By Angel Guerra Cabrera on March 14, 2019
The aggression of foreign powers gives revolutionary people the opportunity to raise their political consciousness and self-esteem, increase their willingness and culture of resistance and test their ability to defeat powerful enemies. They are either strengthened in the face of intervention, or they are defeated by intervention and counterrevolution. The Venezuelan people have gained experience in almost two decades of fierce hostility from U.S. imperialism, its allies and lackeys. They have been attacked on multiple fronts including economic, media and electronic warfare, in the context of the tactic of continuous coup operations and irregular, or hybrid, warfare. But yet, through it all, Venezuela has emerged standing victorious and with high morale after each attack.
The last two major assaults by Donald Trump’s colonialist and neo-fascist government against Venezuela have been a complete failure. The gang of thugs in charge of imperial policy toward Latin America and the Caribbean dreamed that the leadership of President Nicolas Maduro and the building of the Bolivarian revolution would implode on February 23, or that, in the worst case scenario, they would be able to do so with a prolonged terrorist sabotage against the electro-energy system of Venezuela, an attack with much consequence that kept most of the country in the dark for almost a week. Or they figured adding the two onslaughts together, back to back, that would surely be enough to make Maduro fall. There is no doubt that both these aggressions have caused serious economic and human consequences to a population already subjected to the rigors of sanctions and all sorts of economic warfare and not to mention the stress these prolonged campaigns of terrorism have had on the country.
It is necessary to reflect on the considerable scale of the victory of February 23 on the border, the feat of the civil and military Chavismo that was united and cohesive in preventing paramilitary and mercenary violence from breaking through into Venezuelan soil with the so called humanitarian aid. Right there, at that pivotal moment, Chavismo defeated a tremendous threat of violation of Venezuelan sovereignty by the United States, several European nations and the lackey governments of imperialism in our region.
As has been done in the past the great blackout was planned and executed from the Yankee war rooms, although apparently with cooperation from within the Venezuelan electrical system. The evil cabal of Trump, Pence, Bolton, Pompeo, Rubio and Abrams was part of the psychological warfare plan prior to the operation and were informed in detail about the pain and misery that was to be inflicted on the population with the end result being the toppling of Maduro.
Venezuela has not experienced a tragedy of great proportion in these days of blackout thanks to the heroism, determination, patience, discipline, mutual solidarity and the high patriotic conscience of the civil-military unity. If the aggression of February 23 had managed to break the Bolivarian National Armed Force or civil Chavismo with the terrorist sabotage they did not manage to plunge the country into chaos by disarming the people of their mental toughness or create anything similar to a riot. There was no water or fuel, food fermented, schools and workplaces were closed, the Metro and much of the transportation collapsed, patient care in some hospitals had stoppages until generators were installed where they were not. However, there was not a single death as a result of the blackout, although the media speakers mentioned close to 300 dead people, including 80 newborns. And there were no deaths because the authorities adopted drastic measures to ensure the continuity of service in the care centers. Who can deny that this sabotage constitutes a crime against humanity by the Trump government?
For his part, the puppet clown Guaidó continued to gesticulate wildly at a small gathering that was supposed to be his big march of support on Tuesday the 12th. The reality is Guaido has never had popular support or the capacity to bring people out. No his thing is Yankee support, period. But as Luis Hernández Navarro wrote, the opposition committed suicide when the self-proclaimed interim president called for U.S. military intervention into his own country. Apart from this gross betrayal of the homeland and the enormous perversity involved in that request, it reveals a great ignorance about the political culture and the patriotic and anti-imperialist sentiments of the Venezuelan people, who will not forgive him for his infamy.
The United States has gotten itself into a big problem and has dragged with it the European Union, which is already looking around to protect its own interests in Venezuela as a precaution in the face of the evident fact that Guaidó is the illusory phantom president of a government consisting of vapor while Maduro remains solidly rooted in the Venezuelan people.
https://www.jornada.com.mx/2019/03/14/opinion/024a1mun#.XIp49l2KZ60.whatsapp
Source: La Jornada, translaton Resumen Latinoamericano, North America bureau