By: Carlos E. Lippo on January 6, 2018
To begin this, the first article of the year, I will say that it is rare to have the opportunity to propose a hypothesis and have it proven so firmly by the facts in such a short period of time.
The hypothesis in question, which I laid out in my last article of 2017, titled “2017: a year of terrible attacks but also resounding victories for the Bolivarian revolution”, published on December 14, proposed that 2018 would bring even more imperialist attacks on Venezuela than 2017.
The facts that prove this hypothesis are the implementation of a set of actions from the high ranks of the empire’s diplomacy, as well as the issuing of a series of official communiqués by the US Department of State, each more rude, interventionist and threatening than the others, which occurred after the article was published. Beyond this threats, it’s important to take notice of the opportune answers of the Venezuelan government, which proved that the country is absolutely determined to be free and that they won’t be able to twist their arm, as Obama liked to say when he talked about countries that wouldn’t give in to his commands.
The cascade of US attacks on Venezuela since December 14 are, namely:
To sum up, three grossly interferencist communiques, one interferencist declaration, two threatening meetings and a frustrated hostile action in Venezuelan territory in just a fortnight, which averages one attack every 15 days. Truly a fatal obsession by the empire with Venezuela and its revolution!
It is obvious that the need to defend from future attacks is enough to consider 2018 a crucial year for the Bolivarian Revolution. But there’s more than that, since the President has two big challenges this year that are decisive for the immediate future: the urgent need to neutralize the economic war that is being waged on Venezuela, and the need to win the reelection.
The first challenge is important due to the devastating effects the economic war had in 2017. It caused food prices to increase by 2,000%, a change almost exclusively attributable to the absurd hike of the exchange rate by 3,315% during that period alone. The exchange rate between US dollars and Venezuelan Bolivares is manipulated by website Dolar Today. Additionally, foreign sanctions forbid us to use US dollars to pay for our foreign debt and for imported goods, which effectively constitutes a financial blockade. They are beginning to cause serious damage in the level of life of our population, especially among the lowest income groups.
I must say, however, that in relation to this challenge, I have the most absolute conviction that the emission of the cryptocurrency called Petro, which was recently decreed by the revolutionary government (and which I will discuss at length in an upcoming article), will allow us to win important battles in the economic war. Since this currency is backed initially by 5,000 million certified barrels of oil, which lie under the Hugo Chavez Oil Strip (worth around 267 billion dollars at the current price), it will destroy the fetish of illegal dollars, because you’d have to be mad, stupid or fanatically right-wing to prefer storing a currency without legal value instead of one that is currently backed by oil and soon will be backed too by gold and minerals. The Petro will also be a powerful way to pay our international debts, and break the financial blockade we’re under. This economic measure, which is initially defensive, has however a potentially devastating effect on the weakened US dollar, by contributing to the progressive replacement of that currency as the main method of payment, will cause a strong reaction by the empire that we must be prepared to effectively challenge.
The other challenge, the reelection of President Maduro, is in theory a lot less complex to overcome, although the empire will do the impossible in order to create a single candidate for the disorganized “democratic” opposition of Venezuela, and will try to impose tutelage by multinational organisms like the UN and the OAS on the elections.
Have no doubt, if elections were held without international intervention, in a country that is not brutally attacked by economic war as we are now, Comrade Maduro would be the sure winner. He successfully resisted five full years of attacks by the most powerful nation in the world—some of them even more virulent than the attacks Chavez had to endure. Last year, he achieved many victories, accurately pointed out by analyst Ignacio Ramonet in his article “The twelve victories of President Maduro in 2017”.
However, on the matter of the reelection I must repeat my position, which is shared by many: not to convene elections until the onslaught imposed by the Empire and its allies ceases, and if this condition is met, said elections should be convened under a new format, that is closer to the voter and less vulnerable to media manipulation. The sovereign National Constituent Assembly can fully ensure the satisfaction of both conditions.
Hasta la Victoria Siempre!
Patria o muerte!
Venceremos!
Source: Alba TV, translation, The Dawn