[Marxism] In Venezuela, Another Failed Attempt To Oust Maduro

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2019/04/30/in-venezuela-another-failed-attempt-to-oust-maduro/
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Re: [Marxism] On Venezuela: Down with Trump, Maduro, and Guaido!

[Patrick Bond via Marxism]

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On 2019/02/07 6:14 AM, jgr...@communistvoice.org wrote:

If you have different information, Patrick, about the results of the system of
exchange rates in Venezuela, I would be interested to hear about it.


Thanks Joe, I don't. I'll check in with comrades at CEPR in Washington 
who know much more about this. They always told Chavez that the black 
market would be a serious economic cancer, and that he needed to address 
the premium on hard currency... and I guess that was the correct advice 
back then.


Certainly Zimbabwe's recent experience in managing scarce currency 
reserves is as bad as they come: 
http://www.cadtm.org/In-Zimbabwe-capitalist-crisis-ultra-neoliberal-policy-Mugabesque


The recent period stands in contrast (I'm very very sad to say) to the 
much more efficient system of exchange control management that occurred 
in the same place - though under racist rule - in 1965-74 when Zim was 
growing at 9.5% annually thanks to the hot-house effect of trapping 
liquid finance inside, instead of letting it leak out to London bank 
headquarters as had been the case: 
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Patrick_Bond/publication/250226419_Uneven_Zimbabwe_A_Study_of_Finance_Development_and_Underdevelopment/links/586d302308ae6eb871bce0e0/Uneven-Zimbabwe-A-Study-of-Finance-Development-and-Underdevelopment.pdf


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Re: [Marxism] On Venezuela: Down with Trump, Maduro, and Guaido!

[jgreen--- via Marxism]

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On 6 Feb 2019 at 11:09, pb...@mail.ngo.za wrote:

>.
> Whether you are a transitional-programme Marxist or a Keynesian
> Marxist, having exchange 
> controls is absolutely vital, we'd all surely agree?

Hi Patrick,

I would think that the essential point isn't that exchange controls are bad in 
themselves. The point is that the particular Venezuelan exchange controls were 
catastrophic. A government with different policies than the Maduro government 
might have been able to use exchange controls well.  But the point is what 
happened in Venezuela under this particular government.

In 2017 for example, there were three official exchange rates, differing by a 
factor 
of 30 to 1. And an unofficial exchange rate, which could differ from the lowest 
exchange rate by a factor of 100 to 1. As I understand it, under Venezuelan 
conditions, this made corruption and smuggling vastly profitable, and that was 
one of the bad things that took place. The government was unable to prevent 
that, but continued this system anyway.  The result was that these particular 
exchange controls didn't encourage importation of essential goods as much as 
result in in immense corruption. And they were continued despite their 
catastrophic result, maybe because Maduro didn't have any idea of what else to 
do,  or maybe precisely because the corruption was immensely profitable to 
certain circles with government connections.

If someone repeatedly drives a car straight into a brick wall, it isn't much of 
a 
defense to point out that everyone drives cars.

If you have different information, Patrick, about the results of the system of 
exchange rates in Venezuela, I would be interested to hear about it.

Best regards,

Joseph




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Re: [Marxism] On Venezuela: Down with Trump, Maduro, and Guaido!

[pbond--- via Marxism]

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In the selection below, isn't the author conjoining several factors? 

Would we not agree?: 

1) the exchange controls of 2003 were mainly imposed, as I understood
it, to prevent the elites from looting the country, as they were doing; 

2) but in addition, the policy sovereignty that is increased thanks to
such controls can be absolutely vital, especially in times of financial
meltdown (many countries learned this in 2008-09, even South Africa
which had dismantled big chunks of controls but retained a 75%
requirement on institutional investors' funds being located locally); 

3) the oil price crashed ($148/barrel in 2008 at peak, then as low as
$26/barrel in early 2016, though now around $60/barrel); 

4) an accountable (or even competent) government would have ways of
rationing access to hard currency in both good and bad times, which
requires exchange controls. 

Whether you are a transitional-programme Marxist or a Keynesian Marxist,
having exchange controls is absolutely vital, we'd all surely agree?

Cheers, 
Patrick 

On 2019-02-06 10:42, jgreen--- via Marxism wrote:

> ... 
> "Meanwhile, enormous amounts of money went into artificially keeping 
> Venezuela´s currency strong through strict exchange controls imposed in 
> 2003... currency controls did little more than fuel opportunities for 
> corruption as those with access to dollars sold them at black market rates. 
> Moreover, the oil boom simultaneously masked and fed corruption as dollars 
> were 
> plentiful. But when dollars became scarce as oil prices plummeted, the breach 
> no 
> longer held.
> As authorities have stubbornly refused to lift controls - not for ideological 
> reasons but because so many officials are now wrapped up in the web of 
> corruption - black market demand for dollars to finance imports of everything 
> from food to medicine to replacement parts have depressed local currency and 
> driven inflation rates to upwards of 800 percent."  
> From "Explaining the Venezuelan Crisis", October 28, 2016
> https://nacla.org/news/2017/04/28/explaining-venezuelan-crisis
> From "Explaining the Venezuelan Crisis", October 28, 2016
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Re: [Marxism] On Venezuela: Down with Trump, Maduro, and Guaido!

[jgreen--- via Marxism]

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On 4 Feb 2019 at 10:23, Chris Slee wrote:
> 
> Joseph Green claims that:  "The Venezelan government's policies are
> the main cause of the 
> economic and political crisis in Venezuela".
> 
> While making a token expression of opposition to US sanctions, he
> does not recognise them as a 
> major cause (I would say the main cause) of the economic crisis.

All serious accounts of the Chavista economy show the role of the government's 
policies in the crisis. The sanctions are now becoming very severe, but the 
crisis 
originally developed, and turned into utter disaster, for other reasons. 

Here is a partial account of what happened, taken from an article in NACLA:

"What Chávez´s spending didn´t do was invest significantly in domestic 
production, relying instead on imports and immediate assistance that increased 
consumption levels while leaving much of Venezuela´s private sector - from 
banks to manufacturing - in private hands ...

"Meanwhile, enormous amounts of money went into artificially keeping 
Venezuela´s currency strong through strict exchange controls imposed in 2003. 
Far from a socialist plot, currency controls were an emergency response to the 
oil 
industry strike that left Venezuela in desperate need of cash: by limiting the 
amount of dollars individuals and businesses could purchase in the open market, 
the government could shore up dollars and stem capital flight. As the immediate 
crisis abated, however, currency controls did little more than fuel 
opportunities for 
corruption as those with access to dollars sold them at black market rates. 
Moreover, the oil boom simultaneously masked and fed corruption as dollars were 
plentiful. But when dollars became scarce as oil prices plummeted, the breach 
no 
longer held.

"As authorities have stubbornly refused to lift controls - not for ideological 
reasons but because so many officials are now wrapped up in the web of 
corruption - black market demand for dollars to finance imports of everything 
from food to medicine to replacement parts have depressed local currency and 
driven inflation rates to upwards of 800 percent."  

>From "Explaining the Venezuelan Crisis", October 28, 2016
https://nacla.org/news/2017/04/28/explaining-venezuelan-crisis
>From "Explaining the Venezuelan Crisis", October 28, 2016


> 
> Amongst other impacts, the sanctions affect the repair of equipment
> in the oil industry, and thus 
> cut the government's main source of revenue.
> 

Nice try, but the deterioration of the oil industry isn't simply sanctions.

> Corruption and mismanagement are also contributing factors.  But

Corruption on the Venezuelan scale isn't simply some defect, but affects who 
are 
the ruling circles in Venezuela and why apparently absurd decisions are taken.

> for people in the US, and its 
> allies such as Australia, the actions of our own governments should
> be the main focus.

International solidarity, support for the the working people of Venezuela, and 
learning from the Venezuelan disaster should be the focus. One can't fight 
imperialism without supporting the working people of Venezuela and of  the 
world. 
And one can't support the working people if one closes one's eyes to what's 
happened in Venezuela and instead supports a regime whose policies have not 
only led to disaster, but which now rules by the whip as it has lost the 
support of 
the working masses.

Moreover,  the Chavista policies were put forward as "21st century socialism" 
and 
so have to be evaluated by serious activists everywhere.






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Re: [Marxism] On Venezuela: Down with Trump, Maduro, and Guaido!

[Chris Slee via Marxism]

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Joseph Green claims that:  "The Venezelan government's policies are the main 
cause of the economic and political crisis in Venezuela".

While making a token expression of opposition to US sanctions, he does not 
recognise them as a major cause (I would say the main cause) of the economic 
crisis.

Amongst other impacts, the sanctions affect the repair of equipment in the oil 
industry, and thus cut the government's main source of revenue.

Corruption and mismanagement are also contributing factors.  But for people in 
the US, and its allies such as Australia, the actions of our own governments 
should be the main focus.

Chris Slee


From: Marxism  on behalf of jgreen--- via 
Marxism 
Sent: Monday, 4 February 2019 3:56:48 PM
To: Chris Slee
Subject: [Marxism] On Venezuela: Down with Trump, Maduro, and Guaido!

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On the situation in Venezuela:
Down with Trump, Maduro, and Guaido!
Solidarity with the Venezuelan protesters!

(from the Detroit/Seattle Workers' Voice list - Jan. 30, 2019)

There is a deep crisis in Venezuela. At one time the presidency of Hugo Chavez
brought immense benefits to the Venezuelan poor and workers, albeit it was done
mainly through oil money, sufficient at one time to simultaneously finance 
social
measures, bribe the military, and pay off a section of the bourgeoisie. But the
days of the Bolivarian revolution are over in all but name. The country is now
reeling from rampant corruption, the lack of sufficient food and medicine,
spectacular inflation, mass emigration, and political repression. Hunger stalks 
the
country. While a handful of Chavista bureaucrats and allies live in luxury, many
Venezuelans have fled the country in order to survive. Meanwhile politically, 
the
workers and the poor are caught between Maduro´s bureaucrats and the
traditional rightist bourgeoisie in Venezuela.

No to Trump´s intervention in Venezuela - from sanctions to the threat of 
military
action. In desperation, some Venezuelans, not just the bourgeoisie, look towards
outside intervention from anywhere. But there is a long-standing US imperialist
policy towards Latin America. The US government has historically backed the
most despicable forces in Latin America, and not hesitated to see popular
movements drowned in blood. The US government opposed the Chavez
government at a time when the condition of the masses was improving, and now
sees the misery under Maduro as an opportunity. Trump, whose administration
lauds the fascist-sympathizer Jair Bolsonaro, the new president of Brazil, is
intervening in Venezuela, not in the interests of freedom, but to restore the
domination of the traditional bourgeoisie.

No support for the head authoritarian, Nicolas Maduro, whose policy is simply to
stay in power at all costs, no matter what the population thinks or how many
people starve. The Maduro presidency is dependent, not on the will of the 
people,
but on the continuation of support from the military, whose chieftains have
enriched themselves under Chavista rule. The Venezuelan government´s policies
are the main cause of the economic and political crisis in Venezuela. The Maduro
government has relied increasingly on continuing Chavez´s centralization of
power in the presidency. And as he lost popularity, Maduro took to more and
more falsification of the voice of the people and repressive police measures.
Elections have seen the banning of various opposition parties and leaders, and
the coercion of those receiving social assistance or having a government job.
Having lost the National Assembly to the opposition despite everything, Maduro
called in 2017 for a Constituent Assembly to revise the Bolivarian constitution
created under Chavez. In the elections for the Constituent Assembly, the vote of
a person in a small town was worth well over 10 times that of someone in a big
city like Caracas. That´s an example of what passes for legality and democratic
procedure under Maduro.

No support for Juan Guaido, who has declared himself the interim president of
Venezuela. The mass disgust with the Maduro government doesn´t mean that the
bulk of the protesters support the leaders of the opposition or that they have a
clear plan of their own. The opposition´s political wing is dominated by 
bourgeois
and neo-liberal forces, including 

[Marxism] On Venezuela: Down with Trump, Maduro, and Guaido!

[jgreen--- via Marxism]

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On the situation in Venezuela:
Down with Trump, Maduro, and Guaido! 
Solidarity with the Venezuelan protesters! 

(from the Detroit/Seattle Workers' Voice list - Jan. 30, 2019)

There is a deep crisis in Venezuela. At one time the presidency of Hugo Chavez 
brought immense benefits to the Venezuelan poor and workers, albeit it was done 
mainly through oil money, sufficient at one time to simultaneously finance 
social 
measures, bribe the military, and pay off a section of the bourgeoisie. But the 
days of the Bolivarian revolution are over in all but name. The country is now 
reeling from rampant corruption, the lack of sufficient food and medicine, 
spectacular inflation, mass emigration, and political repression. Hunger stalks 
the 
country. While a handful of Chavista bureaucrats and allies live in luxury, 
many 
Venezuelans have fled the country in order to survive. Meanwhile politically, 
the 
workers and the poor are caught between Maduro´s bureaucrats and the 
traditional rightist bourgeoisie in Venezuela.

No to Trump´s intervention in Venezuela - from sanctions to the threat of 
military 
action. In desperation, some Venezuelans, not just the bourgeoisie, look 
towards 
outside intervention from anywhere. But there is a long-standing US imperialist 
policy towards Latin America. The US government has historically backed the 
most despicable forces in Latin America, and not hesitated to see popular 
movements drowned in blood. The US government opposed the Chavez 
government at a time when the condition of the masses was improving, and now 
sees the misery under Maduro as an opportunity. Trump, whose administration 
lauds the fascist-sympathizer Jair Bolsonaro, the new president of Brazil, is 
intervening in Venezuela, not in the interests of freedom, but to restore the 
domination of the traditional bourgeoisie.

No support for the head authoritarian, Nicolas Maduro, whose policy is simply 
to 
stay in power at all costs, no matter what the population thinks or how many 
people starve. The Maduro presidency is dependent, not on the will of the 
people, 
but on the continuation of support from the military, whose chieftains have 
enriched themselves under Chavista rule. The Venezuelan government´s policies 
are the main cause of the economic and political crisis in Venezuela. The 
Maduro 
government has relied increasingly on continuing Chavez´s centralization of 
power in the presidency. And as he lost popularity, Maduro took to more and 
more falsification of the voice of the people and repressive police measures. 
Elections have seen the banning of various opposition parties and leaders, and 
the coercion of those receiving social assistance or having a government job. 
Having lost the National Assembly to the opposition despite everything, Maduro 
called in 2017 for a Constituent Assembly to revise the Bolivarian constitution 
created under Chavez. In the elections for the Constituent Assembly, the vote 
of 
a person in a small town was worth well over 10 times that of someone in a big 
city like Caracas. That´s an example of what passes for legality and democratic 
procedure under Maduro.

No support for Juan Guaido, who has declared himself the interim president of 
Venezuela. The mass disgust with the Maduro government doesn´t mean that the 
bulk of the protesters support the leaders of the opposition or that they have 
a 
clear plan of their own. The opposition´s political wing is dominated by 
bourgeois 
and neo-liberal forces, including the traditional right-wing, and Guaido 
appeals to 
outside powers to help him take over in Venezuela. He has no plan to deal 
seriously with the immense crisis at present in Venezuela. The opposition has a 
majority in the National Assembly, but it is fragmented, with nothing but 
opposition 
to the Maduro regime uniting it.

As the crisis has deepened, the discontent with the Maduro government has 
spread to a number of poor districts that previously backed the Chavistas. A 
recent article in NACLA reports that

"Much has changed, though, since the days of the April 2002 coup, when, in 
response, the Venezuelan poor famously came `down from the barrios´ to defend 
President Chavez and the Bolivarian Revolution. ...

"Nearly two decades later, Venezuelan President Maduro faces a far different 
scenario.

"Protests against Maduro and confrontations with police have been documented 
throughout many working-class neighborhoods, including Catia, which has been a 
Chavista stronghold for almost two decades, in addition to sectors like La 
Vega, 
El Valle, Petare, and San Agustin. Marches against Maduro have vastly 
outnumbered those in support 

[Marxism] Talking Venezuela on WORT 89.9 FM in Madison, WI (Feb. 1, 2019) | Eric Draitser on Patreon

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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Eric appears on "A Public Affair" to provide his analysis of the 
situation in Venezuela and internationally. He discusses everything from 
the rise of Chavez and the Bolivarian Revolution, to the machinations of 
the imperialists in the US as they seek to destroy the gains of the last 
20 years. Lots of ground covered in this 20 minute interview.


https://www.patreon.com/posts/24403145
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[Marxism] On Venezuela - bookforum.com / omnivore

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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Multiple links.

https://www.bookforum.com/blog/20677
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[Marxism] Australia-Venezuela Solidarity Network statement

[Chris Slee via Marxism]

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For immediate release - January 29, 2019

If Australia is genuinely interested in peace and democracy in Venezuela
it must withdraw its support for Guaidó’s coup presidency

Solidarity activists have called on the federal Minister for Foreign Relations 
Marise Payne to withdraw Australia's support for Venezuela’s National Assembly 
president, Juan Guaidó, as the country's “interim president”, describing the 
government's move on January 28 as “reckless” and “extremely dangerous”.

They will be organising a protest outside the US Consulate in Martin Place, 
Sydney, on Thursday, January 31, at 5.30pm.

Federico Fuentes, a national co-convenor of the solidarity group 
Australia-Venezuela Solidarity Network, said: “Minister Payne reveals a deep 
lack of knowledge of the situation in Venezuela and her decision to recognise a 
Venezuelan opposition MP as ‘interim president’ places Australia squarely on 
the side of those using violence to generate instability for their own 
political ends.

“This shows that the Australian government is less interested in democracy and 
more motivated by political calculations, in line with the United States. It 
shows it does not have a genuine interest in helping resolving the current 
crisis in Venezuela.”

“Minister Payne claims that Venezuela’s constitution allows Guaidó to appoint 
himself ‘interim president’. This is not the case, and in any other country, 
such a move would be described for what it is — an attempted coup.”

Guaidó cites Article 233 of the constitution as justification for his 
self-proclamation.

That article reads: “The President of the Republic shall become permanently 
unavailable to serve by reason of any of the following events: death; 
resignation; removal from office by decision of the Supreme Tribunal of 
Justice; permanent physical or mental disability certified by a medical board 
designated by the Supreme Tribunal of Justice with the approval of the National 
Assembly; abandonment of his position, duly declared by the National Assembly; 
and recall by popular vote.”

Mr Fuentes continued: “But President Maduro has neither died, resigned, been 
recalled, been removed by the Supreme Court or abandoned the position of 
president.”

“Minister Payne admits as much when she states that the Australian government 
urged President Maduro ‘to refrain from assuming the presidency on 10 January,’ 
despite Maduro being re-elected to the post in 2018.

“Given the opposition’s boycott of last year’s election — which was brought 
forward at its request — and the Australian government’s refusal to send 
official observers to scrutinise its validity, it is a flagrant disregard of 
Venezuela’s democracy to now turn around and declare Guaidó president.

“It is not up to Australia, or any other country, to decide who Venezuela’s 
president is: this is a right solely reserved for the people of Venezuela.

“Yet, this is what Australia and the Lima Group, a makeshift alliance of 
predominately right-leaning countries in the region, have done. In doing so 
they have come out in support of an unelected and unconstitutional ‘interim 
president’ who has rejected calls for dialogue, called on the army to carry out 
a coup and ruled out any possible elections for at least 8-10 months.

“Australia should instead follow the lead of the majority of countries that, at 
emergency meetings convened by the Organization of American States and the 
United Nations Security Council, supported non-interference in Venezuela’s 
internal affairs and called for dialogue and negotiations as the only way out 
of the crisis.

 “If Australia is serious about playing a positive role in the crisis, it must 
start by immediately withdrawing its recognition of Guaidó,” Mr Fuentes 
concluded.

Solidarity activists will be holding a protest outside the US Consulate in 
Martin Place, Sydney, on Thursday, January 31, starting 5.30pm.

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[Marxism] In Venezuela, Russia pockets key energy assets in exchange for cash bailouts - The Washington Post

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/in-venezuela-russia-pockets-key-energy-assets-in-exchange-for-cash-bailouts/2018/12/20/da458db6-f403-11e8-80d0-f7e1948d55f4_story.html
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[Marxism] Fwd: Venezuela crisis is the hidden consequence of Saudi Arabia's oil price war

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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Interesting article. It argues that Saudi Arabia flooded the market with 
their oil reserves in order to drive down the price of oil. This was 
intended to undermine fracking that costs $60 per barrel as against $7 
for natural oil. It was also intended to undermine Iran. The Saudis used 
oil as a weapon to inhibit Iran's ability to finance Shia militias in 
the region. In doing this, the Saudis ended up making Venezuela 
collateral damage. Anyhow, that's what the article claimed.


https://theconversation.com/venezuela-crisis-is-the-hidden-consequence-of-saudi-arabias-oil-price-war-82178
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[Marxism] Fwd: Venezuela elections: resurgent chavismo and “unrecognised” democracy | Investig’Action

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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http://www.investigaction.net/en/venezuela-elections-resurgent-chavismo-and-unrecognised-democracy/
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[Marxism] On Venezuela

[Anthony Boynton via Marxism]

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My post on the "ground rent thesis" was mostly aimed at talking about how
differential rent works in mining and mineral extractions, but I mentioned
my opinion that Venezuela under the Chavistas had failed "to diversify the
Venezuelan economy to be more self-reliant."

This ruffled Lou's feather's, but it is a fact that no one can deny.
Despite big plans and lots of speeches, Venezuela's economy is less diverse
now then it was when Chavez was first elected. This is true not just for
industry, but for agriculture and tourism and every sector of the
Venezuelan economy.

I did not venture an opinion about the intentions of Chavez and his
followers, or about their big plans, or about their sincerity, or even
about why they failed.

IMHO Venezuela faces a crisis that in some ways is very much like the one
Cuba faced when Gorbachev pulled the rug out from under them. So far, the
Chavistas have not been able to mobilize the Venezuelan people to endure
their own "special period" and emerge from it in one piece. And, it does
not look like they have any ability to do so at this point.

This is not a good thing for Venezuela, or for anyone on this planet,
because the failure of the Venezuelan experiment will set the left back not
only in Venezuela, but everywhere in Latin America.

However, the drama is not over yet, and the unexpected is still very
possible.

All of Latin America remains extremely volatile. The right and the United
States have no solutions for any of the long standing problems of the
region. Witness Brazil. In Colombia, next door to Venezuela, the city of
Buenaventura, the main Pacific Ocean port of this country, just ended a
three week long "paro" that had many of the earmarks of a communal
insurrection. It occurred simultaneously with a month long public school
teachers' strike.

One of the lessons from the experience of the Soviet Union that everyone
should have learned, and that strongly applies to Venezuela, is that
socialism in one country, even a big country with a lot of natural
resources, is not possible in the long run. However, one of the lessons we
should all learn from Cuba is, that where there is a will, it can survive
for a long time against very stiff odds.

Anthony
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Re: [Marxism] Fwd: Venezuela on fire: What happened - Renegade Inc

[Patrick Bond via Marxism]

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On 2017/06/08 03:57 PM, Louis Proyect via Marxism wrote:
(The same old critique. How is it that so little of this was heard 
before oil prices began to plummet?)


Because, I think, we haven't been good at connecting the dots between 
climate activism and general tendencies of Resource Cursing, applicable 
also in Venezuela. That failure to work across sectors is a more general 
problem, evident across the left, environmentalists, community, labour - 
certainly in Africa: 
https://www.counterpunch.org/2015/03/13/disconnecting-the-minerals-energy-climate-dots/


It's why Naomi Klein's This Changes Everything is so vital.

Actually, the lefty critique of fossil extractivism in the Pink Tide 
zone that I just mentioned, from Edgardo Lander, has been rising fast in 
that region since at least the early 2000s. One very interesting group - 
Accion Ecologica radical eco-feminists based in Quito - has been central 
to the Oilwatch global network, along with their comrades at 
Environmental RIghts Action in Nigeria.


I hung out with them 6 years ago in the Yasuni forest trying to get a 
handle on "leave the oil in the soil" politics: 
http://links.org.au/node/2430


Here's a bit of a translation to an eco-social struggle in northern 
KwaZulu-Natal not far from Durban: 
http://ccs.ukzn.ac.za/files/Leave-the-coal-in-the-ground-somkhele.pdf


Obviously there's a great deal of debate going on about whether 
'environmental justice' is the appropriate framing, or whether 
eco-socialism can get traction in scenes like this, as a result of 
various EJ limitations...




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[Marxism] Fwd: Venezuela on fire: What happened - Renegade Inc

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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(The same old critique. How is it that so little of this was heard 
before oil prices began to plummet?)



“It’s important to admit that the Bolivarian governments in the past 18 
years were incapable of transforming the economic structure of the 
country,” says Dr Luis Fernando Angosto-Ferrández, a lecturer of 
Anthropology and Spanish and Latin American Studies at Sydney University.


“There remains a structure of rentier capitalism which is absolutely 
dependent on the rent obtained by oil production and exportation. 
Certainly much of the money that was obtained through that oil revenue 
ended up in public redistribution,” he says.


https://renegadeinc.com/venezuela-fire-happened/
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[Marxism] Fwd: Venezuela Reconsidered

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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Last Friday Chris Gilbert wrote an article for CounterPunch titled The 
Chávez Hypothesis: Vicissitudes of a Strategic Project  that like many I 
have read since 1999 try to put the late President into a Marxist 
context, in this instance claiming that “Hugo Chávez was an heir to 
Lenin’s political legacy.” Before replying to Gilbert, it might be 
useful to mention other attempts to ground the Bolivarian revolution in 
one strand of Marxism or another.


full: http://www.counterpunch.org/2017/05/26/92966/
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[Marxism] Fwd: Venezuela on our minds

[Clay Claiborne via Marxism]

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Worth reading.


Clay Claiborne, Director
Vietnam: American Holocaust 
Linux Beach Productions
Venice, CA 90291
(310) 581-1536

Read my blogs at the Linux Beach 


-- Forwarded message --
From: SOA Watch 
Date: Sun, Jun 26, 2016 at 11:08 AM
Subject: Venezuela on our minds
To: clayc...@gmail.com


Clay,

As Colombia is moving closer to peace
,
we are deeply concerned about the situation in Venezuela, a country whose
people have given us great hope. Venezuela started the push towards greater
self-determination in the Americas in this century, and archived a lot. In
2004, Venezuela was the first country to withdraw its troops from the
School of the Americas and to denounce the bloody history of the SOA/
WHINSEC. This unprecedented move launched an era of new strategies for SOA
Watch - 19 delegations to Latin America, which resulted in lasting
relationships with human rights organizations throughout the continent, and
the withdrawal of five more countries from the SOA/ WHINSEC (Bolivia,
Argentina, Uruguay, Ecuador and Nicaragua). Today the political realities
in Latin America are changing, social gains are being threatened, and
social movements are under increasing attack. Lisa Sullivan, who lives in
Venezuela, and who was a driving force behind the delegations and the SOA
Watch meetings with Latin American partner groups, presidents, and
ministers of defense, is sharing the following article about the situation
in Venezuela today with us:

--

For 32 years I have called Venezuela home. Its mountains have given me
beauty, its barrios have given me music, its struggles have given me
purpose, and its people have given me love.

Its Bolivarian Revolution gave me hope. How could I not feel hope when most
of my neighbors -ages 2 to 70, were studying, right in our little
potato-growing town in the mountains of western Venezuela. How could I not
be hopeful when 18 neighbor families received new homes to replace their
unhealthy, crowded living spaces?


How could I not be grateful when my partner received life-saving emergency
surgery? Or when my blind friend Chuy had his sight restored. Both for free.

But today, this is what I see from my porch: neighbors digging frantically
in barren, already-harvested potato fields, hoping to find a few overlooked
little spuds. Rastreando they call it. It is an act of desperation to find
any food source to keep the kids from crying, because for months, the
shelves of the stores have been bare.

How did this happen? That is the question that I bolt awake to every
morning. As I watch Juan Carlos claw the fields for potatoes; as I embrace
a tearful Chichila - up and waiting in line since 2 am, searching,
unsuccessfully, to buy food for her large family; as I see the pounds shed
before my eyes from 10-year-old Fabiola. I am glad that my mangos are
ripening now. They take some of the empty glare from Fabi's eyes.



*Click here to read the rest of Lisa's article. *


--


*SOA Watch   **
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[Marxism] Fwd: Venezuela: near the end? | Michael Roberts Blog

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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The Chavista regime would have to move to restrict the law of value and 
replace the capitalist mode of production in order to end the rule of 
global market. That would require the state monopoly of foreign trade; 
expropriation of the food production and distribution; default on the 
foreign debt; expropriation of the banks and big businesses; and a 
national democratic plan of production.


Even that would not be enough if Venezuela remained isolated without any 
sympathetic governments in Latin America also prepared to adopt similar 
measures.  And token support from Cuba aside, Venezuela is isolated. 
China, which has loaned Caracas $65bn against future oil deliveries, is 
unlikely to extend fresh credit.  So it is probably too late, as the 
forces of reaction gain ground every day in the country.  It seems that 
we await only the decision of the army to change sides and oust the 
Chavistas.


full: 
https://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/2016/05/31/venezuela-near-the-end/


"Even that would not be enough if Venezuela remained isolated without 
any sympathetic governments in Latin America also prepared to adopt 
similar measures."


Or put another way, Engels answered the question “Will it be possible 
for this revolution to take place in one country alone?” in an 1847 article:


No. By creating the world market, big industry has already brought all 
the peoples of the Earth, and especially the civilized peoples, into 
such close relation with one another that none is independent of what 
happens to the others.


Further, it has co-ordinated the social development of the civilized 
countries to such an extent that, in all of them, bourgeoisie and 
proletariat have become the decisive classes, and the struggle between 
them the great struggle of the day. It follows that the communist 
revolution will not merely be a national phenomenon but must take place 
simultaneously in all civilized countries – that is to say, at least in 
England, America, France, and Germany.


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[Marxism] FW: Venezuela Passes Law Banning GMOs, by Popular Demand

[Richard Fidler via Marxism]

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http://tinyurl.com/h2xa3v6

The National Assembly of Venezuela, in its final session before a neoliberal
dominated opposition takes the helm of legislative power on January 5,
passed one of the most progressive seed laws in the world on December 23,
2015; it was promptly signed into law by President Nicolas Maduro. On
December 29, during his television show, "In Contact with Maduro, number
52," Maduro said that the new seed law provides the conditions to produce
food "under an agro-ecological model that respects the pacha mama (mother
earth) and the right of our children to grow up healthy, eating healthy."
The law is a victory for the international movements for agroecology and
food sovereignty because it bans transgenic (GMO) seed while protecting
local seed from privatization. The law is also a product of direct
participatory democracy -the people as legislator- in Venezuela, because it
was hammered out through a deliberative partnership between members of the
country's National Assembly and a broad-based grassroots coalition of
eco-socialist, peasant, and agroecological oriented organizations and
institutions. This essay provides an overview of the phenomenon of people as
legislator, a summary of the new Seed Law, and an appendix with an
unofficial translation of some of the articles of the law.

Full: http://tinyurl.com/h2xa3v6


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Re: [Marxism] FW: Venezuela Passes Law Banning GMOs, by Popular Demand

[Jeff via Marxism]

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At 10:13 03-01-16 -0500, Richard Fidler Via Marxism Wrote: 
>
>The National Assembly Of Venezuela, In Its Final Session Before A Neoliberal
>Dominated Opposition Takes The Helm Of Legislative Power On January 5,
>Passed One Of The Most Progressive Seed Laws In The World

I think it's great when a popular movement strikes a blow against a filthy
multinational like Monsanto. Except that I've been hoping for victories
that would actually pass the test of time (and reason). This isn't one of
them. Without engaging in another pointless debate on the science, which
I'm pretty sure none of us (myself included) is especially qualified to
engage in (beyond citing our favorite scientists: the ones that agree with
our prejudices), I would just like to point out how this rebellious act
will be seen in historical perspective.

In 50 years most of us won't be around to discuss it, so I'll just say this
now and let historians in 2066 reading these archives judge. This act of
defiance will look no different from the following headline that might have
appeared a century ago:


  Breaking News

Use of Electricity Banned Throughout Entire Province in Light of Documented
Dangers. Action Denounced by Edison, Westinghouse, Siemens; Candle
Manufacturers Elated.

















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[Marxism] Fwd: Venezuela: ‘Terrorised by oil price drop’ - FT.com

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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When a frustrated mother threw a mango at Nicolás Maduro in April, 
hitting him on the head, she could never have guessed the outcome: the 
Venezuelan president promised his homeless attacker a new apartment.
Others are not so lucky. Lolimar Gelis and her family lost their home in 
2010 when a mudslide destroyed their shanty town, forcing them to take 
shelter at a military garrison in the west of the capital, Caracas. 
Despite appeals to the country’s leaders, the family is still waiting to 
be rehoused via a scheme launched by Mr Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez.


The Gran Misión Vivienda Venezuela was originally designed to help the 
families affected by the disaster. But its scale — to erect 3m homes by 
2019 — transformed it into a grand project. One that supporters say will 
meet the country’s soaring housing needs and critics deride as an 
expensive act of electoral politics that the country — which holds the 
world’s largest oil reserves — can no longer afford.
“They promised us a house, and after years we have got nothing,” says 
Lolimar’s daughter, Diveana. “Now they are threatening to kick us out of 
the shelter. In the current economic crisis, I fear we are not going to 
get a house.”


She is almost certainly right. Amid lower oil prices, Venezuela is 
struggling to maintain the social spending that characterised the Chávez 
era. Crude accounts for 96 per cent of export revenues: a halving in the 
oil price over the past 14 months means revenues have slumped by about 
$36bn compared with the average of the previous two years, when the 
government raked in almost $79bn.



full: 
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/c9c4b05c-0b81-11e5-994d-00144feabdc0.html

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[Marxism] Gaza: Venezuela plans coordinated rebuild, sends aid

[Stuart Munckton via Marxism]

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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has said he would convene a meeting of
Arab leaders to coordinate reconstruction efforts for the war-torn Gaza
Strip.

https://www.greenleft.org.au/node/57120

-- 
“Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is humanity’s
original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made,
through disobedience and through rebellion.” — Oscar Wilde, Soul of Man
Under Socialism

“The free market is perfectly natural... do you think I am some kind of
dummy?” — Jarvis Cocker

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