Venezuela coup attempt 2019



On January 23, 2019, the just installed president of the defunct national assembly Juan Guaidó declares himself president of Venezuela and gets recognized by US-President Trump and the governments of Canada and most of South America.

Some background

 * U.S. Interventions in Latin America 1846-1996
 * US ‘Regime Changes’: the Historical Record
 * 1989 Thousands of people die at the hands of the military in mass protests against the government in an event remembered as "Caracazo".
 * 1999 Hugo Chavez Frias wins the presidential election in Venezuela with the stated intent to end the frozen two-party-system that ruled the country since decades. This follows a coup attempt he led in 1992 but called off when it was clear that it would fail, taking public responsibility for it. While going to prison for some years, he gained the respect of many.
 * 2002 Coup attempt. Rogue military elements kidnap Chavez and some right-wing politicians declare themselves the new leaders and suspend the constitution. Western media cheers. The poor come down in masses from the favelas and demand their president's return. A helicopter brings him back to the presidential palace from the island he was hold upon. The putschists go largely unpunished. The events are covered in detail in the documentary film The Revolution will not be Televised See also
 * Warm relations with Cuba; good relations with Iran, under Chavez
 * 2004 Chavez and Castro form the The Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of our America (ALBA) partnership for economic development with principles opposed to neo-liberal 'free trade'. Alongside other left wing governments such as Nicuagua,Bolivia and Ecuador. What is the Alba?
 * 2005 On initiative of Chavez, Venezuela, Cuba and other ALBA countries form teleSUR as international media voice broadcasting in Spanish as well as in English. teleSUR About Us
 * 2013 Hugo Chavez dies of cancer and then-vice president Maduro becomes acting president, then elected president
 * 2014. Two-fold drop in oil prices, after events in Ukraine (possibly following USSR - Afghanistan scenario or otherwise), having serious impact on countries whose main hard currency income is coming from oil, such as Venezuela and Russia
 * February 2015 Alleged coup plotters arrested: Syria Backs Venezuela In Condemning Alleged US-Supported Coup Attempt
 * March 2015: President Obama issues executive order "declaring a national emergency with respect to the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States posed by the situation in Venezuela" and placing sanctions on leading Venezuelan officals
 * August 2017 Sees the formation of the Lima Group from OAS governments opposed to the Maduro presidency. Some commentators argue the Lima group violates the OAS charter. Aug 11, Trump: I'm not going to rule out a military option in Venezuela. Former Chavez advisor Eva Golinger (Twitter) in an inteview with the Intercept claims corruption is proliferating under Maduro. Some criticism of Golinger's stance and her response
 * 2018 Attempting to circumvent financial sanctions the government launched the 'petro', an oil and gold backed crypto currency, the petro was targeted for further sanctions by the White house.
 * November 2018. Venezuela misses $200m of interest payments on some of its $63bn of outstanding foreign bonds.
 * 5 December 2018. Maduro visits Moscow, seeking investments or aid. $6bn of investments and deals announced.
 * 10 December, 2018. Russia flies two Tu-160 strategic bombers to Venezuela, with some talk about military base plans.
 * January 2019. Venezuela assumes the rotating presidency of OPEC for one year. Maduro declares that one central goal will be to push for oil payments in non-dollar currencies or in cryptocurrencies.

Timeline of the coup attempt

 * January 5, 2019: Guaido assumes the rotating presidency of the National Assembly, saying: "We reaffirm the illegitimacy of Nicolas Maduro. As of January 10, he will be usurping the presidency and consequently this National Assembly is the only legitimate representative of the people."
 * Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza accuses the Lima group of encouraging a government overthrow, after the group refuses to recognize Maduro's new presidential term.
 * Dept spokesperson for US state dept: Today the United States celebrates the swearing-in of the new Executive Board of Venezuela’s National Assembly led by Deputy Juan Guaidó as its President. Chargé d’Affaires James Story attended this important event.  The National Assembly is the only legitimate and last remaining democratically elected institution that truly represents the will of the Venezuelan people...
 * January 10, 2019: Maduro starts his second term as president of Venezuela
 * AP Exclusive: Anti-Maduro coalition grew from secret talks - Associated Press, January 26, 2019
 * Pence Pledged U.S. Backing Before Venezuela Opposition Leader’s Move - Wall Street Journal, January 25, 2019
 * Twenty-eight people were killed in Venezuela between January 21 and 24. Venezuelan human rights organization SURGENTES examines who has been most affected by the spiral of violence.
 * Venezuelan Capital Returns to Normal Life, Atmosphere Calming After Protests - Sputnik, January 25, 2019
 * Elliott Abrams, prominent D.C. neocon, named special envoy for Venezuela - Politico, January 25, 2019
 * Juan Guaidó ...
 * ... plans Citgo leadership shakeup, new Venezuela hydrocarbons law - S&P Global Platts, January 24, 2019
 * ... considering request for funds from IMF - Reuters, January 25, 2019
 * ... urges fresh protests and bids for Russia and China backing - The Guardian, January 26, 2019
 * Emergency UN Security Council Meeting on Venezuela, January 26, 2019
 * Matt Lee later reports on the UN Sec General's absence from the meeting.
 * Maduro Folds Under Siege, Allows US Diplomats To Stay - ZeroHedge, January 27, 2019
 * Last Group of US Diplomats Left Venezuela - Maduro - Sputnik, January 27, 2019
 * John Bolton announces that the U.S. government has just blocked $7 billion in assets of PDVSA, Venezuela's state-owned oil company. Via Mission Verdad Twitter, 28 January, 2019
 * Communicado from Juan Guaido on intended measures regarding PDSVA and CITGO and on the government's foreign assets. Bloomberg
 * Hint to Maduro? '5000 Troops to Colombia,' Reads Bolton Notepad -Bloomberg, January 29, 2019
 * Venezuelan army defectors appeal to Trump for weapons - CNN, January 29, 2019
 * Venezuela top court curbs opposition leader Juan Guaidó - BBC, January 30, 2019
 * Jan 31: European Parliament votes to recognize Guaido as President. Official stance on recognition is left to member states, but establishes a contact group aiming for "free and fair elections" and political transition.
 * Feb 1: Pence whines in front of "a cheering crowd" ... in Miami ... "This is no time for dialogue. This is time for action … The time has come to end the Maduro dictatorship once and for all". Bolton fantasizes in a radio interview about sending Maduro to Guantanamo.
 * Twitter Bans 2,000 Pro-Maduro Accounts As Demands For Regime Change Escalate, Zero Hedge, February 1, 2019
 * Feb 4: After an "ultimatum" for new elections expires, news agencies title Major EU nations recognize Guaido as Venezuela’s acting president and list a number of personal statements, mostly from twitter. An official EU position/document was [reportedly prevented by an Italian veto.
 * In Ottawa their Lima group meets and issues a declaration expressing the recognition and support for Juan Guiado as interim president.
 * “The latest communique of the Lima Group is ridiculous. We do not know whether to laugh or vomit … I am absolutely convinced that we will win in this battle, in this historical period, we will win against the Lima cartel, I am convinced that we will win in diplomacy and politics,” Maduro said the following day.
 * What Is Going on in Venezuela? Testimonies on the Ongoing Coup - Venezuelanalysis, February 4, 2019
 * Feb 6, 7: A convoy of 'humanitarian aid' approaching Columbian border city of Cucuta provides propaganda opportunities for Pompeo and Guaido
 * “The US will consider sanctions off-ramps for any Venezuelan senior military officer that stands for democracy and recognizes the constitutional government of President Juan Guaido,”...“If not, the international financial circle will be closed off completely. Make the right choice!” said John Bolton.


 * Feb 7: The EU instigated International Contact Group met in Montevideo without coming to unanimity
 * Red Cross, UN Slam ‘Politicised’ USAID Humanitarian Assistance to Venezuela - Paul Dobson, February 11, 2019
 * Feb 12: The BBC interviews Maduro (transcript).
 * Feb 14: AP interviews Maduro who "reveals secret meetings with US envoy". Euronews also interviews the Venezuelan president (transcript).
 * Feb 16: More "aid" is delivered to Cucuta in three US military C-17 cargo planes.
 * Feb 17: Six members of EU parliament who came for meeting Guaido are deported from the country, just as they were told they would before entering. Marco Rubio tweets a video of himself standing on the Colombian side of the now-famous bridge with the containers in the background, demanding entry.
 * Feb 19: Trump and Bolton threaten Venezuelan military officers with sanctions on their families living abroad.
 * Feb 22: Elliot Abrams flies with US military to Cucuta to meet Ivan Duque and to accompany USAID.
 * Feb 23: Juan Guaido flees to Colombia, Venezuela stops diplomatic relations with the neighboring country.
 * Feb 25: The Brazilian military opts-out of any "adventurism" at a meeting of the Lima group. US calls for a UN security council meeting on Venezuela
 * Feb 26: Maduro reportely detains and expels Univision journalist Jorge Ramos after confrontational interview. ABC interviews the president without problems, asking all the questions Ramos allegedly did as well, including about people eating out of garbage trucks. Jorge Arrezea counters accusations at the UNSC, whilst Russian envoy and Elliot Abrams clash (UN briefing). New board of Citgo severs its relationship with PDVSA.
 * Feb 28: The UNSC votes on two opposing draft resolutions sponsored by the US and Russia, which both are predictably not adopted.
 * Mar 1: Venezuelan vice president Delcy Rodriguez visits Moscow and holds a joint press conference with Lavrov.

Aggregate sources

 * 2019 Venezuelan protests - Wikipedia
 * VENEZUELA NEWSLINKS 24-25 JANUARY 2019
 * Venezuela Analysis: (News) (23 January Coup)
 * Axis of Logic (Venezuela)
 * Mission Verdad (Venezuela) Spanish Language MV English Twitter feed
 * teleSUR English
 * Imperialist intervention in Venezuela: UPDATE 6 - Countercurrents.org, February 10, 2019

Fake News?

 * ''See talk: When and where did the oath ceremony take place?


 * Caracas protest march for recall referendum - Carlos Grau, YouTube, September 2, 2016 (video)
 * This and other videos of the 2016 protest march were used by Western MSM to create a fake illusion of a revolution in Venezuela.
 * CNN SHOWS INTERVIEW WITH ‘VENEZUELAN ARMY DEFECTORS’ APPEALING TO US FOR WEAPONS. THERE IS PROBLEM WITH THEIR UNIFORM - SouthFront, January 30, 2019
 * The "soldiers" presented as just defected on CNN are wearing uniforms with batches of pre-Bolivarian times.


 * FLORES: Is Guaido’s Life In Danger? Yes – But Not From Who You Think - Joaquin Flores, Fort Russ, February 1, 2019
 * ''Wouldn’t maybe ONE of the seven or eight billionaire-owned pro-opposition TV stations operating freely in Venezuela have had at least one bloke with a camera staking out his house, since the arrival of attorney general investigators would at this point be so inevitable? Where is that footage?
 * Venezuela - Coup Attempt Part Of A Larger Project - Military Intervention Likely To Fail - Moon of Alabama, January 31, 2019
 * ''That the Washington Post has to use an unrelated incident to proclaim that the poor people support the coup attempt shows how little real evidence it has to support that propaganda claim.

US Aid scam

 * Venezuela: Troops block border bridge to stop aid from Colombia - Irish Times, February 6, 2019
 * Video: Venezuela’s Maduro blocks much-needed aid from U.S. - NBC News, February 7, 2019
 * Venezuela: first US aid trucks arrive at border blockaded by Maduro The Guardian February 7, 2019
 * Raw video: RAW: Venezuela blocks border bridge to stop US-backed ‘humanitarian aid - Ruptly, February 8, 2019 (Note, that the fences are supported from the Columbian side.)
 * Ruptly is live from the Colombian border city of Cucuta, on Saturday, February 9m as US trucks full of food and medicine are waiting to cross the bridge blockaded with shipping containers and a fuel tanker.
 * Fake news, see: The Bogus Bolivarian Blockade - McResistor, February 8, 2019
 * The Tienditas Bridge “blockade” - Justin Emery, February 8, 2019 (in Spanish)
 * Western Media Fall in Lockstep for Cheap Trump/Rubio Venezuela Aid PR Stunt - Adam Johnson, FAIR, February 9, 2019
 * Red Cross, UN Slam Denounce Use of ‘Politicized’ Humanitarian Aid to Venezuela Paul Dobson, February 11, 2019
 * Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters Slams Richard Branson for Fronting US Trojan-Horse “Aid” to Venezuela - Alexander Rubinstein, Mint Press February 22, 2019
 * Anyone Buying This Venezuela Bullshit Is A Complete Fucking Moron - Caitlin Johnstone, February 23, 2019 (mirror)
 * Burning Aid: An Interventionist Deception on Colombia-Venezuela Bridge? - Max Blumenthal, Grayzone Project, February 23, 2019
 * Venezuela Aid Scam - Venezuela Aid Scam, Unz Review, February 24, 2019
 * Venezuela crisis: Border clashes, ‘masked thugs’, ‘torched aid’ & fake Red Cross - RT, February 24, 2019
 * Venezuelan Military Burns Truck Carrying U.S. "Humanitarian Aid" - Fake News - SouthFront, February 24, 2019
 * WaPo Quietly Deletes Branson's Venezuela Concert From Article After 'Fake' Attendance Figures Exposed - ZeroHedge, February 24, 2019
 * Venezuela - There Was A Riot At The Border But What Else Did The "Aid" Stunt Achieve? - Moon of Alabama, February 24, 2019

Weapons smuggling

 * Venezuela says plane from Miami delivered weapons for use by enemies of Maduro - Miami Herald, February 7, 2019
 * US Air Freight Company that Smuggled Weapons Into Venezuela Linked to CIA “Black Site” Renditions Whitney Webb, Mint Press February 13, 2019

Analysis

 * Naming Names: The Actors Working to Take Down Venezuela - Eduardo Andrade Bone, Mint Press, January 17, 2019
 * The United States are preparing a war between Latin-American states - Thierry Meyssan, VoltaireNet, January 18, 2019
 * Venezuela - U.S. Again Tries Regime Change Which Is Again Likely To Fail - Moon of Alabama, January 23, 2019
 * WASHINGTON'S MERCENARY DRIFT TOWARDS VENEZUELA Mission Verdad January 23, 2019
 * Venezuela - The U.S. Game Plan For 'Regime Change' And How To Respond To It - Moon of Alabama, January 24, 2019
 * Where Will Venezuela Go Next? The Answer Is Hard to Determine Right Now, José González Vargas, January 24, 2019
 * Trump Recognition of Rival Venezuelan Government Will Set Off a Diplomatic Avalanche - Wayne Madsen, Strategic Culture, January 24, 2019
 * Venezuela: The Indirect Adaptive Approach To Regime Change - Andrew Korybko, Eurasia Future, January 24, 2019
 * Regime Change in Venezuela: The Documented Evidence - Tony Cartalucci, January 25, 2019
 * Venezuela - Trump's Coup Attempt Is Based On A Seriously Flawed Plan - Moon of Alabama, January 25, 2019
 * Top 5 Dumbest Arguments Defending Trump’s Venezuela Interventionism - Caitlin Johnstone, January 26, 2019
 * The Vultures of Caracas - Craig Murray, January 26, 2019
 * America to Venezuela – “Your Money AND Your Life!” - Rostislav Ishchenko, ukraina.ru via StalkerZone, January 26, 2019
 * What has happened in Venezuela is a coup. Trump’s denial is dangerous - Oscar Guardiola-Rivera, The Guardian, January 28, 2019
 * Canada Is Complicit in Venezuela's US-Backed Coup D'état - Yves Engler, Venezuelanalysis.com, January 28, 2019
 * Trump administration imposes sanctions on Venezuelan oil industry - Alexander Fangman, WSWS, January 2019
 * The Making of Juan Guaidó: How the US Regime Change Laboratory Created Venezuela’s Coup Leader - Dan Cohen and Max Blumenthal, Gray Zone, January 29, 2019
 * Why must Venezuela be destroyed? - Dmitry Orlov, January 29, 2019
 * Bernie and the Dems Flunk Trump’s Test On Venezuela’s Coup - Shamus Cooke, CounterPunch, January 29, 2019
 * The systematic destruction of the PDVSA - Voltaire Network, January 30, 2019
 * VENEZUELA CRISIS: U.S. HAS PAINTED ITSELF INTO CORNER - SouthFront, January 30, 2019
 * Internal US Gov’t Document Outlines Program of ‘Economic Warfare’ on Venezuela - Ben Norton, Gray Zone, January 30, 2019
 * Venezuela: Coup d’Etat or Constitutional Transition? Lucas Koerner, Venezuelaanalysis February 6, 2019
 * Venezuela as the pivot for New Internationalism?, Michael Hudson, February 6, 2019
 * Haiti’s Unfolding Revolution Is Directly Linked to Venezuela’s - Kim Ives, Haiti Liberte, February 13, 2019
 * Almost Everything Americans Hear About Venezuela Is A Lie - Andrew Dobbs, American Herald Tribune, February 13, 2019
 * Inside the neoliberal laboratory preparing for the theft of Venezuela’s economy - Justin Podur, Salon, February 15, 2019
 * Russia's stake in Venezuela - John Helmer, February 17, 2019
 * Financial blockade: Chronology of a strategy to destroy Venezuela - MR Online, February 19, 2019
 * The war on Venezuela is built on lies, John Pilger, February 21, 2019
 * Remember the Maine? CIA Intervention in Venezuela - David Rosen, Strategic Culture, March 2, 2019

Public figures statements

 * Roger Waters (on Richard Branson Live-Aid concert), February 19, 2019
 * Dueling Venezuela Benefits Vie Over Talent, and the Country’s Fate (includes Branson response, also here, CNNespanol), RollingStone, February 22, 2019
 * OPEN LETTER TO THE UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL ANTONIO GUTERRES AND TO THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS MICHELLE BACHELET Alfred de Zayas, February 23, 2019