‘Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it’

I’ve spent a couple of hours yesterday watching live feeds from the Venezuelan borders. Most of the protesters were young men throwing stones at the equally young soldiers protecting the border crossings and the question that springs to mind is how familiar with recent history these kids are? Do names like Pinochet, Somoza or Stroessner mean anything to these kids? You can find these names on virtually every list of the worst South-American dictators, they ruled different countries, yet what binds them together is the US support they enjoyed.

Besides the economic crisis, many in Venezuela are calling for an end to the Maduro dictatorship.If they’re expecting the US to help them with this, they’re sadly misguided - the United States never had any problem with dictators, as long as they’re loyal to Washington.

Quick look at top of the list, Augusto Pinochet, who rose to power following the 1973 US-backed coup against socialist democratically-elected Salvador Allende.

• People executed:1,200 - 3,200
• People placed in detention: 80,000
• People tortured: Tens of thousands.

The banner reads: 'Torture in Chile: Shame upon the whole world', because no one gave a damn

As far as the US backing is concerned, here is a list of declassified NSA documents regerding the US role in the 1973 coup and a collection of documents regarding the CIA’s involvement in the coup and the propaganda efforts to portray Pinochet as a nice guy.

‘After the coup in September 1973, CIA suspended new covert action funding but continued some ongoing propaganda projects, including support for news media committed to creating a positive image for the military Junta’.

Would it be so hard to believe the CIA is involved in the negative press concerning Nicolas Maduro?

Historic handshake between Pinochet and Henry Kissinger

Kissinger is still welcome at the White House, despite his many crimes

Return to Cold War mentality

Most of worst South-American dictatorships happened during the height of the Cold War, when the US rationale was they’d support anybody, no matter how bloody, as long as they’re anticommunists. Some would argue that would not apply today, as times have changed. However, what we forget is that the post-1990 detente in East-West relations is over and we’re back to a Cold War atmosphere.
Just as Moscow cannot tolerate US meddling in the politics of former satellite countries it defines as ‘near abroad’, Washington is also taking steps to oust left-winning regimes in its near abroad. It’s not just about Venezuala, but also Nicaragua and (once again) Cuba.In a speech last November, hawkish U.S. national security adviser John Bolton branded the three countries “troika of tyranny”. (Sounds a bit like the ‘axis of evil’, defined by Bush in 2002, doesn’t it?)

Bolton 'accidentally' disclosing plans to send 5,000 troops to Venezuela's neighbor Colombia

If you’ve been watching the news, you must have noticed Brazil taking an active part in the coup against Maduro. Such a thing would not have been possible under the previous regimes of Lula da Silva (one of the most popular politicians in Brazil’s history) and his successor Dilma Rousseff. Both of them socialists, both of them conveniently buried under corruption charges.
If the virtually unknown Mr. Guaido manages to seize power, his loyalties will lie with Washington, not the people of Venezuela. A former president in my country once used an outrageously plastic metaphor to explain what it takes to be on Washington’s nice list: blowjobs!

Edit: Wikileaks just released 'Leaked US Special Forces doctrine on use of #USAID in economic warfare'. Those willing to understand what's going on in the world, not just Venezuela, can find it here.

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