None of this dropped suddenly like a thunderbolt from a clear blue sky. It is the result of a cool, calculated and cynical policy, which faithfully expresses the real interests of aggressive US imperialism.
The present action is the inevitable culmination of a long series of acts of unprovoked aggression against a sovereign state, Venezuela, which has never presented any direct military threat to the United States.
These actions include blatant acts of piracy on the high seas, the bombing and strafing of small vessels in the Caribbean, and the deliberate slaughter of those unfortunate men on board. The victims were almost certainly innocent fishermen, but in any case such actions undoubtedly constitute a blatant violation of what is ironically called “international law.” These actions also included the seizure of tankers carrying Venezuelan oil—and their confiscation (read: theft) by the United States.
This six-month long campaign of imperialist bullying and escalating military pressure by US imperialism and the Trump administration against Venezuela is a unilateral act of aggression, which is not justified in any way. This is not about drugs, as we have explained. This is not about “democracy,” about which the United States doesn’t care at all.
Trump, the man who prides himself as a peacemaker, the man who promised to pull the US out of unnecessary wars, bombed Nigeria on Christmas day. He has now bombed Venezuela and is threatening military action once again against Iran. In Venezuela, however, we also have the criminal removal of a foreign head of state.
This is a clear act of military aggression, the main aim of which is to make clear to everyone that the USA intends to dominate and subjugate the entire continent and ruthlessly punish any government that stands in its way.
The consequences of this are very serious. There has been talk that this was “merely” a decapitation strike to seize Venezuelan President Maduro and take him out of the country. Such actions are clearly of a criminal character and have more in common with the methods of the Mafia rather than international diplomacy. We have here a very clear example of what they call the “rules based international order.” By which they mean arbitrary rules, which are imposed by Washington at any given moment in accordance with the interests of American imperialism.
Any country, government or leader that dares to oppose these “rules” will be open to threats, sanctions, trade blockades, bombing and even, as we see, Mafia-style kidnapping. This is the kind of regime that the leaders of the United States and their European cronies seek to impose on the entire world.
However, experience tells us that once a military action has started, it is not clear how it will end. War is a struggle of living forces. How the conflict in Venezuela will end does not depend only on Donald Trump, since wars always have their own logic, the outcome of which is difficult to predict in advance.
The bombing of military and civilian infrastructure installations in Venezuela is bound to cause civilian death. This will cause a general feeling of revulsion and hatred towards the American aggressors. Whether these feelings can be channeled into effective military action, will depend on many factors, above all the morale of the masses.
Padrino (head of the armed forces) has already announced there have been civilian victims, and has called for national resistance in the face of this blatant imperialist aggression. He has stated that all armed forces will be deployed. “They’ve attacked us but they will not subdue us,” he said.
However, we must face facts. Venezuela is a small Latin American country that is at an extreme disadvantage when confronted with the overwhelming military might of US imperialism.
How the masses respond to the appeals of Padrino will be the decisive factor. However, from this distance and given the lack of adequate information, it is impossible to say what this reaction will be. Doubtless a sizable part of Venezuelan society—the workers, the peasants, the urban poor and all those who benefited from the Bolivarian revolution—would still be prepared to fight this brutal act of imperialist aggression, were a serious lead to be given. But will this be sufficient?
Cuba is too weak to provide sufficient military assistance, while Venezuela’s main allies, Russia and China, are thousands of miles away. It is therefore very much a conflict between David and Goliath. It goes without saying that in this conflict the international support of the working class will be of enormous importance. That is particularly true of the reaction of the masses throughout Latin America.
This is a clear warning to other countries in Latin America to fall into line, a line of submission to US imperialism. This applies particularly to Colombia and the Colombian president Gustavo Petro.
It is true that many people, especially on the left, have no confidence in the present government in Caracas. But this is not the criterion that should determine our actions in these moments. Irrespective of our attitude towards the government of Nicolas Maduro, it is an elementary duty to come down firmly and unequivocally in defense of Venezuela against the aggressive actions of US imperialism.
This unconditional support for Venezuela in the present conflict no more expresses confidence in the policies and actions of Nicolas Maduro than our support for Iran, when attacked by Trump and Netanyahu, expressed support for the corrupt and reactionary regime of the mullahs in Tehran. Our attitude is dictated not by whether we agree or disagree with a particular government or policy, but by the fundamental principle of proletarian internationalism. Any vacillation on this question is equivalent to a crime against the working class and a betrayal of proletarian internationalism.
The correct response on the part of the international working-class movement should be one of mobilization and outright rejection of this uncalled for imperialist aggression. Certainly, there will be protests today outside all US embassies across the Latin American continent and beyond. The Revolutionary Communist International stands unconditionally for the defense of Venezuela and we will throw all our weight behind this movement.
Our position is clear: Hands off Venezuela! Yankee, go home! Down with US imperialism!