Early Saturday morning the US bombed several spots in Caracas and elsewhere in Venezuela. The US president says Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife have been “captured”. These clear acts of imperial aggression are designed to ratchet up pressure on the Venezuelan government to abandon power. As the situation plays out over the next hours and days Canadians should understand that “their” country has been a central player in Washington’s bid to overthrow a government that has long defied US dictates.
In addition to multiple sites in the capital, the US bombed several sites elsewhere in the country. Apparently, US helicopters flew over Caracas and US special forces were likely deployed.
The Venezuelan government denounced the US “military aggression” and called for a full military mobilization. In a statement the government said it: “rejects, repudiates, and denounces before the international community the extremely serious military aggression carried out by the current Government of the United States of America against Venezuelan territory and population, in civilian and military locations in the city of Caracas, the capital of the Republic, and in the states of Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira. This act constitutes a flagrant violation of the Charter of the United Nations, especially Articles 1 and 2, which enshrine respect for sovereignty, the legal equality of states, and the prohibition of the use of force. Such aggression threatens international peace and stability, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean, and places the lives of millions of people at grave risk.
“The objective of this attack is none other than to seize Venezuela’s strategic resources, particularly its oil and minerals, attempting to break the Nation’s political independence by force. They will not succeed.”
Colombia, Cuba, Brazil, Mexico and other countries have denounced the US aggression. president Gustavo Petro immediately called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations and Organization of American States to discuss the issue.
NDP interim leader Don Davies criticized the US’ “flagrant breach of international law and the rules-based system the US claims to support. Canada must strongly condemn it and call for the immediate cessation of aggression by the US against the sovereign state of Venezuela.”
The Mark Carney regime must be pressured to condemn the US aggression and call for the release of Maduro. Unfortunately, Ottawa is unlikely to oppose a regime change operation it has long supported.
The Liberals worked aggressively for years to overthrow Maduro’s government. In a bid to elicit “regime change,” Ottawa worked to isolate Caracas, imposed illegal sanctions, took that government to the International Criminal Court, financed an often-unsavoury opposition, and decided a marginal opposition politician was the legitimate president. Indeed, the same day Juan Guaidó declared himself president of Venezuela in a Caracas park in January 2019, foreign minister Chrystia Freeland formally recognized the little-known opposition politician. Additionally, Canadian diplomats played an important role in uniting large swaths of the Venezuelan opposition, as well as international forces, behind a plan to proclaim as president the new head of the opposition-dominated National Assembly.
In addition to denouncing US aggression and pushing for international bodies to discuss the matter, Canada should immediately:
- Ensure it isn’t offering any military assistance to the US aggression.
- Withdraw from the Operation Caribbe naval cooperation with the US.
- Rescind sanctions contributing to Trump’s criminal blockade of Venezuela.
- Restart diplomatic relations with Caracas.
All Canadians must ask themselves, does our country support international law? Or do we support the US Empire currently led by a man who has publicly announced he wants Canada and its resources to become part of the United States?
Who’s next?
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