The U.S. government imposes economic sanctions is to punish perceived enemies of the United States. Washington also removes those sanctions to lure those enemies to embrace the United States. Case in point: Manuel Christopher Figuera, former director general of the Venezuelan intelligence service, known as SEBIN. According to the Washington Post, Figuera played a central...
Category: Americas
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Venezuela’s Descent: From Shopping Mall to Torture Prison
El Helicoide, The Helix, is part of the DNA of Caracas, the capital city of Venezuela. Dreamed up by three architects in the 1950s, El Helicoide was supposed to be a drive-through shopping mall for the country’s aspiring petro-oligarchy. Built on a hill in the heart of Caracas, the dramatic ocean liner-like edifice “embodied Venezuela’s...
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Trump Unhappy With Bolton As Maduro Cracks Down in Venezuela
President Trump has reportedly told aides he’s unhappy with National Security Adviser John Bolton in the wake of last week’s failed opposition uprising in Venezuela. According to the Washington Post. Trump has said in recent days that Bolton wants to get him “into a war” — a comment that he has made in jest in...
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Regime Change Illusions: Why the Venezuela Uprising Sputtered
When Manuel Figuera, the chief of the Venezuelan intelligence service (SEBIN), turned on the government of President Nicolas Maduro last week, the Trump administration thought their goal of regime change was in sight. If Figuera joined opposition leader Juan Guaidó’s government in exile, SEBIN could both control the country and secure recognition of Washington. With...
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On Venezuela, Five 2020 Democratic Candidates Actually Support Trump. Five Oppose Him
The ordeal of Venezuela is forcing its way into the 2020 presidential campaign. The sputtering uprising led by Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó. has Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro gloating about a “failed coup,” while Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton are demanding U.S. military options to ward the perception of...