Latest update April 26th, 2026 12:45 AM
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Lula was framed
The death of Higo Chavez has hurt the progressive left wing governments of South and Central America. His death has had a domino effect on progressive movements in the region, leading to their decline and loss of power in many countries.
Imperialism has returned with a vengeance after poor health removed Chavez, the rallying force which kept it at bay. Imperialism has resorted to military, legislative and now judicial coups to inflict serious damage to progressive governments in South and Central America.
Chavez himself was a victim of a short-lived military coup before junior officers launched a counter-coup to restore him to power. But Venezuela has long faced an onslaught by US imperialism from both within and outside the country.
In 2009, there was a coup against President Manuel Zelaya of Honduras. This coup was covertly backed by the United States which refused to apply pressure to have Zelaya restored to power
Meanwhile in Venezuela, imperialism had aligned itself with the old oligarchy which still has powerful business and media interests in Venezuela. It is within this alliance that Venezuela food crisis has its origins.
The alliance of oligarchs and US imperialism realized that the one fortress which was outside the control of Chavez was the economic distribution of goods and services. And this was what it exploited by not reducing imports, hoarding basic food items and smuggling subsidized goods to Colombia thereby creating shortages in Venezuela. Toilet paper was short in Venezuela long before oil prices dipped.
The present food crisis in Venezuela can be traced back to the failure of the State, including the military, to effectively distribute goods within the economy. Once this distribution was left in the hands of the old oligarchic class, which is in bed with US imperialism, it was easy for that class to create the shortages which now affect millions of Venezuelans.
Venezuela is a victim of economic sabotage from within. The food and medicine shortages in Venezuela are not affecting the rich people. You do not see rich people lining up for food in Venezuela. The rich oligarchs in the private sector have long controlled the food supply and they are not lining up for any food. Their pantries are well-stocked. But the class to which they belong are not importing or hoarding the food supplies and this means that the vast majority of Venezuelans, the poor, are left without.
Venezuela also is a victim of US pressures from outside. Venezuela was designed by the Obama administration as a national security threat to the US. Trump is now laying the groundwork for sanctions against Venezuela which will hurt the country more.
But economic destabilization has not been the only weaponry which the US has employed against progressive governments in South America. The US has initiated a new threat to democracy – the legislative coup – which it successfully deployed to remove from office Fernando Lugo in 2012.
A legislative coup and judicial was also used to remove Dilma Rousseff as President of Brazil. That coup showed that the United States was prepared to trample on democracy which had touted in the region for the past thirty years. It was prepared to do this in order to return to power the old oligarchs which would allow US business interests to re-seize control of those countries whose progressive governments had tried to reverse inequalities and poverty.
The latest victim of imperialism is Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the former President of Brazil, who is the frontrunner for this year’s election but who is not liked by either US imperialism or its partner in crime, the old oligarchic class.
Lula is a victim of a judicial coup. He was found guilty of corruption and sentenced to 12 years in imprisonment. He was out on appeal until this week, when the Court decided that, despite his pending appeals, he must begin to serve his time in jail.
Lula’s crime is that he is said to have accepted a bribe from a major construction company. The bribe is supposed to be an apartment but no evidence was ever produced that Lula actually owns has ever accepted or has ever used this apartment. He was convicted on the flimsy evidence of a statement of a top official of the company who benefitted from a plea-bargaining deal.
America is up to its old dirty deeds. It is attempting to reverse progressive movements in South and Central America. It wants the oligarchic class back in power in these nations in order to open the floodgates for US companies to renew their exploitation of the resources of these countries.
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