The Financial Times article's talk of "rapprochement" is misleading. It downplays the role of coercion. Under extreme pressure, the Venezuelan government has made big concessions to US imperialism.
Using military force and economic sanctions, the US has pressured the Venezuelan government to make big economic concessions to US oil and mining companies, and political concessions to the demands of the US government. On January 3, the US bombed Venezuela and kidnapped its president. In December 2025 and January 2026, the US navy took control of 9 oil tankers and stole the oil. The US government is still stealing Venezuela's oil revenue, and only giving back a small part of it to the Venezuelan government. Delcy Rodriguez and Diosdado Cabello are polite and superficially friendly in their dealings with US officials. I assume they are worried that if they criticise the US, the limited flow of oil revenue would be completely cut off and a new military attack on Venezuela could occur. They appear subservient. I would prefer that they were defiant. But I assume they don't want to take the risk of provoking intensified economic pressure and perhaps a devastating war. There is a need for a strong solidarity movement in the United States opposing US economic pressures and military threats to Cuba, Venezuela and other Latin American countries. Chris Slee ________________________________ From: [email protected] <[email protected]> on behalf of hari kumar via groups.io <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, 16 July 2026 4:59 PM To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Subject: [marxmail] "Its blowing in the wind" - Diosdado hears changes Should be openable -> “…. Diosdado Cabello, Venezuela’s powerful interior minister and for many the most feared person in the country, also seems to be in the good graces of Donald Trump’s administration….” -> https://giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/actions/redeem/8c92ce42-c2a6-4011-91f3-8685d9cf4713 H -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#42517): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/42517 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/120295008/21656 -=-=- 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/13617172/21656/1316126222/xyzzy [[email protected]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
