Hands Off Venezuela Campaign- www.handsoffvenezuela.org



Venezuela: The Coup Makers- The Invisible U.S. Hands

By Cort Greene

April 20, 2004


With rumors of a new coup swirling through Venezuela daily, some with merit, others just the wishful thinking of the fractured but still dangerous "opposition", it is useful to review just who the real puppet masters behind the last coup were, and the possibility and the reasons that they will try another one.

Removing President Chavez and destroying the Bolivarian Revolutionary Process has been a primary concern of the U.S. government since 1998. Why else would it dedicate such resources to this effort? So far they have spent over 4 million dollars in known covert funds, and the actual figure is probably twice that amount if we take in account that there are over 500 U.S. corporations in Venezuela, some of which are CIA fronts. Dick Cheney's pals at Halliburton have 21 offices in Venezuela.

These folks have a vested interest in bringing about a change of government – i.e. trampling on the democratic will of the majority of Venezuelans if it will bring them higher profits and greater access to the region's natural resources.

With the quagmire in Iraq, gaining control over the Venezuelan petroleum industry is of particular importance, due to the prospect of an energy crisis and the economic problems that will ensue from it.

This could be a catalyst for a greater worldwide crisis than is taking place now, and could be the greatest seen since the 1930s.

President Chavez and Bolivarian Revolution are a threat because they provide an example that goes not only against the imperialist plan of the Free Trade Agreement of the America's, but shows the potential for a revival of the working class struggle and socialism across the entire region.

The usual suspects for another coup attempt in Venezuela include U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela Charles Shapiro (whom it is alleged played a part in the spilling of the blood of the working class in Chile and Venezuela). And of course there is the CIA, the National Endowment for Democracy, and a myriad of other organizations.

But there is another, more insidious, and less heard of group that has binds together all these other groups and officials together - the "Project for the New American Century" – which played a leading role in developing the US invasion of Iraq. PNAC's board of directors is a "who's who" of government and business, which has representatives in Venezuela either directly or through inter-locking boards of directors.

The stated goals of this right-wing think-tank are a bold foreign policy, the need to increase defense spending, and to challenge regimes hostile to the vital interests and values of American capitalism.

Some PNAC members include:

· Donald Rumsfeld

· Paul Wolfowitz

· Frank Gaffney

· Dan Quayle

· Gary Bauer

· Elliott Abrams

· Steve Forbes

· Zalmay Khalilzad

· Paula Dobrainsky, Under Secretary for Global affairs

· Jeb Bush

· William Bennett

· Vice President Dick Cheney

These are just some of the puppet masters who will do anything to ensure the continued U.S. dominance of Latin America and the world. If they had their way, they would do to Venezuela what they did to Iraq.

But they have fallen into more than a bit of trouble in Iraq, and already the world working class is rallying to the defense of the Venezuelan revolution. We must step up the pressure and end the imperialist predations of the U.S. ruling class once and for all!

No to U.S. intervention in Venezuela!

Defend the Venezuelan Revolution!

Forward to Socialism!

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