Read both articles here https://links.org.au/political-social-and-economic-impact-venezuelas-twin-earthquakes-plus-despite-quakes-us-still Excerpts below ********************************************** The political, social and economic impact of Venezuela’s twin earthquakes By Autonomous and Independent Workers’ Committee. Translation by Federico Fuentes for LINKS International Journal of Socialist Renewal. Natural disasters have the uncomfortable ability to reveal the harsh truth of a situation. They do not cause crises on their own; they simply strip away the facades concealing them. The two major earthquakes that recently struck Venezuela, with epicentres in Caracas and La Guaira, not only shifted the tectonic plates of the Caribbean and South America, but also completely shattered the political, social and economic normality in a country already struggling, with great effort, to get back on its feet. This tragedy also unfolds against an already complex backdrop marked by the January 3 military aggression and imposition of US tutelage over the nation. Forty-eight hours after the most powerful earthquakes to hit the country in 125 years, the US has exploited the humanitarian catastrophe to accelerate its military control over a country it invaded just six months ago. US Southern Command announced the deployment of about 100 airforce personnel to take over managing Venezuela’s Simón Bolívar International Airport, now operating at reduced capacity due to structural damage. About 130 marines arrived at La Guaira port to assist authorities in the terminal’s reopening, helping deliver humanitarian aid and heavy equipment. Several US military helicopters have already transported State Department personnel tasked with leading the aid mission. Meanwhile, US Southern Command has confirmed that the US Space Force is providing satellite imagery to assess damaged infrastructure. To date, Venezuela has welcomed more than 1600 international rescue workers. As for on-the-ground coordination, US General Kevin J Jarrard arrived in Caracas on June 25 to lead the humanitarian response. On behalf of the Venezuelan government, Acting President Delcy Rodríguez appointed General Juan Ernesto Sulbarán as the sole authority for the emergency, placing the La Guaira region under strict military administration..... The double earthquake has placed the executive’s operational capacity and nature of its institutional control under intense public scrutiny. Far from being a simple logistical challenge, the emergency exposes the state’s weaknesses: the constant friction between military control of security and the free flow of aid, the pre-existing collapse of healthcare infrastructure, and an information blackout that breeds mistrust through inconsistent casualty figures. The interim Delcy Rodríguez government is staking its survival and political capital on its handling of the crisis. This will determine whether it can consolidate power or whether a misstep, corruption scandal or perceived neglect will catalyse mass protests by a society unwilling to tolerate further mistakes. Disasters of this magnitude redefine national priorities, altering the relationship between social classes and those in power. In the current climate, the crisis caused by the earthquakes provides the perfect pretext to postpone any electoral process or discussion of political transition until the end of 2026. It also puts wage demands on hold under the unifying banner of national reconstruction. However, amid disasters, social solidarity often flourishes outside of the government’s political apparatus: neighbours clear rubble with their own hands, students transform into rescue workers, doctors improvise field hospitals, and churches, universities and community organisations coordinate relief centres. In just a few days, a social force has emerged whose significance will far transcend the current emergency. This phenomenon not only reveals the strengths and weaknesses of official institutions, but also the enormous capacity of a society to organise itself, care for the most vulnerable and build responses from the grassroots up — a popular energy that will undoubtedly shape the country’s political future... ********************************************** Despite earthquakes, US still withholds 70% of Venezuela’s oil revenues By Autonomous and Independent Workers’ Committee. Translation by Federico Fuentes for LINKS International Journal of Socialist Renewal. While La Guaira state struggles to rebuild out of the ruins of the double earthquake, one financial factor is worsening the humanitarian crisis. Technical reports and expert statements say the US administration’s sanctions policy ensures most of the foreign currency Venezuela generates from oil sales remains under US control, drastically limiting the funds available for reconstruction. Oil engineer, Einstein Millán Arcia, who is also a former manager at Venezuela state oil company, PDVSA, says since January Washington’s control over Venezuela’s trade decisions has been “growing and sustained.” International buyers, via a network of Treasury Department licenses, are having to deposit oil payments into US-supervised accounts. The figures to May reflect the magnitude of this discretionary control: Total production: Between January–May, Venezuela exported about 152.38 million barrels of oil. Frozen cash: This generated a gross value of $11.673 billion. However, 70% of this remains frozen in US Treasury-managed accounts. Authorised trickle: Washington only allowed a small fraction of these funds to flow into Venezuela. The US State Department reported to Congress that it had authorised the disbursement of some $3.5 billion (via intermediaries such as Qatar), primarily for the public payroll and foreign exchange market. The Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV) has not formally confirmed this figure. This has direct consequences on the state’s ability to respond to the natural disaster, which has caused damages totalling $6.7 billion (about 6% of Venezuela’s GDP) according to preliminary United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) estimates. Economist Francisco Rodríguez, author of The Collapse of Venezuela, warns the structural impact of this policy is severe, especially in the area of infrastructure: "During Venezuela's long economic implosion, the sector that most contracted was construction — with its GDP falling by a whopping 95.9% between 2013 and 2020… "We should not forget that for more than 7 years, US sanctions barred the Venezuelan government from purchasing the heavy machinery that is needed to dig people out of the rubble today.”.....
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