5 ms·

How is it that, no matter what, people will always find a way to blame the US? I think in this case, the country just ran itself to the ground.

astazangasta 7y ago
We sponsored an attempted coup in 2002 and spent the next two decades trying to undermine their government, complete with sanctions. Read something.
AnthonyWnC 7y ago
Even if the US sanctions did not primarily caused the crisis in Venezuela; their sanctions certain add more oil to the fire. Ref. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/08/world/americas/venezuela-sanctions-maduro.html https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/08/world/americas/venezuela-... https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/02/sanctions-venezuela-intentions-190226124044497.html https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/02/sanctions-venezuela-i...
boomboomsubban 7y ago
Though the US is not the sole cause of many problems, they certainly go out of their way to make many of them worse. In Venezuela, they've placed crippling sanctions on the country for years, and promoted political instability by openly backing numerous coups.
- votepaunchy 7y ago
  Sanctions are a neutral policy, like Google pulling out of China. The US is holding back from interfering in Venezuela (only supporting the constitutionally elected leader) and also refusing to participate in the suffering of the people.
  - tkel 7y ago
    Nonsense. Sanctions kill. It's like withholding food from a person who is already hungry.
    - votepaunchy 7y ago
      The US has offered food to those who are hungry. Lack of food is not the problem (Maduro has only very recently allowed aid to enter the country).
      - boomboomsubban 7y ago
        Maduro has always allowed aid into the country. He refused aid from the US as they have a history of using such aid to import weapons and such. Most humanitarian groups immediately chastised the US for even trying to send aid in that manner, both because of their history and that it's hard to take their offers in good faith while they simultaneously withold $11 billion of Venezuela's oil proceeds.
khrbrt 7y ago
The U.S. is imposing sanctions on Venezuela, to the effect of millions of dollars a day lost. As part of the sanctions, the U.S. has also seized hundreds of millions of dollars of Venezuelan assets in foreign bank accounts. There is a direct cause and affect between U.S. policy and life in Venezuela.
james-mcelwain 7y ago
Please read more about the history of US involvement in Central and South America.
- danemacaulay 7y ago
  history requires interpretation, easier to be an ideologue
bjourne 7y ago
This is from an analysis from January last year when Trump announced additional sanctions on Venezuela: "An even more problematic idea driving current U.S. policy is the belief that financial sanctions can hurt the Venezuelan government without causing serious harm to ordinary Venezuelans. That’s impossible when 95 percent of Venezuela’s export revenue comes from oil sold by the state-owned oil company. Cutting off the government’s access to dollars will leave the economy without the hard currency needed to pay for imports of food and medicine. Starving the Venezuelan economy of its foreign currency earnings risks turning the country’s current humanitarian crisis into a full-blown humanitarian catastrophe." https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/01/12/why-more-sanctions-wont-help-venezuela/ https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/01/12/why-more-sanctions-wont...
peisistratos 7y ago
> blame the US The US seized $1 billion from Venezuela, sent the army to the Colombian border, and is calling for the Venezuelan army to revolt.

astazangasta 7y ago

We sponsored an attempted coup in 2002 and spent the next two decades trying to undermine their government, complete with sanctions. Read something.

AnthonyWnC 7y ago

Even if the US sanctions did not primarily caused the crisis in Venezuela; their sanctions certain add more oil to the fire. Ref. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/08/world/americas/venezuela-sanctions-maduro.html https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/08/world/americas/venezuela-... https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/02/sanctions-venezuela-intentions-190226124044497.html https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/02/sanctions-venezuela-i...

boomboomsubban 7y ago

Though the US is not the sole cause of many problems, they certainly go out of their way to make many of them worse. In Venezuela, they've placed crippling sanctions on the country for years, and promoted political instability by openly backing numerous coups.

votepaunchy 7y ago
Sanctions are a neutral policy, like Google pulling out of China. The US is holding back from interfering in Venezuela (only supporting the constitutionally elected leader) and also refusing to participate in the suffering of the people.
- tkel 7y ago
  Nonsense. Sanctions kill. It's like withholding food from a person who is already hungry.
  - votepaunchy 7y ago
    The US has offered food to those who are hungry. Lack of food is not the problem (Maduro has only very recently allowed aid to enter the country).
    - boomboomsubban 7y ago
      Maduro has always allowed aid into the country. He refused aid from the US as they have a history of using such aid to import weapons and such. Most humanitarian groups immediately chastised the US for even trying to send aid in that manner, both because of their history and that it's hard to take their offers in good faith while they simultaneously withold $11 billion of Venezuela's oil proceeds.

khrbrt 7y ago

The U.S. is imposing sanctions on Venezuela, to the effect of millions of dollars a day lost. As part of the sanctions, the U.S. has also seized hundreds of millions of dollars of Venezuelan assets in foreign bank accounts. There is a direct cause and affect between U.S. policy and life in Venezuela.

james-mcelwain 7y ago

Please read more about the history of US involvement in Central and South America.

danemacaulay 7y ago
history requires interpretation, easier to be an ideologue

bjourne 7y ago

This is from an analysis from January last year when Trump announced additional sanctions on Venezuela: "An even more problematic idea driving current U.S. policy is the belief that financial sanctions can hurt the Venezuelan government without causing serious harm to ordinary Venezuelans. That’s impossible when 95 percent of Venezuela’s export revenue comes from oil sold by the state-owned oil company. Cutting off the government’s access to dollars will leave the economy without the hard currency needed to pay for imports of food and medicine. Starving the Venezuelan economy of its foreign currency earnings risks turning the country’s current humanitarian crisis into a full-blown humanitarian catastrophe." https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/01/12/why-more-sanctions-wont-help-venezuela/ https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/01/12/why-more-sanctions-wont...

peisistratos 7y ago

> blame the US The US seized $1 billion from Venezuela, sent the army to the Colombian border, and is calling for the Venezuelan army to revolt.