In March 2015 Obama signed executive order 13692 declaring Venezuela an "unusual and extraordinary threat to US national security":
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2015/03/11/2015-05677/blocking-property-and-suspending-entry-of-certain-persons-contributing-to-the-situation-in-venezuela The executive order enabled sanctions to be imposed against Venezuelan individuals and government entities, and also threatened sanctions against people and companies that "assist" such individuals or entities. This had the effect of scaring away potential trading partners. Some international banks closed Venezuelan government accounts or refused to process payments. This disrupted imports and exports. Trump intensified the sanctions. This resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, according to Jeffrey Sachs and Mark Weisbrot: "The sanctions reduced the public’s caloric intake, increased disease and mortality (for both adults and infants), and displaced millions of Venezuelans who fled the country as a result of the worsening economic depression and hyperinflation. They exacerbated Venezuela’s economic crisis and made it nearly impossible to stabilize the economy, contributing further to excess deaths. All of these impacts disproportionately harmed the poorest and most vulnerable Venezuelans." https://cepr.net/report/economic-sanctions-as-collective-punishment-the-case-of-venezuela These results of the US economic blockade are what socialists in the US should highlight. Chris Slee ________________________________ From: [email protected] <[email protected]> on behalf of John Reimann <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, 7 June 2021 10:57 PM To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [marxmail] Critique of DSA International Committee's planned visit to Venezuela We have been through this time and again with Chris Slee. He is simply factually mistaken when he claims that the economic collapse in Venezuela is due to the US blockade. The collapse started before any real sanctions against the Venezuelan economy, as opposed to sanctions against individuals. It's true that the fall in the price of oil was a major factor, but even that alone doesn't explain the collapse. As for the rest: Chris should remember the position that Trotsky took regarding the Soviet Union under Stalin. He mercilessly criticized the corrupt, bureaucratic and repressive regime of Stalin. He never used capitalist attacks against that regime as an excuse to whitewash or ignore the crimes of that regime. Yes, he did that while opposing those attacks also. And that was a regime that was actually based on the overthrow of capitalism, which the Maduro regime is not. In any case, regardless of the focus of the Venezuelan Voices article, the planned DSA visit to Venezuela will be nothing but a whitewash of the regime. It will add to the prejudice against "socialism" in that country. It will be used to strengthen the regime's oppression of the Venezuelan working class and peasantry. John Reimann -- “Science and socialism go hand-in-hand.” Felicity Dowling Check out:https:http://oaklandsocialist.com also on Facebook -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#9059): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/9059 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/83322419/21656 -=-=- POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. #4 Do not exceed five posts a day. -=-=- Group Owner: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/8674936/21656/1316126222/xyzzy [[email protected]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
