I guess France, Germany and the US need new leaders.

Posted by: Rick | Feb 11 2019 19:23 utc | 1

What about Yemen??

Posted by: Peter | Feb 11 2019 19:29 utc | 2

Dear b:
Your blogs are great on the factual side (lots of interesting, original information), but maybe not so strong on the interpretation side (somewhat fragile speculation on reasons and motives of political leaders's actions, at times).
On your recent blog "Racism and the Fight over Venezuela": It seems to me that you have taken up Craig Murray's original idea (the pictures of different "races" in the different assemblies). It would have been nice to acknowledge that.
Likewise, you may have be inspired by Thierry Meyssan in a recent blog in which you asked whether the aim of the whole operation may be, not taking power in Venezuela, but DESTROYING the country.
best regards,

Posted by: Christophe Douté | Feb 11 2019 19:30 utc | 3

This poll basically reflects the Venezuelan people's polarization. The Chavistas always had circa 60% and the right-wing circa 40%.

What this poll shows, though, is that the people knows how to play politics: those 32% who answered Guaidó is the "legitimate president" know he's not, but they say he is either way; they're sending a message to the USA: "please, bomb our country and exterminate the Chavistas, and we'll serve you as a Puppet State".

Posted by: vk | Feb 11 2019 19:46 utc | 4

@1
I think that you will find that while the Deputy PM-from the left Five Star Movement- took this line the PM-from the Liga a conservative party- supported, publicly, the US coup.
I hope that I am wrong but...

Posted by: bevin | Feb 11 2019 20:10 utc | 5

I can't wrap my brain around Venezuela "wanting" the USA to intervene in their sovereign affairs... When Chavez took power the rich were scattering like cockroaches....Now, they're seeking their revenge and trying to get back into power. After the results we've seen from western intervention in the Middle East, I hope very strongly that the USA fails in Veneuela. The true people of Venezuela deserve so much better. #Istandwiththepeopleofvenezuela

Posted by: Patricia E Schild | Feb 11 2019 20:17 utc | 6

I'm surprised that even out of the right wing/bourgeois constituency of Venezuela, 32% would say the Guaido is the legitimate President. However, I guess that means the "opposition" are at least temporarily united behind Random Guy, for now. (Of course, constitutionally, even if Maduro did step down the Vice President, Delcy Rodriguez, would be the next Constitutional President.)

Posted by: worldblee | Feb 11 2019 20:20 utc | 7

Shouldn't the government of Venezuela arrest the hapless Guaidó and put him on trial for treason? Should it be done sooner or still wait?

Posted by: AriusArmenian | Feb 11 2019 20:45 utc | 8

@9 AriusArmenian No, don't arrest him. Not yet. According to the Venezuelan constitution an "interim President" can only be in that position for 30 days, no more, no less.

Let him run around making a fool of himself for 30 days, then tap him on the shoulder and say "times up buddy, you haven't even called for an election. What was the point of all this?"

This about it this way: whatever thin veneer of "legitimacy" he has claimed for himself disappears after a month, so there is no need to rush this.

After all, it isn't as if Guaido is building up any momentum.
Quite the opposite, by the look of things.

Posted by: Yeah, Right | Feb 11 2019 21:09 utc | 9

Over at the Saker, two articles about Venezuela – The Straw that Breaks the Empire’s Back? By Peter Koenig and another by Eric Zuess What the Press Hides From You About Venezuela — A Case of News-Suppression. I have read the first and its good…..

Posted by: Dennis18 | Feb 11 2019 21:12 utc | 10

@9 Good question. I think Maduro is being smart by ignoring Random Dude's pleas. Arresting him might create a martyr for their cause and serve as a pretext for more US ingerence. The longer he talks the more he shows the workd the shallowness and ineffectiveness of the coup attempt..

Posted by: Lozion | Feb 11 2019 21:16 utc | 11

Worldblee @ 8:

Hinterlaces' poll that B cites above does not say where the polling was done or how it was done. For all we know, the "direct interviewing" - one assumes this is face-to-face polling, not polling by phoning people selected randomly from city phone-books or electoral rolls - could have been done in neighbourhoods where the interviewers felt most comfortable and these neighbourhoods may be less supportive of the government on average.

Areas where the people are most in favour of the government are likely to be areas deemed unsafe to travel on foot because there is a perception that these neighbourhoods are violent and dominated by drug and other gangs.

I got some information about Hinterlaces itself using Google Translate and this is what the agency says about itself:

Hinterlaces is the first Venezuelan Intelligence Agency, specializing in public opinion and market research services, situational analysis and strategic consulting, with emphasis on the scientific interpretation of the cultural and symbolic dimension of society.

Hinterlaces provides intelligence for strategic decision making. Through studies of public opinion and markets, Hinterlaces is dedicated to producing knowledge, making situational and environmental analyzes, providing strategic lines to build, enrich, renew and / or surpass the social, political, business and commercial performance of our clients.
http://hinterlaces.com/quienes-somos/

This is a polling agency whose agenda might incline towards favouring the private commercial sector.

So take heart that even with in-built bias, the poll Hinterlaces conducted still showed that a majority of Venezuelans support the Maduro government.

Posted by: Jen | Feb 11 2019 21:18 utc | 12

Gee, imagine if the U$A actually lived up to the rhetoric it spews daily about it caring for democracy and freedom.

Then I woke up.

The millions of lives ruined, and the innocents we kill daily, all for the sake of greed and avarice of a few wealthy elites, is mind numbing.

Venezuela is just the latest target in the empire's lust for global domination...

Posted by: ben | Feb 11 2019 21:37 utc | 13

I ask you to step back for a moment and take a look at the whole world. The US is at war in one form or another with the entire world, 7 or 8 countries in the Middle East in its effort to gain control of central Eurasia just a Brzezinski dreamed, threatening Iran for its access to the Caspian Sea and more. The US has troops and is actually fighting and killing in 52 of 54 African countries. The US has built numerous new military bases all around Latin America and is threatening Venezuela. It is doing everything it can to contain China with military maneuvers in the South China Sea and trade, and of course Russia nothing needs to be said.

It is the US led western empire against the rest of the world. The Empire apparently believes it is all or nothing time.

The US led Empire is not the US, the US government is the home of the imperial institutions, it is Imperial HQ.

The actual "king" and ruler of the Western world is its core block of capital which acts as one force it is today 50 trillion dollars which is managed by 17 management funds - and guess what - they all invest in each other.

The book Giants: The Global Power Elite by Peter Philips provides extensive detail on how imperial capital issues its instructions to the institutions it controls.

Posted by: Babyl-on | Feb 11 2019 22:01 utc | 14

The Venezulean military have been running massive exercises (scheduled 11-15 February) - showing their willingness to fight for Venezuela under Maduro. Their actual combat abilities are unknown but motivation goes a long way.

Photo essay at:

https://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/4769272.html

Posted by: Yonatan | Feb 11 2019 22:07 utc | 15

@13 Jen

That was my thought too, that the percentage for Guaido was so high it must have been an attempt to get a majority, which failed. If the poll had asked whether the US should be sponsoring an unelected president, I'm sure the number would be 80% saying "no".

@9 AriusArmenian

Regarding whether Guaido should be arrested - he can't be. As the speaker of the National Assembly, he's immune from prosecution except as the Venezuelan supreme court rules. The government applied to the Court, which ruled to prohibit Guaido from leaving the country, and to freeze his assets. Beyond this, we have not yet heard any more.

Everything is being played by the Maduro government to the letter of the law - which is the great tactical weakness in the US play here, and the place to strike back.

Posted by: Grieved | Feb 11 2019 22:08 utc | 16

It is the oil ..... the 'bananas' of United Fruit Company when a neighbor country was over run by Americans. WTF, I've been brainwashed by them little Russian puppies on social media, we (US) don't interfere in other countries.

Posted by: Ger | Feb 11 2019 22:17 utc | 17

I think it is better to wait. Of course, the interpretation that the Venezuelan presidency is vacant and that in that special case, the president of the National Assembly rather than the vice president takes over is odd. It presupposes quite a number of things that defy reality (there is an elected president) and certainly should not be claimed by anyone outside Venezuela (for that view, all Venezuelan institutions except the National Assembly and in particular the Supreme Court would have to be regarded as illegitimate, not just the president). But even if that interpretation is odd, it is still a fiction that is probably quite important for some European governments that now support an attempted (and so far failed) coup against the democratically elected president of Venezuela.

What will happen after 30 days when the „interim presidency“ of Guaido is over? If he still claims to be president after the 30 days are over, he is an illegitimate usurper even according to the strange fiction many governments cling to in order to pretend they support the constitution of Venezuela when in fact they support a would-be coup leader (or rather the puppet of one). Will these governments then say that they don’t care about the constitution of Venezuela, after all, and still support Guaido after he has even lost any semblance of legitimacy? Will Guaido call for new elections or even „conduct“ them, which he certainly can‘t?

Then, I think it is also relevant that (unless I am mistaken), the next regular date for elections for the National Assembly is already 2020. Perhaps these uncooperative opposition parties should rather think about how they are going to campaign - after all, it seems likely that they will lose (more moderate opposition parties that are not involved in the current coup attempt might have better chances). The playbook for the coup attempt has probably been written in Washington, but the fear of the parties that currently dominate the National Assembly that they will lose the 2020 elections is probably a motivating factor, they want to escalate the situation beforehand in the hope that the 2020 elections either will not take place or under undemocratic circumstances after a coup or foreign invasion that are favorable to them.

The elections in Venezuela have all generally used the same system. The pro-US forces have won just once, while in most elections the Chavists won. These pro-US forces that support sanctions against their own country and even don’t exclude supporting a foreign invasion of their country have won just one election, and they claim that all elections they lost or in which they voluntarily did not participate are illegitimate. Probably, they don’t have much hopes of winning the 2020 elections after their despicable behavior since the last elections, so they want to come to power by force and with foreign support rather than by democratic means.

Posted by: Adrian E. | Feb 11 2019 22:32 utc | 18

thanks b...

i regards @9's question - i agree with yeah, right, lozion and grieved comments on this... thanks everyone for the ongoing conversations and information... @19 adrian raises some good questions that i don't have answers for... either way, the usa puppet plan has a lot of legal holes in it that anyone looking closer, can see.. if the usa and poodles are that determined to ignore basic laws - international and etc - then, i am sure they will come up with some great ponzi scheme to follow thru after the 30 days... there plan is based on p.t. barnums often quoted phrase, i am quite sure of it...

Posted by: james | Feb 11 2019 22:40 utc | 19

American propaganda is working it seems.

"32% said Juan Guaidó."

That's terrible! Very depressing.

Posted by: Ella | Feb 11 2019 22:50 utc | 20

Our political parties and media have as much contempt for the democratic process and people choosing their leaders as the Rhodes/Milner group. They didn't respect the Syrian elections of 2012 or 2014 even with multiple parties participating and monitors present.

Posted by: Curtis | Feb 11 2019 22:56 utc | 21

The evidence of Maduro's popularity in Venezuela comes through plain as day in the MSM. This newest coalition of the killing to take down the Syrian government is calling for new elections in which Maduro does not participate. There can be no other reason for this other than the coalition of the killing know that Maduro will win any free and fair election.
Same applied to Assad.

Posted by: Peter AU 1 | Feb 11 2019 23:02 utc | 22

32% is roughly the % that voted for opposition presidential candidates.

I'd like to see a polling company ask if the Outlaw US Empire has any right to interfere with Venezuela whatsoever; and if yes, then how so.

Posted by: karlof1 | Feb 11 2019 23:25 utc | 23

reply to Babyl-on 15
That was a very insightful post, thank you

Posted by: frances | Feb 11 2019 23:29 utc | 24

I am very suspicious of the 32% figure. I don't trust it. A poll conducted a few weeks ago has shown just 20% of Venezuelans knew who Guaidó was. How can it be that 32% now consider him the legitimate President? Perhaps the poll asked whom they supported/sympathized with/wanted as President, not who was the legitimate one?

Posted by: S | Feb 11 2019 23:41 utc | 25

Alfred de Zayas is a brilliant and honest man, one of the few with a pair of balls at the UN.

Posted by: lili | Feb 11 2019 23:51 utc | 26

@ 15: Thanks for the book tip..Yes, good post.

@24: Love to see that question asked also, but it has too much relevance for any main stream poll to ask it.(sigh)..

Posted by: ben | Feb 12 2019 0:16 utc | 27

If that 32% number is right Maduro is in big trouble.

Good reason to be skeptical though

Posted by: Pft | Feb 12 2019 0:27 utc | 28

AOC on the issues as recorded by the Angry Arab:

"Finally, Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, spoke about foreign policy. On Palestine and the contrived controversy over the remarks by her colleague, Ilhan Omar, she said: New Green Deal. On Venezuela, she said: New Green Deal. On US wars in Africa, she said: New Green Deal. New Green Deal."

She seems to suddenly have become a coward whereas she was fearlessly relentless during her campaign. She needs to do her duty and stand up for the Constitution and her collegue.

Posted by: karlof1 | Feb 12 2019 0:33 utc | 29

Karlof1@30

AOC has been groomed and marketed by the green faction of the elites, her only duty is to them. You should expect nothing from her.

Posted by: Pft | Feb 12 2019 0:41 utc | 30

Keep in mind that 75% of Venezuela's radio and TV stations are in private hands and property of oligarchs bent on sabotaging the bolivarian revolution. Under 5% of media in Venezuela are state-owned... So even though western proxies and compradors elites holding iron clad propaganda monopoly, they can barely muster a third of venezuelans to support their reactionary program of social regression. We're witnessing Hugo Chavez's failure to neutralize the brutal european oligarchy that ran Venezuela as a latifundia for centuries. One thing is certain 60% of slaves are now refusing to go back to pre-bolivarian years. Without kinetic action, the compradors aligned with the west have no chance to pull off a successful change of regime.

Posted by: Augustin L | Feb 12 2019 1:02 utc | 31

@31 There's a bit more to AOC than that. She's a woman (but not the Hillary type). She is also supposed to get the Latino/ethnic vote. Latinos apparently are descended from native Americans.

Posted by: dh | Feb 12 2019 1:05 utc | 32

With those sorts of approval numbers, an American invasion will result in extreme blood shed, and failure.

Posted by: Erelis | Feb 12 2019 1:40 utc | 33

The longer this Guaidó (i'm sorry I mean Gweedo) farce goes on the stronger the Maduro government's position becomes (although not necessary Maduro's position itself). given that the US has been working to overthrow the Venezuelan government since at least 2003 and have now crossed the Rubicon by declaring "Gweedo" president (there's no way to take that back and return to recognizing Maduro), I imagine that the Maduro government's plan is to ride out this crisis till the next election cycle (I think in 2023/2024) and have Maduro step down in favour of his hand-picked successor, this would then give the US a face-saving option of recognizing Maduro's successor as the new President, without the humiliation of having to go back to recognizing Maduro.

The problem however is the 2020 election cycle in the US. For the last 30 years, US presidents have developed a (another) terrible tradition when going into reelection(the US also never seems to end a war once it starts one, which is why the US is now current fighting at least 7 undeclared wars, plus dozens of military operations in various countries). Trump is desperate for a "Win" going into the 2020 cycle and right now that column is pretty thread-bare in terms of achievements for the average American worker (the economy is doing well, but more and more people are concerned that the US is heading towards a recession in 2019, so that may not hold until the 2020). although Trump launching a full-scale invasion seems unlikely, I can certainly picture Trump pulling out all of the stops to overthrow the Venezuelan government the closer it gets to the US elections. I could even see Trump encouraging Colombia and Brazil to invade Venezuelan, but we'll have to wait see.

Posted by: Kadath | Feb 12 2019 1:45 utc | 34

I don't trust the numbers

Does anyone have the specific questions that were asked?

Who owns this "independent" polling company?

I didn't read who paid for the poll?

I keep think that the US is being set up to fail big time so that default on the US debt seems "reasonable" given the circumstances. That is when the deals will be made to set the next stage of ??? humanity....though it might be a bit rocky for a while...

Posted by: psychohistorian | Feb 12 2019 1:50 utc | 35

i'm another that doesn't trust the numbers. last i read only 20% of venezuelans had heard of rg, now 32% think he's the "legitimated president"??

Posted by: pretzelattack | Feb 12 2019 2:25 utc | 36

The aforementioned posts on AOC totally bum me out. You'd think we could find one person in the Democratic field to oppose the empire's lust for permanent war.

It most certainly won't be Pelosi or Schumer.

Looks like we'll get more of the same old thing, smoke but no fire.

We'll see, but if the Dem field stays too big, it will dilute the message. Maybe, that's the whole idea.

Posted by: ben | Feb 12 2019 2:42 utc | 37

Psychohistorian @ 36 (and anyone else who is interested):

Oscar Schemel is the director of the Hinterlaces polling agency which carried out the survey. He was elected to the National Constituent Assembly (the legitimate legislative body of the government) in 2017, representing the business sector.

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Schemel

(You'll need Google Translate.)

The questions asked are now available in English at Grayzone Project:
https://grayzoneproject.com/2019/01/29/venezuelans-oppose-intervention-us-sanctions-poll/

Posted by: Jen | Feb 12 2019 3:38 utc | 38

@ Jen with the links....thanks

The results from the Grayzone article do not comport with what is reported here by b and so maybe is another study but seems to be the same number of participants.....but then says was done before Guaido became a thing.

Still don't know specific questions for reported results nor who funded it.

Polls have had a long history of being used to bend the public narrative, slide the Overton window and otherwise obfuscate the core issue(s)......because money pays for them

Posted by: psychohistorian | Feb 12 2019 4:10 utc | 39

@Jen: Okay, so, according to The Grayzone translation of Schemel's presentation, only 17% support U.S. sanctions applied against Venezuela to remove Maduro, only 20% support international intervention to remove Maduro, only 12% support international military intervention to remove Maduro, and only 15% don't want any dialogue between government and opposition to resolve economic problems in the country. How does that fit in with 32% supposedly recognizing Guaidó as "legitimate President"? This can't be. Something is fishy with the 32% figure.

Posted by: S | Feb 12 2019 4:11 utc | 40

b cites a news piece by Globovisión, a private Venezuelan media company. I can't see any polls on Hinterlaces website having a 57% / 32% / 11% result. In fact, the company seems to have stopped operating: the latest news is from 5 September 2017, the latest tweet is from 3 September 2017, and the latest YouTube video is from 25 November 2017. One of the last polls published on the website, specifically, a poll from 13 August 2017 says the following (machine translation):

86% "DISAGREE" WITH MILITARY INTERVENTION AGAINST VENEZUELA

Monitor País reveals that 66% of Venezuelans would prefer Maduro to take effective measures and solve Venezuela's economic problems.

71% are "in disagreement" with the United States applying economic and financial sanctions against Venezuela to remove President Nicolás Maduro from power, while 24% "agree", reveals Monitor País de Hinterlaces about what Venezuelans think of an eventual international intervention and the "exit" of Maduro from the presidency.

The study carried out between July 22 and August 9, conducted through 1,580 telephone interviews, details that 67% of Venezuelans believe that the presidential elections of 2018 should be expected , while 32% demand the "exit" of the Mature.

With a level of confidence of 95% and a maximum admissible error of +/- 2.5% for the figures obtained, the research maintains that 66% of Venezuelans would prefer the Maduro government to take effective measures and solve the economic problems of the country, while 30% would prefer an opposition government to come.

Opinion on intervention

86% of Venezuelans are "in disagreement" with an international military intervention in Venezuela to get Maduro out of power, while 13% are "in agreement",

76% of Venezuelans are "in disagreement" that there is an international intervention in Venezuela to remove President Maduro from power, while 22% are "in agreement".

59% believe that the US government is promoting a foreign intervention in Venezuela to get President Maduro out of power, while 31% consider "no".

How do we know the company still exists? And if it does, how do we know Globovisión is citing it properly and not just inventing some random numbers?

Posted by: S | Feb 12 2019 5:02 utc | 41

@ ben #38
There is one Democratic candidate that is in the race specifically to fight the Empires forever wars. Tulsi Gabbard. And she is being smeared badly by the MSM. But getting a lot of support from the non-MSM, even from many on the other side of the spectrum.

Posted by: lgfocus | Feb 12 2019 5:23 utc | 42

Pro-coup Twitter accounts actually accuse Hinterlaces of working for "the regime" (skim through this thread), while, in my opinion, its numbers (if true) are skewed in favor of Guaidó. Anyway, this whole discussion is pointless: anybody can claim anything, as the company seems to have stopped operating a year and a half ago.

Posted by: S | Feb 12 2019 5:26 utc | 43

@ 43: Yes, thanks for the reminder. At this moment TG seems to be the only one pushing back on the empires horrendous foreign policies. We can only hope the MSM gives her a fair hearing.

I'm not holding my breath waiting for that to happen.

Posted by: ben | Feb 12 2019 6:00 utc | 44

Apart from reinforcing the case that Maduro's Presidency has the support of a simple majority of voters, this poll is virtually meaningless and irrelevant. The only way to make it relevant would be to insist that each of the Nazified, Christian Colonial countries which oppose Maduro conduct a similar poll of the voters in their own country.
i.e. Compare the popularity of the President/PM of the country with popularity of current Opposition contenders for the Leadership role.

Would Trump, Micron, Mrs May or Scum Mo score anything like 57%?
No effing way, imo.

To keep everything neat and tidy it would be helpful, and conducive to much mirth and merriment, to conduct the same poll in the countries whose leaders have recognised and endorsed Maduro's legitimacy.

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Feb 12 2019 6:51 utc | 45

It is so weird to see this unfolding. Nobody even seems to be asking why Guaido didn't just run for president -- he wasn't barred. There was lots of criticism of Maduro in the papers, so the press had the freedom to get behind one or another candidate. There was other opposition that ran. Why did some of the opposition boycott the elections? Who was the opposition that was barred from running by the supreme court, where they wildly popular? Why didn't they declare themselves president with popular support, rather than this newbie? Why did the opposition ask UN observers to stay away? It is so blatant that there are narratives being sold.

Posted by: anonymous | Feb 12 2019 6:52 utc | 46

I don't see this poll as good news for the Maduro govt at all; looking at other people's comments, I don't seem to be the only one. A short month ago, Guaido was a nobody, while Maduro was the unquestioned, even though not universally liked of course, president. Once Uncle Sam went to work on the issue, some clown who basically just started calling himself president seems to have over 1/3 behind him, while Maduro is only slightly above 50%. Washington probably feels it's successful in moving the needle, and will go all out trying to move it further.

Posted by: Ma Laoshi | Feb 12 2019 7:29 utc | 47

Ma Laoshi

Take a look at the picture in this article and read the caption. The picture itself speaks a thousand words as to the numbers backing random guy. Looks to be taken in a dark garage or something with a few reasonably photogenic faces arranged around pretty boy like a vase of flowers.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics/venezuela-opposition-rallies-to-tell-maduro-let-aid-in-idUSKCN1Q10DU

Posted by: Peter AU 1 | Feb 12 2019 7:49 utc | 48

karlof1 @ 30 says:

She[AOC] seems to suddenly have become a coward whereas she was fearlessly relentless during her campaign

being groomed? softened up?

Posted by: john | Feb 12 2019 10:12 utc | 49

Psychohistorian @ 40:

B quotes Globovision's report that the Hinterlaces poll was carried out some time between 21 January and 2 February 2019. Grayzone Project refers to a poll carried out in early January 2019 before 23 January 2019 when Guaidó made his announcement. So there is a possibility that these are two separate questionnaires conducted at different times - but maybe with the same sample (too small, in my opinion, for the issue the surveys address).

Please also refer to my comment @ 13 about my misgivings about the validity of the poll. We do not know how the sample was selected, how the interviews were done (although since I posted the comment, I found some other online sources suggesting they were telephone interviews) and whether the interview design had inbuilt biases reflecting Hinterlaces' own agenda. The website offers no explanation and appears to have been neglected since 2017.

Posted by: Jen | Feb 12 2019 10:16 utc | 50

Peter AU 1 @ 49:

That photo of Guaidó in the article you linked to has been doctored. The faces around the fellow have all been Photoshopped.

Posted by: Jen | Feb 12 2019 10:19 utc | 51

@ Posted by: Ma Laoshi | Feb 12, 2019 2:29:47 AM | 48

Well, news travel fast nowadays: the moment the Venezuelan right-wing realized the USA chose Guaidó, they quickly begun to "support" him. Of course, this is all a farce: they know Guaidó is merely a code word for American military intervention and regime change. This is textbook color revolution.

Posted by: vk | Feb 12 2019 10:40 utc | 52

Over 30% for Guaido is worrying enough, it shows his popularity or rather, the antidemocratic forces within Venezuela.

Posted by: Zanon | Feb 12 2019 11:41 utc | 53

Jen

Of course its not photoshopped.
You could see the event here:
https://youtu.be/566vQUH992I?t=5083

Posted by: Zanon | Feb 12 2019 11:46 utc | 54

Does no one remember Boris Nemtsov?

This Random Guido is going to die.

When this phase of the Empire's regime change operation loses steam and Guido's moment in the spotlight is fading, the CIA will murder him to provide the corporate mass media with evidence of how brutal the Venezuelan government is. They will personally blame Maduro for Random Guido's death. When Random Guido's trajectory of fame begins to turn from polarizing figure to laughingstock, the CIA will terminate him to extract a bit of extra value and hide the fact that the coup failed to win popular support.

Count on it.

Posted by: William Gruff | Feb 12 2019 12:12 utc | 55

Re: " 57% said that the Nicolás Maduro is the legitimated president. 32% said Juan Guaidó. 11% did not know or did not respond."

Have they done a recent one for the USA under Trump? (Macron in France?, and I can think of a few others...)

Posted by: imo | Feb 12 2019 12:25 utc | 56

@William Gruff: I'm sure they will also rename the street in Washington where the Venezuelan embassy is located to "President Guaidó St".

Posted by: S | Feb 12 2019 12:43 utc | 57

@50 Smart move by Netflix. They know watching the sisters battling it out for top job is going to be very hot. There should be lots of juicy debate. Let's hope it doesn't get nasty.

Posted by: dh | Feb 12 2019 13:26 utc | 58

Posted by: anonymous | Feb 12, 2019 1:52:16 AM | 47
(Lots of questions NOT being asked about Guiado)

You've nailed it.
The whole charade is about tightly controlling the narrative, and there are many ugly precedents for this modus operandi. There was a reminder of one particularly well-known and infamous example on TV this evening in the form of one of a series of docos about Scientology called Scientology And The Aftermath.

Basically, the crux of the Scientology scam is a set of Utopian Principles which prospective members are required to swear to uphold at any cost and to pledge undying devotion and obedience to the Church. These pledges are then used to blackmail members into 'proving' their loyalty to The Dream by undertaking unconscionable and unethical tasks in pursuit of the Church's nebulously unspecified goals.

There's plenty of damning info about Scientology in general, and this series in particular, on the www including a Rolling Stone article called 5 Things We Learned From Leah Remini's Scientology TV Show.

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Feb 12 2019 14:47 utc | 59

@5 0 @ 18 its the oil but which oil companies, we know for Canada its gold companies, but which gold companies who are the heads of these companies, and presstv in the middle east explains that all oil exporting countries are being shutdown to prevent oil and gas competition to LGN (like it not the world will switch to LGN if the Zionist have anything to say about it=> [https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/02/12/588370/Iran-oil-Europe-OPEC-Russia-gas-market-sanctions],
@53 ASA the right recognized they supported.. because they are committed to economic Zionism

@ 15 Global power Elite imperial institutions based in London and Wall Street, 50 Trillion under common interest management
Zionism is a system of economics, it uses the armed rule making nation state to accomplish its ends. But what are those ends? The system demands that its members eliminate all competition of whatever kind or source, and that includes potential competition. Just as soon as it is discovered that someone owns gold, water, oil, or has a productive business or nation the system requires that the competition be decimated, eliminated, wasted, and the valuable resource moved by whatever means into its possession so it is non competitive to the monopoly powers that the members of the system enjoy. Among the major systems of economics is
Socialism (public resources distributed as available)
Capitalism ( government officiates a competitive playing field between privately competitors)
Zionism (no challenger to a Zionist interest allowed to survive, all public assets moved to privately owned)

Its long modern history begins in Switzerland in 1896, includes treaties in 1896 (between France and Russia) and in 1897 between England and France in 1897 that forced on the people of Europe and France WWI and WWII. the purpose of those treaties was to take the oil from the then Ottoman Arabs. First attempt was to over throw the Ottomans, that happened at Salonika, it failed, and the Spanish and Portuguese expelled Zionist practicing Traders (pirate, slave traders, diamond, gold & jewelry, and contraband of all kinds) were burned out by the Angry Ottomans (half to NYC[majority population changed from Iris to Jewish) the other to St. Petersburg Russia). There is a strong move afoot to deny the world the findings at the University of Australia
that finding is that there are at least 2200 spots in the world (in one of them) capable to provide from wind and solar all of the energy the world needs. If this were allowed to come to being the Zionist would have to find a way to own it, but they can't patent it or copyright it, so they are SOL.

Posted by: snake | Feb 12 2019 15:06 utc | 60

Then the 32% that said Juan Guaidó is the legitimate president of Venezuela appear to have no understanding of democracy or the rule of Law and the 11% are either too stupid to understand the question, too scared to answer or just don't care.

There is either Law or there is not.

Peace.

Posted by: NchNick | Feb 12 2019 15:10 utc | 61

Internationalist 360° Editorial Comment:

The fact that the opposition can conspire and operate openly is proof that the government has not suppressed them in any way. While it is dangerous that they continue to collaborate to overthrow the government, they are emboldened by the freedoms granted and upheld by the same Constitution they seek to obliterate. Their continued freedom is evidence that Venezuela is not only a democracy, but a tolerant, peaceful society.

https://libya360.wordpress.com/author/internationalist360/

Posted by: William Bowles | Feb 12 2019 15:14 utc | 62

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Feb 12, 2019 9:47:29 AM | 60

In case the link between Scientology and Venezuela which I'm proposing isn't obvious, and obviously reliant on pitiful levels of Public Gullibility, it is adequately illustrated by the fact that the goals of the Venezuela Scam are just as nebulously unspecified as the goals of Scientology itself.
In the doco mentioned above there's a segment exposing an entire lavishly funded Dept withing Scientology which is tasked with recruiting celebrities. The segment outlines the way the decision to recruit Tom Cruse was planned and executed. It involved flattering Cruse into accepting 'help' from cult members in every aspect of his life.
Fiendishly clever, but unflattering to Tom's intelligence, imo.

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Feb 12 2019 15:23 utc | 63

@PeterAU1 49

Posted by: Ma Laoshi | Feb 12 2019 16:05 utc | 64

@PeterAU1 49

Posted by: Ma Laoshi | Feb 12 2019 16:05 utc | 65

@PeterAU1 49

[sorry for previous misposts]
Well that's the other side of it, it's not clear where those 30+% support comes from if just two weeks ago, only 20% knew who the hell this clown was. Still, it seems Latin America has a very poor collective memory of the practice of US-led democracy promotion in their continent. Or just as likely, a powerful faction does remember and would do it all over again in a heartbeat. No time to be complacent.

Posted by: Ma Laoshi | Feb 12 2019 16:13 utc | 66

mad duro like chavez before him is anti semite these guys always wanted israel pushed into the sea.
quido is the omly freedom loving option israel,uk and the usa are world leaders in oil and gas technologies they could help turn caracas into another tel aviv or city of london or even a geneva already.
we cannot sit by and watch the innocent ashkanazim of caracas be crushed like what assad and hitler did befores.

Posted by: rebbe | Feb 12 2019 16:40 utc | 67

@ Posted by: NchNick | Feb 12, 2019 10:10:11 AM | 62

Nobody in Latin America belives in Rule of Law. It's all just political power play, lip service.

Welcome to the Third World, my friend.

Posted by: vk | Feb 12 2019 16:53 utc | 68

Actually, Chavez and Maduro are pro-Semites as they support the original inhabitants of Palestine, most of whom happen to be Semites, not non-Semitic European colonists. The situation is essentially as if Palestinian Semites were finally allowed to vote and elected one of their own as President and gained majority control of the Legislature, which is what occurred in Venezuela--the indigenous/mestizos did just that in 1998 by electing Chavez, gaining control of the Legislature--effectively kicking the colonizers and their class allies out of power--then widely approved the new Bolivarian Constitution. So, support for Palestinians is akin to supporting oneself and comes naturally as a result.

Posted by: karlof1 | Feb 12 2019 17:11 utc | 69

During tonight's Oz weekly ration of Russia Today (which was almost 30 minutes duration, the longest this year) RT blew the MSM's "blocked bridge" Fake News clean out of the water, explaining that the bridge has NEVER been open to traffic, and confirming that a bridge 10 km away is open and has NEVER been closed to traffic.
Deceit? Tangled webs?

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Feb 12 2019 17:27 utc | 70

Screenshots of today's pro-Guaido demo show a rather tiny crowd exceedingly smaller than earlier boasts. The opposition refuses to talk while the government continues to govern and attempt to alleviate its citizen's complaints. The theft of National Wealth that's owned by all Venezuelans by the Outlaw US Empire was a disastrous move. Every day that goes by Maduro grows stronger while the usurper weakens further. It's quite possible the outcome will be far worse than the Bay of Pigs for the forces of reaction within the region.

Posted by: karlof1 | Feb 12 2019 17:49 utc | 71

People here are struggling to understand Venezuela, since Chávez first election victory (1999), has always been a polarized country (circa 60% Chavista, 40% heterogeneous right-wing).

Guaidó is just an instrument. The Venezuelan right-wing has already proven it can draw huge street manifestations. It doesn't matter. It was just a matter of the right-wing mass of digesting who this Guaidó was and decipher the code the USA gave to them so they could go to the streets again.

For example: who remembers Capriles now? You know, the guy who lost the election by a hair against Maduro? The Venezuelan right-wing is a caudillo-burning machine.

Posted by: vk | Feb 12 2019 19:09 utc | 72

Seems like the French and British like Germany care not for the UN Charter , I presume this Sputnik piece is the same as ‘b’s link in German.“Speaking to Sputnik Deutschland about the report's findings, Andrej Hunko said it showed that the German government gave little thought to whether their actions conformed with international law, and called Berlin's recognition of Guaido "totally mistaken" and "dangerous." https://sputniknews.com/world/201902121072354138-bundestag-report-says-guaido-recognition-illegal/ Was Mao right when he said “Power grows out the barrel of a gun?

Posted by: Harry Law | Feb 12 2019 19:47 utc | 73

Here’s a concept: Maduro should propose immediate, monitored elections provided that USA and its puppy dogs like Canada, etc. openly promise to end all sanctions, reprisals and covert ops, no matter who wins. Think it’s got a chance?

Posted by: piggly | Feb 12 2019 20:42 utc | 74

Blumenthal's from Caracas twitter report on the opposition rally:

"Hearing Juan Guaidó in person was remarkable. After a massive ovation, he spoke haltingly, barely projecting his voice, with only a few applause lines and all the charisma of a filing cabinet. It was up to more veteran opposition leaders to whip up the crowd."

Impressive how many Venezuelans tweet in perfect English as the thread reveals. Today is yet another national holiday--Youth Day and the 205th anniversary of the Battle of Victory--so there're lots of pics and vids of those celebrations being touted as Opposition rallies. There was just the one that Blumenthal attended.

piggly @75--

No, the Outlaw US Empire refuses to engage in dialog with Maduro or other members of Venezuela's government. Besides, who in their right mind would trust anything the Empire says.

Harry Law @74--

Well, that's modern history. Swords would be more correct overall. Interesting though that Enlightenment-based liberal government's rise roughly coincides with that of the gun. Now even that's changing: notice that Neocolonialism's methods are hybrid, mostly using financial weapons.

Posted by: karlof1 | Feb 12 2019 21:10 utc | 75

Zanon @ 55:

I clicked back on the article at the link on Peter AU 1's comment @ 49 and found the picture had been changed.

Thanks for the link to the video.

Posted by: Jen | Feb 12 2019 21:25 utc | 76

William Gruff @ 56:

If Guaidó is hiding in the US embassy in Caracas - which could explain why the government has not yet arrested him for treason - you have the perfect location for a false flag attack that provides the excuse for a US-led invasion.

Posted by: Jen | Feb 12 2019 21:32 utc | 77

In the latest tweet from the BBC propagandist Orla Guerin, it was too much effort for her to call the Venezezuelan leader 'President Maduro', so she calls him "Nicolas Maduro, who still occupies the Presidential Palace".

She stands up for the peasants and demands: Let them eat cheese.

"I asked Nicolas Maduro, who still occupies the Presidential Palace, if he could tell me the cost of a kilo of cheese. He couldn't give me a figure. The answer is its almost an entire monthly salary."
https://twitter.com/OrlaGuerin/status/1095360156383236097

Posted by: Brendan | Feb 12 2019 21:41 utc | 78

Karlof1 @ 76:

The Japanese had obtained guns from the Portuguese as early as the mid-1500s. By the 1560s, firearms were being used routinely in major conflicts in Japan and the country was actually leading the rest of the world in firearms production.

Firearms were used in the Battle of Nagashino (1575) - the Akira Kurosawa film "Ran" has a battle sequence partly based on the tactics used in that battle, in which ranks of musketeers lined up and hiding in forest mow down cavalry charges - and in the Battle of Sekigahara (1600). They were also used in the invasion of Korea (1592).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firearms_of_Japan#History

The rise of firearms in warfare may have actually encouraged the rise of absolutist monarchies in Europe (as well as the rise of the Tokugawa police state in Japan) according to an authority cited in an article (about the 5th page in 21 pages) at this PDF link:
http://publications.nichibun.ac.jp/region/d/NSH/series/symp/2007-06-00/s001/s009/pdf/article.pdf

Posted by: Jen | Feb 12 2019 21:49 utc | 79

A kilo is 2.2 pounds. Rather doubtful that the average Venezolano buys cheese, or rather that much cheese at a time. What they do buy are rice and beans, each in 20 pound bags to last a month.

Posted by: fast freddy | Feb 12 2019 23:14 utc | 80

Jen @80--

Thanks much for your reply! I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit I didn't even think of the Asian side of that development, although I know about gunpowder and its use in China to power ballistics. Absolute Monarchies predate the invention and use of gunpowder

Posted by: karlof1 | Feb 13 2019 0:28 utc | 81

Glad to see the Germans weighing in on how legitimacy is conferred to a ruler! It was Hannah Arendt, after all, who wrote succinctly to differentiate between force, power, strength, and authority.

Hope these posts mean you must be feeling better, B! Long life with smooth good health to you and yours!

Posted by: slit | Feb 13 2019 5:39 utc | 82

ben @38,

Even Zero Hedge obliged itself to share Tulsi's latest video clip:

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-02-12/warmongers-their-ivory-towers

Posted by: slit | Feb 13 2019 6:06 utc | 83

@46 Hoarsewhisperer. "Micron" is good - better than "Macaroni". You're right. France's Ken-doll president would not do well in such a poll. As for May, fahgeddaboudit. Spain's and Italy's governments can't even agree within their coalitions, and Spain's looks as if it won't last long after today.

What's gotten in to the minds of Europe's "leaders"? You get the impression that they don't think their populations care at all about international law and treaties.

Posted by: Gene Poole | Feb 13 2019 13:13 utc | 84

Shouldn't the government of Venezuela arrest the hapless Guaidó and put him on trial for treason? - Arius at 9

No, don't arrest him. Not yet. According to the Venezuelan constitution an "interim President" can only be in that position for 30 days. - Yeah at 10

A temp. position (+ see Grieved at 17.) As Yeah writes, and Lozion at 12 too, it appears that Maduro is doing well, in the sense that he signals *standing tall* to his base, + ‘aggressive’ (e.g. The US is racist, and (almost or whatever) run by the Ku Klux Klan..cheap talk ..)

Taking Random Guy-Do seriously is awarding him status he does not deserve - mad ppl have delusions!

The high road is the best option.

Jen 13, I’d add to that, it was almost certainly done by phone. The cheapest and easiest, which is often not stated. Direct interviews would have cost a bomb and would have had to be shored up / better described..etc. So no way. Phone: during the day / early eve (one is supposed to ‘balance’ that) which means that independent of geography, poor workers / ppl were not reached in the proper proportion.

Lacking details, Idk, this is just very standard about polls: Pollsters have ‘rich’ clients who can pay, and thus tend to satisfy them by returning results that they like, add in hopiness of the results being self-fulfilling prophecies, i.e. influencing the plebs (see Clinton/Trump.) Some are fly-by-night cos., a very easy and lucrative scam. 600 years ago one had fortune tellers..

Why are polls considered so important? Why are such methods of ‘tapping public opinion’ with pre-formated guided and oriented questions used? - It is crank pseudo-science and manipulation. Properly done polls exist, it ain’t rocket science, but they are never about pol. subjects, only commercial ones.

Posted by: Noirette | Feb 13 2019 17:04 utc | 85

Mano Blanca in Venezuela:

"The "white hand" symbol marketed at Guaido's opposition rallies in #Venezuela looks a lot like the sign the "Mano Blanca" death squad in El Salvador - armed by Elliott Abrams - left on its victims' doors after late-night targeted killings as a warning to their neighbors." View pic at link.

Rep Ilhan's grilling of War Criminal and serial liar Abrams being tweeted out:

".@IlhanMN to Elliott Abrams, "Would you support an armed faction within Venezuela that engages in war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide if you believed they were serving US interests like you did in Guatemala, El Salvador & Nicaragua?"

And more presented on main twitter page. Very pleased she got elected.

Posted by: karlof1 | Feb 13 2019 19:42 utc | 86

A video from ongoing Venezuelan military exercises "Angosturas-200": https://youtube.com/watch?v=03XxnjNSyX4. Shows Venezuelan Su-30 launching a Kh-31 anti-ship missile.

Posted by: S | Feb 14 2019 2:14 utc | 87

(Reuters) - President Donald Trump will give a speech on Venezuela in Miami on Monday and voice support for Venezuela’s National Assembly President Juan Guaido, whom the United States considers the legitimate president of that country, a White House official said on Wednesday.

Trump is to make remarks on Venezuela and “the dangers of socialism” at Florida International University in Miami, the official said.

Posted by: psychohistorian | Feb 14 2019 3:27 utc | 88

Whitney Webb:

"US Air Freight Company that Smuggled Weapons Into Venezuela Linked to CIA 'Black Site' Renditions."

Thanks for the evidence proving the assumption.

Meanwhile in Haiti:

"Caribbean Spring: Haitians Revolt Against Their US Puppet Leader," which is news you're probably not getting from your BigLie media Machine.

Posted by: karlof1 | Feb 14 2019 18:03 utc | 89

naiverealist @74

Gabbard

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Urges Congress to Oppose Authorization for War Against Iran

4:24 min

John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019

SEC. 1237. STRATEGY TO COUNTER DESTABILIZING ACTIVITIES OF
IRAN.
(a) STRATEGY AUTHORIZED.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense, with the
concurrence of the Secretary of State, may develop a strategy
with foreign partners to counter the destabilizing activities
of Iran.
(2) ELEMENTS.—The strategy described in paragraph (1)—
(A) should identify specific countries in which Iran
and Iranian-backed entities are operating; and
H. R. 5515—408
(B) should establish a cooperative framework that
includes, as appropriate—
(i) investing in intelligence, surveillance, and
reconnaissance capabilities;
(ii) investing in mine countermeasures resources
and platforms;
(iii) investing in integrated air and missile defense
platforms and technologies;
(iv) sharing intelligence and data between the
United States and such foreign countries;
(v) investing in cyber security and cyber defense
capabilities;
(vi) engaging in combined planning and exercises;
(vii) engaging in defense education, institution
building, doctrinal development, and reform; and
(viii) assessing Iran’s destabilizing activities in the
countries identified under subparagraph (A) and the
implications thereof.

(b) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter through December
31, 2021, the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of State, should submit to the congressional defense committees and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and
the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives
a report on actions taken to enhance cooperation and encourage
military-to-military engagement between the United States and
foreign partners with the goal of countering the destabilizing actions
of Iran and, if applicable, the strategy authorized by subsection
(a).

Posted by: pogohere | Feb 15 2019 0:47 utc | 90

Son la propaganda de la Izquierda asesina! el 90% no quiere a MAduro el ASESINO! PUERCOS QUE APOYAN UNA DICTADURA, NACIDA DE UNA IZQUIERDA RETORCIDA.

Posted by: LUIS MENDEZ | Mar 2 2019 17:01 utc | 91