Venezuela: A Failed Imperialist Plot

 

 

Defeat the U.S. aggression! Lift the sanctions against Venezuela now! But no political support for the Maduro government!

 

Statement of the Revolutionary Communist International Tendency (RCIT), 12 May 2020, www.thecommunists.net

 

 

 

1. Venezuela experienced another failed military incursion by a group of mercenaries attempting to overthrow the Bolivarian government of President Nicolas Maduro. The plan of the conspirators was that some 300 heavily armed fighters would sneak into Venezuela via boats from Colombia, raid military bases, ignite a rebellion and, finally, arrest Maduro and fly him to the U.S. However, the incursion failed already in its early stages as local fishermen became suspicious and warned Venezuela’s armed forces. The following clashes resulted in 8 people dead and 13 mercenaries, including two former U.S. Green Berets, arrested.

 

2. The Trump Administration, Colombia’s President Ivan Duque and the reactionary pro-U.S. opposition in Venezuela led by Juan Guaido deny any involvement in this plot. However, this is almost certainly a lie. One of the arrested U.S. mercenaries already admitted that the organizer of the enterprise, a Florida-based U.S. security firm called Silvercorp USA, had signed a contract with Guaido. While the latter initially denied any involvement, Juan Rendon, a Guaido advisor and member of his strategic committee, had to admit in an interview with CNN that he had signed an “exploratory agreement” with Silvercorp to seek the capture of members of Maduro’s government “to deliver them to justice.”

 

3. In fact, the Trump Administration, Columbia’s government as well as Juan Guaido have never made a secret that they are determined to overthrow the Maduro government by any means necessary so that they can replace it with a marionette regime in the service of U.S. imperialism. Gaido has proclaimed himself as "interim president” and was recognized by U.S. and EU imperialism and their Latin American allies. For years, Washington has imposed harsh sanctions both against companies as well as individuals. This aggression has hurt, in particular, Venezuela’s oil exports which account for more than 95% of the country’s export revenue. Already in April 2019, Gaido called the military to overthrow Maduro. However, as this call was followed by no more than two dozen soldiers, this coup attempt unceremoniously collapsed.

 

4. The Revolutionary Communist International Tendency (RCIT) condemns the military incursion as an imperialist plot. We reiterate our position that socialists in Venezuela and internationally have to defend the country against the imperialist aggression as well as against the reactionary opposition led by Gaido. The best way to achieve this is the independent struggle of the workers and poor in Venezuela as well as the international mobilization of workers and popular organizations against the imperialist sanctions. Lift all sanctions against Venezuela now!

 

5. As we have elaborated in past RCIT statements, our defense of Venezuela against any reactionary conspiracy does not imply any political support for the Maduro government. Contrary to its self-styled image, it is neither socialist nor anti-imperialist. Despite being in power for more than two decades the Bolivarian government has refused to expropriate the capitalist class of Venezuela. Today, 70% of the country’s economy remains in private hands. Instead it has (unsuccessfully) tried to appease the domestic bourgeoisie. It has helped to create a regime-friendly sector of capitalists (“Boliburguesía”) that is comingled with a corrupt state-capitalist bureaucracy and the army command. As a result, its policy of limited social reforms (the so-called “Misiones”) has proven unable to overcome poverty and joblessness. Furthermore, the Maduro government is becoming increasingly dependent on Chinese and Russian imperialism. (It is noteworthy that Russian Special Forces played a role in uncovering the latest military incursion.)

 

6. While intransigently opposing any pro-imperialist aggression, socialists in Venezuela have to side with the workers and poor wherever they face oppression by the regime. We demand the release of political prisoners like the union leader Rubén González or the working class activist Rodney Álvarez. The way forward is the struggle for an authentic workers and popular government based on popular assemblies and militias. Such a government would expropriate the capitalist class (including the Boliburguesía) and introduce a socialist plan for the economy. It would remain independent of all imperialist Great Powers – the U.S., China, Russia, EU and Japan. Furthermore, such a workers and popular government would strive to internationalize the revolution and link up with the class struggles and popular uprisings in Latin America, the Arab world, Africa, Asia and Europe.

 

7. Such a perspective is only possible if socialists succeed in building an authentic revolutionary party in Venezuela which fights for such a perspective. Such a party must be constructed in combination with building a Revolutionary World Party. The RCIT calls revolutionaries in Venezuela and intentionally to join forces in tackling this great task!

 

* Down with the U.S. aggression!

 

* Lift all sanctions against Venezuela now!

 

* No political support for the Maduro government!

 

* For a workers and popular government!

 

 

 

International Bureau of the RCIT

 

 

 

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The RCIT has published a number of documents on Venezuela which can be read on the sub-section on Latin America on this website: https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/latin-america/. Our latest statements are:

 

RCIT: Attempted Coup D'etat in Venezuela: Defeat Guaidó and Trump! 5 May 2019, https://www.thecommunists.net/worldwide/latin-america/attempted-coup-d-etat-in-venezuela-defeat-guaido-trump/

 

¡Solidaridad internacionalista al pueblo venezolano contra el intervencionismo imperialista!, ¡Por una alternativa revolucionaria ante la crisis en Venezuela!, Agrupación de Lucha Socialista (Sección mexicana de la CCRI), 12 marzo, 2019, https://www.thecommunists.net/home/espa%C3%B1ol/solidaridad-internacionalista-al-pueblo-venezolano-contra-el-intervencionismo-imperialista/