VENEZUELA ANTHOLOGY #7,
SEPTEMBER 11, 2025
Compiled by Dick Bennett for a Culture
of Peace, Justice, and Ecology
WHAT’S AT STAKE: “Since the election of Hugo Chávez in 1998 Washington has
waged a relentless war against the Bolivarian revolution, “ William
Camacaro. "These
aggressive policies seek to extend US dominance in Latin America, no matter the
human cost," CodePink.
END THE MONROE
DOCTRINE
“VENEZUELA:
No War, No Overthrow, No Coup, No Sanctions / Ni guerra, ni derrocamiento, ni
golpe, ni sanciones.” World Beyond
War. 8-29-25.
Target: The
United States Government
We
call on the U.S. government to abide by the rule of law and the will of the
U.S. public, and to leave behind its long history of
interventions, overthrows, and coups, which has included efforts to overturn
the government of Venezuela many times, including for much of the
past decade. The U.S. government is now openly offering $50 million for
the arrest of the president of Venezuela, under a false narrative, even as it
invites the prime minister of Israel to speak in Washington, despite an arrest
warrant from the International Criminal Court. The U.S. military has now sent war ships toward
the coast of Venezuela, leading that nation to make preparations for war. At the same time, the U.S. government is
illegally sanctioning Venezuela, and sanctioning countries that trade with
Venezuela. A recent study found
these sanctions to have been the principle cause of the worst depression
without a war in world history and tens of thousands of deaths.
Basta! We call on the U.S. government
to retire the Monroe Doctrine, shut
down the Southern Command, close its bases,
cease training Latin American forces in violence, and instead strive to learn
something from Latin America about
the ways of peace and disarmament. . .
.
TEXTS VENEZUELA ANTHOLOGY #7
The
Caribbean On A Knife’s Edge: Trump’s Military Buildup Threatens Venezuela By Manolo De Los Santos, People's
Dispatch. Popular Resistance.org
(9-11-25). The sun glints off the gray
hull of the USS Iwo Jima, a massive amphibious assault ship cutting through the
Caribbean Sea. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, a key architect of the Trump
administration’s “maximum pressure” policies, stands on deck before a group of
sailors and marines. His voice, amplified by the ship’s public address system,
is a low, serious rumble that carries across the choppy waters. “What you’re
doing right now is NOT training,” he says, in a scene reminiscent of George W.
Bush’s staged landing to declare victory in Iraq. -more-
Boat Attack
“Rand
Paul Reveals Venezuela Boat Attack Was a Drone Strike” by Nick
Turse. The Intercept (9-11-25). The senator told The Intercept
the attack defied rules of engagement and came from a drone. A legal expert
calls it murder.
Read More →
And “U.S. Attacked Boat Near Venezuela Multiple Times to Kill
Survivors “ by Nick
Turse.
American officials said the repeat
drone strikes were carried out by Special Operations Command, and more attacks
could come soon. Read More →
Also: “The Rift in Trump World Over Venezuela” by Greg Grandin.
The Trump administration wants to
exert more control over Latin America. Will it come by deal-making or by force? Read More →
“The Intercept is an award-winning
nonprofit news organization dedicated to holding the powerful accountable
through fearless, adversarial journalism.”
“Children First: A
Campaign To Reunite 66 Venezuelan Kids With Their Parents” By William Camacaro,
COHA. Popular Resistance.org (8-25-25).
One of the casualties of Washington’s get-tough immigration policy is
the plight of children separated by U.S. authorities from their parents. The
political party of “family values” has caused needless trauma for these migrant
children and round the clock anxiety for parents desperately waiting to be
reunited with their loved ones. The Venezuelan government, which has a
longstanding policy–vuelta a la patria–of assisting the repatriation of their
citizens– has reported that at least 66 children have been illegally held in
the United States since their parents were deported to Venezuela. -more-
“The Cartel Of The
Suns: Leftovers That Were Never Edible”
By Clodovaldo
Hernández, Venezuelanalysis. Popular Resistance.org (8-25-25). The US
narratives about the Cartel of the Suns and the alleged connection of President
Nicolás Maduro with drug trafficking are nothing more than a reheated dish that
was never edible, not even when it was first cooked. However, the poor quality
of this stew does not make it any less dangerous. The imperial power has used
even more rotten pots as excuses to invade countries, bomb cities, and
exterminate entire pueblos. In fact, just days after US Attorney General Pam
Bondi announced the doubling of the reward Washington is offering for Maduro’s
capture, military forces were... -more-
“US Deploys Warships
to Venezuelan Coast”.
Stephen Prager August 21, 2025 Common Dreams. Portside Snapshot (8-24-25).
"These
aggressive policies seek to extend US dominance in Latin America, no matter the
human cost," CodePink said.
“Washington’s
escalating war on Venezuela: Narco-myths and imperial designs” by William Camacaro. Mronline.org (8-16-25).
“ALBA-TCP
Congratulates Venezuela On Successful Elections”
By TeleSUR
English. Popular Resistance.org (5-27-25). On Monday, the Bolivarian Alliance for the
Peoples of Our America – Peoples’ Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP) congratulated
Venezuela for successfully holding regional and parliamentary elections.
Earlier, on Sunday night, the National Electoral Council (CNE) announced that
the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) had won 23 out of 24
governorships. The Bolivarian Revolution also secured 40 out of 50 seats in the
National Assembly. Among the new legislators will be current ALBA Secretary
Jorge Arreaza. “The ALBA member states applaud and congratulate the people and
government of the sister Bolivarian..." -more-
They
are making Venezuela’s economy scream: The Eighteenth Newsletter (2025) by Vijay Prashad. Mronline.org
(5-3-25).
U.S.-led sanctions
(more aptly referred to as Unilateral Coercive Measures) caused Venezuela to
lose oil revenue equivalent to 213% of its GDP between January 2017 and
December 2024, resulting in losses of roughly $77 million per day. Who is the
real target of these and other unilateral coercive measures?
“NYT
advises Trump to kill more Venezuelans”
By Lucas Koerner, Ricardo Vaz (Posted Feb 15, 2025). Mronline.org (2-16-25). Originally
published: FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in
Reporting) on February 12, 2025 (more by FAIR (Fairness &
Accuracy in Reporting)). Empire, Inequality, Media, StrategyAmericas, United States, VenezuelaNewswireNew York Times (NYT), President Donald Trump, Venezuelan President
Nicolás Maduro
Donald Trump is back in the White House, and faux
opposition is once again the order of the day for the Western media and the
Democratic Party. Whether it comes to criminalizing migrants
(FAIR.org, 1/25/25),
maintaining U.S. “soft power” via
USAID, downplaying anti-democratic power grabs (FAIR.org, 2/4/25) or
whitewashing Nazi salutes (FAIR.org, 1/23/25), the
centrist establishment seems quite content to normalize Trump or even outflank
him from the right.
There is, of course, no area of greater consensus than U.S.
imperial grand strategy, from waging genocidal war in Palestine (FAIR.org, 1/30/25)
to recolonizing Washington’s
“backyard” south of the Rio Grande. Accumulation by laying waste to the
societies of the global South via carpet bombing and/or economic siege warfare
is, according to anti-imperialist political economist Ali Kadri, the
name of the game.
Bret Stephens (New York Times,1/14/25):
“Ending Maduro’s long reign of terror is a good way to start [the Trump]
administration—and send a signal to tyrants elsewhere that American patience
with disorder and danger eventually runs out.”
Venezuela
is no exception to this multi-pronged onslaught. And the U.S. empire’s “paper
of record,” the New York Times, proudly leads the charge, most
recently advocating the overthrow of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro
“through coercive diplomacy if possible or force if necessary. . . .” MORE
“Commune or Nothing!
Venezuela’s Communal Movement and its Socialist Project” by Chris Gilbert. Monthly Review P, 2024.
A front-row seat to Venezuela’s most innovative socialist project,
with important lessons for movements worldwide
Commune or Nothing! Venezuela’s Communal Movement and Its Socialist
Project opens a window on one of the most ambitious
revolutionary projects of our time, as it took shape in a country suffering the
cruel consequences of US imperialism. In recent years, repeated coup attempts
and U.S. sanctions, combined with falling oil prices, have plunged Venezuela
into a series of severe shortages leading to malnutrition, sickness, death, and
mass migration. Still, as author Chris Gilbert shows, the Venezuelan people have
not been passive in the face of these attacks. Resisting the pressures of
capitalism, a significant segment of the population persists in pursuing the
strategy for socialist construction that Hugo Chávez developed in his final
years in dialogue with the popular movement. That strategy consists in building
socialism with the commune as “its basic cell.”
Gilbert’s account gives readers a front-row seat on the
country’s communal movement as he chronicles the efforts of grassroots
initiatives and gives voice to the communards living and working in communes
such as El Panal, El Maizal, Che Guevara, and Luisa Cáceres. He blends these
firsthand accounts of communal construction with theoretical reflections and
historical insights. The central story of the book is how Venezuelan
communes bring people together to democratically determine their ways of living
and working, thus generating a new, non-alienated social metabolism that
the communes also work to extend to the whole society. Along the way, readers
learn how Venezuela’s communal project draws inspiration from advanced Marxist
theory—including the innovative work of István Mészáros—and derives from
Indigenous and Afro-Venezuelan traditions of communal self-governance. . . .
“The
Geopolitical Dimensions Of The US BOLIVAR Act”
By
Misión Verdad, Orinoco Tribune. Popular
Resistance.org (12-1-24). Awaiting
approval by the US Senate, the bipartisan bill titled “Banning Operations and
Leases with the Illegitimate Venezuelan Authoritarian Regime Act,” known by its
forced acronym “BOLIVAR Act,” represents a milestone in the
institutionalization of illegal sanctions against Venezuela. This law aims
to—under a legislative and bipartisan framework—perpetuating the executive
orders that have operated as the core of the economic and financial coercion
policy against Venezuela over the past ten years. -more-
PBS. Independent
Lens. “Children of Las Brisas.”
9-23-24, 7p.m. Program on Chavez/ National musical schooling for Venezuelan
children. All children are eligible for
early training in music and a musical instrument.
“What
is Homelander doing in Venezuela?”
Editor. mronline.org (11-8-24).
VA columnist
Andreína Chávez raises alarms about the escalating threats of mercenary
invasions in Venezuela, pointing to the role the U.S. has played.
FOLLOW UP 2-2 ELECTION
“Venezuelan
People, Main Foundation Of The Revolutionary Process” By Alejandra Garcia, Resumen English. Popular Resistance.org (2-2-25). Venezuela is undergoing a period of profound
social transformation, working toward the creation of a society focused on
development, self-sustainability, independence, and sovereignty, all while
navigating the challenges posed by foreign hostilities, coercive measures, and
misinformation campaigns. In this process, community participation plays a
crucial role, as it is the key to driving meaningful change and fostering a
sustainable future. In this context, on Sunday, Venezuela will hold a
historic election unlike any other in the world. -more-
MADURA’S INAUGURATION Jan. 10, 2025
“Venezuela:
An Anti-Fascist Presidential Inauguration”
By
Mueve AL, Resumen English. Popular Resistance.org
(1-11-25). More than 2,000 social
leaders, communicators and national and international political activists
gathered today at the La Carlota Center, Caracas, to participate in the Great
World Anti-Fascist Festival and, from that front, to support the inauguration of
President Nicolás Maduro Moros. Delegations from more than 100 countries will
travel to Caracas this Friday to accompany the ceremony, which confirms that
Venezuela’s institutionality is recognized and respected by the peoples of the
world, despite the destabilization attempts of the right wing and its constant
calls to isolate the country. -more-
Venezuelans resiliently mobilize in support of Nicolás Maduro’s
inauguration. The People’s
Forum. Media Digest. 1-10-25.
Today, January 10,
Nicolás Maduro was sworn in as president of Venezuela, after winning
re-election in July of last year. Millions across the country mobilized in
preparation for his inauguration, showing their support for his
government en masse. Despite the attempts of reactionary forces—led by Edmundo
González and María Corina Machado, and backed by the US and its allies—to undermine the
country’s democratic processes, the Venezuelan people have firmly
resisted, defending their
sovereignty. Two thousand international guests from 102 countries
and popular organizations in Venezuela are participating in the International
Anti-Fascist Festival, taking place between January 9 to 11 in Caracas.
CONTENTS OF VENEZUELA ANTHOLOGY #6
VENEZUELA’S STRUGGLE FOR NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE
US-LED WAR vs. VENEZUELA
US
Anti-Democratic Meddling in Venezuelan Elections.
Alan MacLeod. US Meddling in Venezuelan
Elections.
Margaret Kimberley and Ajamu Baraka.
“Venezuela Is a Democracy.”
Peoples Dispatch. Despite of or Because
of Attacks on Its Electoral System, and even coup attempts, people around the
world express solidarity with Venezuela.
Ed Newman. Alba Movements from 25
Countries Support Venezuela.
Vijay Prashad. Eye-witness Report from
Caracas of the Election Declares Maduro’s Election fair and decisive, despite
right-wing claims of fraud.
Roger Harris and Peter Bolton. Corporate
Media Normalizes US Interference in Other Nations.
People’s Dispatch. US Defenders of Venezuelan Bolivarian Society Gathered
Outside NYT Building.
Fernando Giuliani Analyzes the Violent Hatred That Justifies Assassination and
Foreign Intervention.
Misión Verdad. Cyber Warfare against
Venezuelan elections.
Roger Harris. July 28 Election Most
Broadly About Bolivarian Revolution and US Regime Changes by Violence and
Sanctions.
SANCTIONS
Roger Harris. “US Reimposed Illegal and
Inhumane Oil Sanctions on Venezuela.”
Celina della Croce. “If the U.S. can’t
win [regime changes] with tanks and guns, it hopes that a campaign to suffocate
the people” will.
Anya Parampil. (Book). Corporate
Coup: Venezuela and the End of Empire.
Codepink: Tell Biden to Unfreeze Venezuela’s Funds.
US Confiscates Venezuela’s Presidential Jet.
FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS OF VENEZUELA’S STRUGGLE FOR
INDEPENDENCE
Thierry Deronne (Part I). “Communication
by and for the People.”
Andreina Chavez Alava. “Venezuela: Gov’t to launch
China-backed anti-poverty program.”
Ramón Grosfoguel (Part I).
“Venezuela’s Decolonial Alternative.”
Sources of Venezuela Anthologies #5 and #6.
Contents of Venezuela Anthology #5.
CONTENTS VENEZUELA #5
US WAR AGAINST VENEZUELA
De La Cruz, et al. Viviremos: Venezuela vs.
Hybrid War.
Ensberger and Podur. Extraordinary Threat: The U.S. Empire,
the Media, and 20 Years of Coup Attempts in Venezuela.
“Biden Extends U.S. Campaign to Crush Venezuela.” (5
articles).
Alan MacLeod. “…US Plans for War and Terror against Venezuela.”
Dan Beeton. “The Venezuelan Coup, 20 Years Later.”
Ryan Swan. “Venezuela Seeks Investigation [of war crimes] by ICC.”
“Alex Saab Is Being Tortured….”
Ricardo Vaz. US Meddling in Elections.
Jonathan Ng. “The US Is…Strangling Venezuela.”
UN Special Rapporteur Alena Douhan Reports on US v. Human Rights in Venezuela.
Douhan. “Call for Sanctions Relief.”
Andreina Chavez Alava. “UN Expert…Impact of U.S.-led Sanctions
against Venezuela.”
Ana Perdigon. “U.S. Seditious Policy against Venezuela.”
Lucas Koerner. “U.S. Empire’s Fixation with Chavismo.”
Ricardo Vaz. Extraditing Venezuelan Envoy to US.
“U.S…Using Guaido to Rob Venezuela.”
Cira Pasqual Marquina. Venezuela’s Communal Past.
Emersberger and Podur. Myth of Venezuela’s Prosperous and Democratic
Past.
“The Blockade against Venezuela…Deadly Impact of Sanctions.”
Emersberger. Alex Saab Case.
Caitlin Johnstone. US History of Interfering with Elections.
SUPPORT OF VENEZUELA
Legacy
of Hugo Chavez Lives On. (2 articles)
Leonardo Flores. “Five Reasons the Left Won in Venezuela.”
Vargas and Sonja. Venezuela’s Insurrectionist and Communal Past.
Mision Verdad. FAO Food Report on Venezuela Is Positive.
Ben Norton. “Venezuela’s Economy Will Grow. . .in 2022.”
Ociel Lopez. “Venezuela and the New Latin Left.”
Morning Star. “…Maduro’s Successful Socialist…Strategy.”
Cira Pascual Marquine. “Radical Land Reform…”
Federico Fuentes. “’Commune or Nothing’….”
Dakotah Lily. “…Ecosocialism in an Oil-Rich State.”
Jovanni. “…DemilitarizedU on Venezuelan Elections.”
CONTENTS OF ANTHOLOGIES #1 THROUGH #6
VENEZUELA ANTHOLOGIES #1-#7
#1, http://jamesrichardbennett.blogspot.com/2019/05/venezuela-newsletter-1-from-omni-center.html
#2,
7-16-20 https://jamesrichardbennett.blogspot.com/2020/07/omni-venezuela-newsletter-2.html
#3,
9-9-20 https://jamesrichardbennett.blogspot.com/2020/09/omni-venezuela-newsletter-3-compiled-by.html #3 reaches back to 2018.
#4, 2-14-21 p. 70
#5, 8-27-24 https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/2151229136087998997/3753817779419620546
#6
END VENEZUELA ANTHOLOGY #7
