increased its efforts at national strangulation resulting in the absurd and obscene decision on January 23rd to anoint a new president of Venezuela, despite the existence of one who had been elected in 2018.

Though the late President Chavez proclaimed the need for what he called “21st Century #Socialism,” the reality was that Venezuela never became a socialist state. This is not a criticism. Chavez himself was clear about that. He recognized and stated that his coalition had won what has come to be known as “governing power” within the context of a capitalist state but that his coalition had not won state power. The distinction is incredibly important. Chavez, and later Maduro, introduced important reforms that improved the living standard of the Venezuelan people. What they were unable to do was to embark on a project that fully transcended the limits of the Venezuelan capitalist state, despite significant progressive victories and reforms.

The Maduro administration appears to have made, over the course of its tenure, a series of significant mistakes, including its managing of the economy and the growing intolerance to criticism and opposition. This is important to note because opposition to the Venezuelan right-wing and the interference of the USA should not presuppose agreement with each and every policy of the Maduro administration. In fact, one need not agree with the Maduro administration at all in order to understand that the objective of the Venezuelan right-wing and their puppet masters in the USA is to turn back the clock to when Venezuela was openly servile to the objectives of the USA and global capitalism.

The brazen interference in the internal affairs of Venezuela by the USA, Canada, Britain, and a host of other countries is unacceptable and hypocritical. One need only think about the allegations of Russian interference in elections in the USA, France and Britain–to name just three countries–to see the double standard when it comes to Venezuela. If it was unacceptable for the Russians to interfere in the US elections, what could justify the encouragement of a coup by the USA?

Our demands should be clear. First, complete non-interference by the USA in the internal affairs of Venezuela. Second, support for the Mexican, Uruguayan and Vatican mediation and peace efforts. Third, under no conditions should covert or over military operations be conducted against Venezuela. Fourth, we on the Left should build #solidarity with those forces in Venezuela which have been attempting to extend and deepen the Bolivarian Revolution. Fifth, any criticisms of the Maduro government should be constructive in nature and in no way condone or support the intervention by the USA and/or its proxies in Latin America. Sixth, it is critical that we understand that the objectives of the right-wing opposition in Venezuela and their puppet masters here in the USA, are to reverse the reforms that were introduced and, among other things, strengthen–rather than demolish–the racial wall that has divided Venezuelan society between the descendants of Europeans, on the one hand, and the descendants of Africans and Indigenous on the other.

The #revolution must continue!