MST leader: Why we continue to support Venezuela

Venezuela’s current political situation cannot be explained solely by the events that have unfolded since January 3.

We must contextualize what has been happening over the last four decades. In the 1990s, the United States held total hegemony over the continent; it imposed the NAFTA agreement upon us and subsequently sought to impose the FTAA (Free Trade Area of ​​the Americas) – an area intended to be under the complete control of US capital. Every government in the region (with the sole exception of Cuba) supported the US plan.

However, the people of several countries rose up in resistance. This led to the Caracazo uprising in 1989, followed by a military rebellion, and finally, the electoral victory of Chávez. Upon assuming power in 1999, Chávez broke the neoliberal wave, ushering in a new cycle of progressive governments (a trend continued by Lula, Correa, Evo, and Kirchner) that fundamentally altered the balance of power across the continent. Now, a different form of integration was proposed: instead of the FTAA – which was formally defeated in 2005 – we would have ALBA.

Hybrid Warfare

US imperialism (encompassing Democratic and Republican administrations, both backed by the US ruling class) did not forgive Chávez for his audacity. Over these four decades, they deployed every tactic imaginable from the playbook described by researcher Andrew Korybko. Tactics derived from official US military documents. These constitute the new strategies of “Hybrid Warfare.”

Throughout this lengthy period, they attempted (in every conceivable way) to defeat the Bolivarian process in Venezuela. Let us recall: the coup d’état that briefly ousted Chávez from power for two days – an attempt thwarted only by immediate international outcry and mass popular mobilization, which prevented the coup plotters from executing him. Remember that even the Cardinal of Caracas administered the last rites to him while he was imprisoned on Orchila Island!

We should also remember the politically motivated oil workers’ strike aimed at dismantling PDVSA; the resulting fuel shortages and chaos were ultimately resolved thanks to assistance from the Brazilian government of the time, led by Fernando Henrique Cardoso. Next came the guarimbas (violent street protests) which unleashed a wave of terrorism, including the torching of schools and hospitals, manufactured shortages of basic goods, and dozens of deaths. Many of those arrested during this period have since been granted amnesty.

The death of Chávez (caused by a mysterious form of cancer that proved resistant to medication) remains unexplained to this day. Coincidentally, Lugo, Dilma, Kirchner, and Lula also battled cancer during that same period.

Soon followed the recognition of the Guaidó puppet government, to which all of the Venezuelan state’s dollar and gold reserves were transferred, allowing a Venezuelan lumpen-bourgeoisie to enrich himself at the nation’s expense.

They triggered uncontrolled inflation through exchange-rate manipulation orchestrated from Miami. They froze all of the country’s overseas accounts. They blocked investment in the oil sector, causing production to plummet to less than 30% of previous levels, while the GDP contracted by as much as 90%. All of this inflicted severe economic hardship upon the entire population and triggered an unprecedented exodus of Venezuelan workers.

They challenged Maduro’s re-election, bolstered by the support (and the delusions) of certain figures who styled themselves as progressives.

All of this was compounded by a relentless, sustained media campaign – one that undoubtedly cost millions of dollars in expenditures on social networks, computing infrastructure, and so-called “influencers” paid by the CIA and its various agencies. It is a campaign that continues to this day.

The “Donroe Doctrine”

The final blow came during the second Trump administration, which (thirsty for oil and facing a loss of economic hegemony to Eurasia) resurrected the Monroe Doctrine. Seeking to once again transform the continent into its own “backyard,” the administration proceeded to impose economic, political, and military control.

Then, on January 3 (after mobilizing its full military might) it launched an airborne invasion of the country, abducting President Maduro and Congresswoman Cilia Flores. Resistance was met with combat, resulting in over 100 fatalities. Only years from now will we know the true number of American soldiers who perished in the operation. All we know for certain is that the majority of them were Latinos belonging to the elite Delta Force unit, and that they were armed with the most advanced weaponry on the planet. Venezuela (its people and its armed forces) has been defeated. They have lost lives, as well as their president.

However, the empire had no one to install in his place, for its operative, Maria Corina Machado, stands thoroughly discredited in the eyes of Venezuelan society – and with her, the entire capitulationist opposition.

The only recourse, then, was to keep the president held captive and negotiate with the Chavista government – with a noose around its neck, or in the crosshairs of a rifle.

Certain sectors of the institutional Left (along with those who follow politics solely through social media) were quick to denounce this as an act of betrayal, or to claim that no resistance had been offered. And even now, rumors are beginning to circulate alleging a rift between the governments of Venezuela and Cuba. Such narratives are merely part of US tactical maneuvers (disseminated by media outlets under CIA influence) designed to sow division within the Left and among the general public.

Solidarity with Venezuela

The Venezuelan people (the vast majority of whom are Chavistas) carry on with their lives: working, producing, and organizing their communes. Though wounded, they continue to stand by the Chavista government, fully cognizant of everything that has transpired.

Our movement shares historical ties with the Venezuelan peasant movement, with the productive communes, and with the Chavista government. We engage in numerous cooperative projects, ranging from seed and food production to exchange programs focused on training technical cadres.

We will be eternally grateful for the scholarships at the ELAM Salvador Allende, which allow dozens of poor, rural youths to graduate as doctors.

The Venezuelan people remain victims of the Empire’s hybrid warfare. The Chavista government enjoys the support of its people. Our movement will always stand in solidarity with the Chavista people.

Read more: Tactical retreats: Why Venezuela’s revolution still stands

We hope that the international balance of power shifts in favor of humanity and peace. We hope that the internal balance of power within the US changes, and that progressive forces succeed in altering its foreign policy and its belligerent nature of aggression against other peoples. May the Monroe Doctrine be buried once and for all.

We hope that the Chavista government and people find the best paths to increase the production of oil and other goods they require. May they maintain sovereignty over their oil, mineral resources, and territory.

Defending Venezuela and Cuba is a moral and political obligation for all progressive and democratic forces across our continent. And make no mistake: if they are defeated, the Empire will intensify its pressure on Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, and the entire continent. Previously, they invoked the spectre of communists and the USSR; later, they shifted to Islamic terrorists (whom they themselves had financed) and now they have fabricated the bogeyman of drug trafficking (as if they themselves were not the largest market for it) as well as targeting migrants.

We will fight for the release of President Maduro and Deputy Cilia Flores, for they have committed no crime, and the US possesses neither the legal right nor the moral authority to condemn them for anything. On the contrary, I hope that, in the future, the International Criminal Court in The Hague will try and convict current US leaders for their bombings and crimes in Gaza, Iran, Syria, Sudan, the Caribbean, Venezuela, and Cuba – as well as within their own country, for their persecution of the poor and of migrants.

The history of class struggle takes twists and turns (experiencing ups and downs, advances and setbacks) yet humanity will always move forward in the construction of more just and egalitarian societies, characterized by the sovereignty of peoples and peace.

João Pedro Stedile is a member of the MST national leadership, a leader of ALBA MOVIMENTOS and the International Peoples’ Assembly.