HEADS of government are now making a concerted effort to improve the effectiveness of CARICOM. That was the general message delivered by Prime Minister Allen Chastanet, as he took time out to field some questions this week on CARICOM’s 29th Inter-Sessional Meeting, which took place at the Marriott Hotel in Haiti towards the end of last month.
The Prime Minister also spoke about CARICOM’s efforts to address crime and security around the region, as well as the impact of “climate change.
When asked about the meeting, Allen Chastanet said that he felt that it “was…very fruitful…” and that he “thought that the Prime Ministers came very serious…”
He went on to stress that he “felt a greater level of focus” from his counterparts and that he thought that they “wanted to be reassured that not only were (they) making decisions but timelines were given for implementation.”
He credited this “increased level of focus” to an increased level of accountability and an increasing sense of urgency among his counterparts, stating; “I also believe that people want to hold (us) much more accountable for the decisions we are making and I think that there is a greater sense of urgency that’s building up.”
Remarking upon the lengthy time it takes for decisions made at the CARICOM level to come to fruition, the Prime Minister stated that; “I think that we’re all frustrated as to how long it traditionally takes to get things done on decisions that are made at CARICOM.”
When asked to point out specific issues that the CARICOM heads agreed upon, the Prime Minister stated that “clearly there was substantial consensus on the way forward with regards to climate change…(and) in the area of security…” before pointing out that there was also “a presentation on a regional marketing campaign.”
Regarding talks on “climate change” he said that he “felt that (there) was a lot of solidarity behind that…”
He went on to warn that “the next hurricane season is less than six months away. We’ve seen the devastation; the devastating effect it’s had on several destinations in our region”; stating that that’s why “all of us are gonna have to change…”
His words echoed those of the President of Haiti and acting President of CARICOM JovenelMoise, who according to a report by the St. Kitts and Nevis Observer said: “It is an inescapable fact that the Caribbean region is placed in the path of the cyclones and hurricanes, and that one of the consequences of climate change is the growing intensity of weather phenomena…” (Quoted from an article entitled: CARICOM chair says confront climate change challenges with unified commitment)
Elaborating on the crime and security issues currently plaguing the region, he said that “when you look at the crime…per capita…(we) were all very high.” He went on to say that “given our dependence on tourism (and) given the promise that we’ve made (regarding) quality of life to our citizens; this is something in which we have to collectively participate…” before reemphasizing what he saw was “a greater sense of urgency on the Prime Ministers’ part” in regards to “this (crime) situation.”
As the official website for the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago Government reports in an article entitled: “CARICOM to tackle crime and violence in the region”, “The rise in crime and violence was…addressed (at the CARICOM Meeting) and it was agreed that IMPACS will create an intra-regional task force comprising experts, to examine and suggest innovative regional solutions to combat the (crime) issue regionally.”
The threat of terrorism was also brought up in the Meeting. The aforementioned article reported that “All Member States are expected to (if they haven’t already) enact legislation related to the Advance Cargo Information System (ACIS) and Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS) to assist counter-terrorism efforts, among other security matters, and to share information on crime and violence among Member States in a more consistent manner.”
When speaking further about the regional marketing campaign he had mentioned earlier, the Prime Minister pointed out that he “got to make the presentation” on it. Despite stating that he didn’t know “what the final outcome of (the) decision” on the aforementioned marketing campaign was, he made it clear that “when I left I felt fairly positive that we’re gonna hopefully find a way to put a funding mechanism in place to support that campaign.”
The next meeting of CARICOM Heads of Government is scheduled for July 4 – 6.
Did he get a chance to say why his lack of dignity and self-respect was fully displayed to the world regarding his playing the lapdog (for a price, of course) to the US’ belligerence towards the democratically-elected government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela?
OK, Nudge. Let’s nudge this discussion a bit further. Let’s assume the US was not in the picture at all on this. What then would have been Caricom’s position on Venezuela?
I ask this because every statement that has come from Maduro-friendly, regional leaders has focused mostly on the US’s role.
We know well the US’s history of involvement in other countries, all with disastrous results. But on this issue, it’s not just the US that has expressed concern over the state of affairs in Venezuela. Several other Latin American countries -all members of CELAC, UNASUR and the OAS – have expressed concern.
Even if we look away from the political side of things in Venezuela, what about the dramatic decline in social and health conditions? Are those leaders who are holding firm to their positions of non-interference in Venezuela’s affairs prepared to accept Venezuelans? If we are truly grateful for the sacrifices Venezuelans continue to make to support us through petrocaribe, why can’t we in a spirit of solidarity accept some Venezuelans?
It is interesting that those very countries who are expressing concern over the precipitous decline in political, social and economic conditions in Venezuela are the ones who are opening their doors to suffering Venezuelans.
Consider too that those Caricom leaders who are holding fast to the principle of non-interference like kids with teddybears, are those who have no problem appearing on the platforms of friendly political parties at election time.
Will Caricom leaders take the same position if Venezuela resume hostilities against Guyana?
Of this we can be sure. One day the opposition in Venezuela will assume office and its leaders will remember those Caribbean countries who stood by Venezuelans in their time of crisis.
Castrian,
If the US had not tried to overthrow the democratically-elected government of Venezuela, so as to get their greedy paws on the oil in Venzuela, then we would have seen all the social programs instituted there for the benefit of the Venezuelan people progress much more swiftly and successfully. Venezuela has been using the income from oil sales to boost the standard of living for all its citizens; but that goes against the policy of US capitalism, which sees the natural resources of countries around the globe as theirs for the taking; for the benefit of a few oligarchic families which control the US government with direct bribes! In a case of “cutting off their nose to spite their face”, the US government forced the price of oil down over the last 5 years, to prosecute economic extortion on Russia & Venzuela. But both countries survived! Corporations in Venzuela, working in concert with the US government also warehoused essential household commodities, in an effort to force the Venezuelan people to blame their government for the hardships they had to endure, and vote them out – but the voters were not fooled, even after they faced violent opposition from those who would deny them their democratic right to choose their own governmental stewards for the despensation and development of their common wealth and resources.
I notice your unwillingness to state “which” other Latin American countries, was expressing “what” concerns about the state of affairs in Venezuela. Whatever decline (you are unwilling to qualify or quantify) in social or health conditions is directly related to external machinations by the US, in conjunction with the internal right-wing opposition (who are being funded by US agencies to usurp the patrimony of Venezuela).
Your circular reasoning is deliberate and without basis in fact. Clear your head and try again!
Here are the facts: Having no manufacturing base, and having nothing but violence (arms sales) and lies (Hollywood movies & fake news) to export, the US needs to have complete control over the natural resources of the countries of the world in order to perpetuate the hegemony it derived after Bretton Woods. It does this by violently overthrowing any government which will not kow-tow to the imperialism it falsely calls democracy.
@nudge
Thank you for reading the article and taking the time to comment.
I do think that your criticism of the PM here is a bit unfair, seeing as he wasn’t the only Caricom leader to hold the position you outlined in your comment.
To piggyback off of @Castrian’s point, the situation in Venezuela has been maligned by fellow South American countries. this isn’t just the 5 members of Caricom who “betrayed” Venezuela.
Also people in Venezuela have resorted to mining bitcoin to make a living, because the rate of inflation of their currency is sky high; meaning their currency isn’t worth anything.
There have been persons photographed there eating out of rubbish bins together with stray dogs.
At some point the US’ interference cannot be blamed for this economic disaster. A case in point is the interference of both the US and the UN in the Russian economy; which is burdened with far heavier sanctions than what’s imposed upon Venezuela, yet Putin has that country as one of the more resilient, (economically speaking) in the world.
In other words, Venezuela’s Communistic economic policies have to be looked at when judging the crisis currently under way in that country.
@Dean,
I am St. Lucian, and I don’t see how accurate criticism of the actions of “ti Chas” is made unfair by my negligence to name his nefarious Caricom accomplices, who I don’t get to vote for as stewards of St. Lucian common wealth.
Clearly, regular Venezuelans will not be coerced and propagandized into selling their bithright for a pottage of stew, and consistently and judiciously exercise their democratic right to hire only to honest stewards of their common welfare; not those who would deliberately reduce their standard of living.
The crisis in Venzuela is a direct result of external extortions by the US, who want to get their hands on Venzuelan oil; there would be no crisis in Venzuela, otherwise, if Venezuelans are left alone to freely exercise their democratic rights.
@Castrian
Thank you for reading and commenting on the article. It was a very well balanced response.
To address your comment about the potential migration issue which could affect other South American countries and Caricom countries (particularly the southern ones like ours), from what I can garner you are saying that the same ones who are not criticizing Venezuela for the economic and political crisis afflicting them now, will be the last ones in line to take in refugees when it comes to it.
However, I’m not so sure that St. Lucia should be willing to take in a bulk of Venezuelan refugees in the first place. There are already complaints about CIP and all that entails; when you bring in a substantial population which speaks another language and are so different culturally, how do we account for the numbers?
Our economy can’t even support the local population and infrastructure without massive loans from the World Bank and massive donations from foreign blocs like the EU. How are we to support a significant portion of economic and political refugees from Venezuela?
And of course even though our unemployment rates are dropping, they are still nothing to write home about. Don’t you foresee a problem with the local population potentially fighting for jobs with a Venezuelan refugee population? Tensions could escalate quickly.
@Dean,
The pathetic, hypothetical scenarios you want to portray for Venezuela & St. Lucia can be easily avoided if the cowardly St. Lucian, Guyanese, Bajan, J’can governments would stand fast with the other Caricom governments against the bullying and bribery of the US government.
Adding further to my comments above:
One of the main reasons for US belligerence towards Venezuela is the fact that prudent development of its natural resources and it citizens allowed it bypass the need to go “cup-in-hand” to the US-controlled IMF and World Bank and be swindled out of its patrimony like the other Latin American countries where the US had installed complicit dictatorships since the 50s.
As a former student of A-Level, who studied History, I am worried why you’ve elided historical facts from your non-argument which tie in directly with the Latin American situation today!
Dean and Nudge,
I appreciate the debate, especially because it has, by and large been conducted in a respectful manner.
Nudge, at no point in my post have I condoned or denied US interference in the affairs of foes and allies alike. Only one who is ignorant of history would do this.
However, the plight of Venezuelans is real and the hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who have ended up on the shores of neighboring countries is real and deserving of attention from Caribbean leaders.
The crisis that has gripped Venezuela especially since the death of Chavez cannot be fully attributed to American imperialism. The decline in oil prices is not a US construct but the result of global market forces. All major oil producing countries have had to adjust to a dramatic decline in their oil revenues. T&T has been hard-hit. But its Government is not blaming the US and there are no suggestions that the US is after T&T’s oil.
It is instructive that Venezuela’s challenges coincided with US efforts at reducing its own dependence on oil. And so, the time-worn argument that the US is after Venezuela’s oil reserves rings hollow in the face of this fact.
Ironically, if oil prices recover in the short to medium term, Venezuela should thank the Trump administration for prioritizing oil over renewables, which has been dampening demand for oil.
The group of countries pressing for political dialogue and reforms in Venezuela includes Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, and Peru. When the US was at its most hostile against Cuba, Canada held firm and continued to invest in Cuba and to send tourists there.
When Chavez was pushing to form CELAC he reached out to the same countries that Venezuela now has issues with.
It’s strange that people accept division among Latin-American- CELAC member states over Venezuela but that they expect CARICOM to be fully united on the issue. Why is that? Because of US imperialism?
Nobody is expecting CARICOM to intervene militarily in Venezuela. But surely, CARICOM member states can take a more activist, non-interference stance in Venezuela. So far, what we have had from CARICOM is not just non-interference but non-acceptance of the true plight of Venezuelans. The anti-imperialists in CARICOM seem happy to reject US progaganda about Venezuela while accepting Maduro’s propaganda that imperialist US is to blame for every single ill in Venezuela.
@Castrian…who writes:
“The decline in oil prices is not a US construct but the result of global market forces.”
Your belief in mysterious global market forces is akin to belief in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy! Do a search for the article by Mike Whitney by entering Did the U.S. and the Saudis Conspire to Push Down Oil Prices.Mike Whitney in your favourite search engine. A cartel, by definition, fixes prices!
“The group of countries pressing for political dialog and reforms…”
Since 2014, the US has successfully strong-armed Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, and Peru into its “Club of Fascist Western Hemispheric States”, where corporations and their heavily-bribed government officials colluded to disenfranchise voters. The group’s primary goal is to reverse the pro-democracy trend that Cuba & Venezuela had sparked with strong oversight of people over their governmental stewards, back to the future of complete de-humanization where a countries’ natural resources and common wealth is under the total control of multi-national corporations and banks.
“It’s strange that people accept division among Latin-American/CELAC member states over Venezuela…Because of US imperialism?”
Who are these people you talk about? I think this is just another throw-away comment from you (like the “global market forces”, above) to mask an extremely weak set of arguments in your commentary.
The history of US Imperialism is really a continuous history of US “Global De-humanization” (shortened by skillful PR liars to globalization).
Here’s a short essay I spotted this morning (but is actually from 29 September 2014), aptly quite de-humanized, that tries to predict how the US will prosecute its defining progrom (the word is spelt correctly and does not mean what you think it does; look it up!) in the 21st Century:
US Global Power in the 21st Century: Military or Economic Imperialism? (paste the title into your favourite search engine, then read the essay and weep!)
Before you think my comments and links are not relevant to the article, “P.M. Speaks on CARICOM” – think again! ‘Ti Chas’ and his other compromised PMs represent the disruptive wedge to CARICOM unity – sponsored by the oligarchs in charge of US Imperialism.
The U.S. Is a Failed State+Paul Yesse (paste the sentence into your favourite search engine to learn the true state of the US)
Now that the oligarchs have complete control in the US, they’re maniacally hell-bent on creating one global de-humanized failed state – a “back to the future” feudalism!
@nudge
I appreciate the perspective; but your perspective is completely left leaning and has been one touted for generations. Ever since Lenin massacred the Russian royal family and imposed Communism on a blind sided eastern European people, leading to the deaths of over one hundred million people by the time Stalin passed, apologists for this failed economic system have been repeating the same litany of excuses; it’s the capitalist-imperialist fault.
I am not here to defend American foreign policy, but you have set it up as the straw man in which to blame the many failings of Communism and Socialism; that are currently highlighted by the Venezuela situation. Yes the US has been an interventionist nation for a long time, especially post world war II; (a policy which by the way goes against the values of its founding fathers; but that’s for another day.) however, their intervention isn’t solely responsible for crippling the Venezuelan economy. That view is over simplistic and overlooks the failings of the Venezuelan economic system.
As I pointed out before (which you didn’t address), Russia is under far more severe embargoes than Venezuela is; the difference in outcome is that Putin isn’t stupid enough to enforce a communistic economic system upon his people. The famines which occurred in the USSR under Stalin’s rule occurred as a direct result of his communist economic policies, not as a result of foreign intervention.
Post world war II Germany and Japan, were under severe economic embargoes, (far worse than what Venezuela is currently under) yet both recovered and both are top ten world economies today; societies far more advanced than Venezuela.
Has the US intervened in Venezuela? Of course. Has it intervened even more in Russia? Of course; yet Russia is stable economically while Venezuela is not. The one variable in this equation is Venezuela’s economic policies. If you have the Government controlling the means of production and taking it away from private citizens, you’re going to have (metaphorically speaking) economic famines so to speak, as happened in the USSR.
I agree with you that the US is a failed state; even in mainstream news they concede that they are 20 trillion in debt; which means the true figure is way higher. However, even with that, you don’t see in the US, what you’re seeing in Venezuela. The US’ debt problems are down to its federal reserve bank and those who control it; their intentions are far more sinister than “creating one global dehumanized failed state” and far more complex.
Also I disagree with your assertion that the US is ‘capitalist’. You fall into these terms because you’ve fallen for the economic dialectic set up to portray the two economic systems as opposite. But they are not. Take a look at the US’ foreign and domestic policies. There’s nothing “capitalist” or laissez faire about them. In fact, they more closely reflect the Communism of Karl Marx, than the laissez faire capitalism of Adam Smith. (Labour Unions, trading blocs like NAFTA, trade embargoes etc)
And the word is pogrom, not progrom; there was no need to attempt to belittle me with that. I appreciate the perspective as I said before.
@Dean
All my commentary has been in the context of the US’ military and economic arm-twisting in the region, and specifically with regards to their “divide-and-conquer” strategy in using morally-bankrupt PMs as a wedge against CARICOM unity.
I am not here to defend ideologies, either Socialist or Capitalist, but to advocate for humanism in the face of 400+ years of de-humanization in the region (I am trying very hard to remember what part socialism played in the last 400 years of human existence in the region, while arrayed against European & US imperialism). You are now aware of the pogrom (sorry about the fat fingers, before) by the US against Latin American and the Caribbean, and all you can come back with a “story” about Russia told to you by the very same Western story-tellers who deprecated the sacrifice of Russians in defeating Nazi-Germany, while the US is using neo-Nazis in Ukraine right now to prevent European co-operation with Russia; as part of their goals of keeping human lives in total chaos around the world?
I do not know how you can call the entity (US), a straw man, whose total methodology for existing is through continuous prosecuting of de-humanizing war in all but 17 years of its existence. Democracy is by definition socialist, and when the actions of the US are compared to the actions of Venezuela & Cuba, in the region, it is clear that the real oligarchy (by now you’ve read Paul Yesse’s essay about the US being a failed state) in the US, falls far short of operating democratically at the standards achieved by Venezuela and Cuba. Both nations are under constant attack & embargo from the US, because their democratic programs put paid to the lies emanating from the US; the world must never know how a real democracy can succeed in enriching the lives of its citizens, especially right on the back-door of the biggest fake of a democracy in the world.
Please explain to us why, if the Bolivarian Revolution is so dastardly, the Venezuelan people continue to vote for its continuance? Why, if the US is a failed state, should the people of Venezuela sanction military and econmic attacks by the US to turn them into a failed state as well?
I suspect that either you have not read Paul Yesse’s essay past the title; that your agreement with the fact that the US is a failed state is just lip service; else, you would understand why the situation in the US is actually worse than the situation in Venezuela (for the US, picture a vat of crabs over slowly-increasing heat); and understand the unwavering desire by US’ oligarchs to ensure that the Bolivarian Revolution fails, because their democratic economic system has been succeeding and would ultimately succeed to meet the desires of Venezuelan voters, and shame the pernicious system in effect in the US.
Your “economic dialectic” does not compute regarding US’ foreign and domestic policies. Domestically, US citizens operate under harsh debt slavery (you do know that the Fed is a private entity masquerading as a public entity, right?); the rest of the world operates under constant US military and economic (can you say World Bank & IMF?) extortion.
Please find, below, an example of the quiet dignity that will not be abased in the face of the daily assault of US imperialism on the sovereignty of the People of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
Below are the words of the Venezuelan Ambassador Leiff Escalona:
“Today 5th of March 2018, marks five years of the passing of our Commander Hugo Chavez, Son of Latin America and the Caribbean. Known to the world as the tireless fighter for Independence, sovereignty and unity of our Great Land.
Chavez personified great hope and gave way to the popular demand for social transformation.
His leadership was characterized by his steady fight against poverty, in which he transformed national institutions, guaranteed public policies that would benefit the majority, recognized rights of the disabled, children and young people, women, the elderly, the indigenous and people of all genres, breaking down the barriers of racism and classism.
Hugo Chavez was passionate about social projects, he returned hope to the Venezuelan people, returning our pride, we recovered Bolivar, our national hero… and today, thanks to his daily orientations and teachings, we consider ourselves Bolivarian and Chavistas.
We give thanks to God for giving us a man like Chavez, who dignified the lives of Venezuelans, and as such, we continue his legacy and plan for the development of our country.
I would like to thank (Her Excellency, His Excellency, Dr. Anthony, Mayor Francis, Mr. Phillip Jn. Pierre) and all you special invited guess, for being here with us, commemorating this special day for us Venezuelans.”
In my view Chavez was a visionary leader. Maduro is no Chavez.
@Castrian
No matter our view-point on Chavez or Maduro, the sovereignty of Venezuela is under threat from a US-led fascist compact of states; whose intent is to seize Venezuelan oil resources for the oligarchs who control them; through violently subversive means, since the Venezuelan voters are not fools – not willing to sell their birthright for some “chicken-and-rum” like the voters of some countries we know very well!
Thanks Nudge and Dean.
Nudge, the internet is pregnant with opinions and perspectives. It’s not difficult to find views that support the notion of some nefarious plot by the US and its allies to bring down Maduro and to get its hands on Venezuela’s oil or suppprt for the outrageous view that merchants in Venezuela are hoarding food to force Maduro’s hand.
While the history ofUS destabilization is well-known, I do not accept that Canada and other Latin American and Caribbean countries in the Lima group are being strong-armed by the US into demanding reforms in Venezuela.
Canada has remained true to Cuba in the teeth of US sanctions against that country. Canadian tourists are the largest group visiting Cuba and Canada continues to enjoy healthy trade with Cuba.
The oil argument no longer has any validity. NONE. The US is not a member of OPEC. Yes, Saudia Arabia is, but it like ALL other OPEC countries suffered from the global over-supply of oil and declines in demand caused by renewables. But Nudge’s argument of conspiracy between the Saudis and the US does not hold after Russia and the Saudis agreed a deal this week to cut back on production in a bid at raising prices. Where was Maduro in that discussion? Or was Russia acting on his behalf?
Surely Nudge knows that Venezuela sells oil to the US, between 400,000 and 600,000 barrels per month. To its credit, the US has not cut off this lifeline. But it surely could.
For me, it’s telling that pro-Maduro Caribbean leaders have not put up anywhere near as strong a fight in defense of Cuba as they’re doing for Maduro. Why is that? Is it because Cuba is unable to proffer a Petrocaribe?
Venezuela made enormous gains in poverty and inequality reduction under Chavez. Chavez twice won resounding, free and fair electoral victories all at a time when US aggression was at its peak. To be fair Maduro has not had the oil-greased bank account of his predecessor but he’s made a mess of things. The guy is totally out of his league.
@Castrian
Your opinions are just that, opinions, not backed by fact, but by more unfounded opinion.
Tell us what reforms the US-led cabal is trying to ram down Venezuela’s throat; how they compare with the operations (overt & covert) of that same cabal, in respect to those very reforms they would project onto the government of Venezuela. I can guarantee that the result sought by the cabal is the privatization of Venezuela’s oil; and for Venezuela to stop its social programs – they make the US-led cabal look really bad in the eyes of the Venezuelan voter.
The agreement between the Saudis and Russia you now speak of is acknowledgement by the US and its client state Saudi Arabia that their failed conspiracy against Russia & Venezuela was nought but a case of “cutting off their nose to spite their face”; and they’re trying to lull Russia into complacency regarding its support for Venezuela’s sovereignty (Russia immediately offering to buy Venezuela’s oil – for resale to a very willing Chinese buyer, should the US actually make good on their threats to boycott Venezuelan oil) in the face of US belligerence, hoping that Russia will not stymie their imperialistic wet-dreams, as they’ve done in Syria.
Your already weak arguments are further weakened with the irrelevance you posit regarding Caribbean support for Cuba – Cuba has proven its mettle in rebuffing the imperialistic belligerence so successfully on its own, that they have become the very model for the pro-Maduro stance taken by some Caribbean leaders.
When you write, “Venezuela made enormous gains….oil-greased bank account…”, all you are doing is strengthening Maduro’s claim against the US. With Chavez dead (some say murdered by the CIA), the US expected that Venezuelan support (voters and the military ) for him would be weak (compared to their support for Chavez, especially during the failed coup); but that was not the case! Hence, we have the reason why the US conspired with the Saudis to destabilize Venezuela economically through what they correctly perceived as Venezuela’s single point of failure, it’s oil production and sales, which in turn drove its successful “poverty and inequality reduction” programs. Maduro surely made a mess of the US attempts at regime change when he solicited Russia’s help for defending against the US’ nefarious and de-humanizing schemes! You would do well to acknowledge the crimes against humanity (starvation & war) instigated against the Venezuelan people by the US, instead of carrying water for US imperialism via your weak excuses and arguments.
Let me expand on my parenthetical comments above, “Russia immediately offering to buy Venezuela’s oil – for resale to a very willing Chinese buyer, should the US [have made] good on their threats to boycott Venezuelan oil”:
Russia understood that the US and Saudi Arabia could not sustain their self-punishing low-fixing of oil prices (the oil oligarchs could not exist, without the huge profits they’ve gouged from customers in Western countries), which only benefitted China’s huge demands for cheap oil to run their manufacturing base, and for further increasing the trade deficits with the US.
Russia, by investing in Venezuela’s oil production (even if the Venezuelan oil stayed in the ground during any US purchasing embargo of Venezuelan crude) accomplished the following results:
1. A portion of the income of their (Russia’s) own oil sales to China were used to prevent Venezuela from defaulting on payments of outstanding loans.
2. Took advantage of the opportunity to legally and honestly obtain investment (ownership) into Venezuelan oil production, which the US was unsuccessfully trying to obtain through the only way they knew how – looting and plundering.
3. With Russia kicking the butts of US/Israeli-armed terrorists in Syria, the US could not risk the certain failure of an armed invasion of Venezuela, since Russia would be in a righteous position to protect their interests in Venezuela, by coming to the aid of their Venezuelan oil partner.
4. With the US and Saudis schemes stymied (and now being forced to raise oil prices again), Russia now makes immediate profits on their Venezuelan investments – profits derived from sales to the US itself – a veritable coup against US oil magnates, who fancy themselves, falsely, of course, as masters of the deal (oh, the shame and indignity!).
Thanks Nudge snd Dean. I will exit the debate at this point.
And the Franz Fanon meritious platinum plume goes to Nudge.
He boldly climbed the rugged mountain path less chosen to educate us on the implications of past and current FEUDALISM; as this form of servitude has /is been/being applied LOCALLY-REGIONALLY in the GEOPOLITICAL realities.
I was touched by his citations that supported his clarion perspective on HUMANISM.
I recall how the “revolutionary” new Argentinian pope called out the developed nations for their grossly skewered distribution of wealth. This pope was witness to PERON’s feudalistic machinations. This greed and avarice eventually led to Argentina’s tailspin into the rare vortex of 1000% INFLATION (yes 3 zeros). Later, a desperate gamble over annexation of the Falkland Islands, heaped more failure for this hotbed of 3rd reich nazi escapees.
This was a sizzling discussion that should stimulate more objective -if not rational thinking-outside our boxen-in “feudalistic” mind sets.
Our respectable mediator ,Mr. Dean alluded to the vain wailing of the opulent last Czar, but left out the uprising against King Charles (Cromwell) and the French Revolution. The common denominator in England and France was for a more equitable distribution of resources. Unfortunately, the ghosts of the feudal lords have since resurrected and reincarnated into the form of the all powerful / controlling CENTRAL Banks.
And yes, the Fed is a “privately controlled Central Banking entity cloaked.in a pseudo public shroud.
Finally, here is as extreme ideological trip question for any of the.minions of rabid evangelicals
(many have suicidal ideation about THHE RAPTURE)
who support the current so called Conservative manifestos: “How would you label Jesus’ feeding of the thousands at a sermon, chasing off the commercial sale stalls from the temple,healing the sick and allowing his captivity and subsequent dehumanization so that millions could be saved from damnation?”
a-CAPITALIST
b-COMMUNIST
C-FEUDALIST
D-SOCIALIST
NB-This is a philosophical question NOT a RELIGIOUS one.
Zohnfie,
I am not worthy of mention alongside Frantz Fanon!
I would rather that you provide links for enlightenment regarding this most excellent of humanists; for any St. Lucian who dares explore their place in humanity outside the cage they’ve been imprisoned in, by their European mind-stealers.