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In Support Of Regime Change – The New York Times Continues To Disinform Its Readers
U.S. President Joe Biden continues Donald Trump's regime change policy towards Venezuela. From yesterday's press briefing by the State Department:
QUESTION: Staying in Latin America, is it fair to say that the Biden administration is pursuing regime change in Venezuela?
MR PRICE: It is fair to say that the Biden administration supports the democratic aspirations of the people of Venezuela. Our overriding goal is to support a peaceful democratic transition in Venezuela through free and fair presidential and parliamentary elections, and to help the Venezuelan people rebuild their lives and their country.
We know at the root of much of the misery and the suffering of the people of Venezuela stands one individual, and we have been very clear that Nicolas Maduro is a dictator. His actions have not been in the best interests of the people of Venezuela. It hasn’t just been the United States that has been saying that. It has been the United States and many of our closest partners both in the region and well beyond.
QUESTION: So it’s basically – it’s basically a nicer way of saying Maduro must go?
MR PRICE: We believe and we support the democratic aspirations of the people of Venezuela. That is why we are committed to supporting the people through humanitarian measures and also targeting regime officials and their cronies involved in human rights abuses and corruption.
Yes.
The New York Times is, as usual, supportive of such illegal policies. It continues to disinform its readers about economic problems caused by these. Today it reports on a minor measure Biden took with regards to Venezuelans in the United States:
As many as 320,000 Venezuelans living in the United States were given an 18-month reprieve on Monday from the threat of being deported, as the Biden administration sought to highlight how dangerous that country has become under President Nicolás Maduro.
The fourth paragraph is supposed to describe Venezuela's current 'danger':
Venezuela is mired in one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises under Mr. Maduro, who, through a mix of corruption and neglect, oversaw the decay of the country’s oil infrastructure that had propped up its economy. The United Nations has estimated that up to 94 percent of Venezuela’s population lives in poverty, with millions of people bereft of regular access to water, food and medicine.
Isn't there something missing in the above? Was the 'decay of the country’s oil infrastructure' really caused by Maduro? Or did the U.S. have something to do with that?
Six paragraphs further down we learn what really is causing Venezuela's problems:
[O]ne of the officials who briefed reporters on Monday on condition that he not be identified said the Biden administration was reviewing whether to lift a raft of economic sanctions that experts believe have cost Venezuela’s government has much as $31 billion since 2017.
The official said that review would assess whether the economic pressure exacted against Mr. Maduro and his government was worth the risk of exacerbating the dire living conditions for Venezuelans.
So it was Maduro's 'corruption and neglect' plus the minor issues of $31 billion practically stolen by the U.S.
We can be sure that the outcome of the sanction review will be negative. If there will be any lifting of sanctions it will only be on the margins.
A similar pattern of NYT disinformation could be observed with regards to regime change in Brasil. As FAIR notes today:
The Brazilian Supreme Court on March 8 dismissed all charges against former President Luis Inacio “Lula” da Silva made during the Lava Jato investigation, a little over a month after the investigation was officially ended. The termination came shortly after the Supreme Court admitted 6 terabytes of leaked Telegram chats between public prosecutors and judges as evidence in the case.
…
The Times rarely applied any scrutiny to the investigation until Lula’s political imprisonment was imminent. Serious crimes committed by [judge] Moro and the taskforce, such as the 2016 wiretapping of Lula’s defense team’s law offices, were either glossed over or not mentioned at all. In article after article, the Times failed to share important information on the investigation. This helped normalize the 2016 coup and the removal of Lula from the 2018 presidential elections, which in turn opened the door for a neofascist/military takeover of Brazil.
The Times also failed to note the heavy U.S. involvement in the case:
Due to the Telegram leaks, everyone now knows Lula is innocent, but long before this, there was ample evidence of a political witch hunt. By ignoring or downplaying issues that raised doubts about Lava Jato, while giving the hero’s treatment to Sergio Moro, the Times became an active participant in this witch hunt.
…
Years of censorship by omission, one-sided reporting and lionizing far-right prosecutors as they worked closely with the FBI, helped to destroy the image of a political party that, among other things, moved 26 million people above the poverty line, was the world leader in greenhouse gas reduction, and implemented one of the most ambitious affirmative action programs in history.
But Lula is free and we are happy to hear that he feels well:
In a conversation recorded before the justice’s decision, but with the possibility it created already in mind, I talked with Lula about what he learned in prison, how he reads the rise of fascism around the world, what he thinks progressives must do to win national elections as he did, and whether he is ready for another go at the presidency.
“I say every day that I am 75 but I feel that I have the energy of a 30-year-old,” he told me. “And I am as horny as a 21-year-old, so I can say to you that I'm alive, fighting for democracy.”
There is more from Lula at this link.
Lavrov’s been on the move, Abu Dhabi yesterday and Saudi today. Here’re some of his remarks to the press after meeting with Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan:
“We discussed in detail a number of regional issues: developments in the Middle East and North Africa, including Syria, Libya and Yemen. In these cases, Russia and the UAE promote a peaceful political settlement based on the UN Charter and relevant UN resolutions. We advocate an inclusive dialogue for overcoming all crises.
“We spoke about the Arab-Israeli settlement. We reaffirm our position and welcome the normalisation of Israel’s relations with several Arab states, including the UAE, on the understanding that a fair settlement of the Palestinian problem must not be relegated to the background. We will be willing to continue facilitating direct dialogue between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
“We also discussed developments in the Persian Gulf. We reaffirmed our desire to encourage the region’s countries and the Gulf states to start promoting trust and transparency in military construction and normalisation of relations between Iran and regional countries in general with the participation of international organisations (the UN Security Council, the Arab League and the European Union).” [My Emphasis]
Lavrov employed somewhat different rhetoric in answer to the JCPOA question about Russia’s actions:
“First, the previous US Administration withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and thus destroyed it. For more than a year, Iran has faithfully fulfilled its obligations, including voluntary ones, despite the fact that the promised resumption of normal trade was undermined by the United States. The Americans stopped delivering on their promises under the JCPOA and told others to do the same under the threat of sanctions. Nonetheless, Iran has been complying faultlessly for over a year, and then said it would drop out of its voluntary commitments if the United States failed to fulfill its commitments. Everyone is aware of where we are now.” [My Emphasis]
As for the merry-go-round about who needs to act first:
“We are convinced that we should now focus on restoring the JCPOA in full and not overburden it with other considerations and concerns however important they might be. To resolve this immediate task, we believe we should work out the concurrent steps that the Iranians and the United States will need to take. If we keep discussing who should be the first to resume compliance, we will never arrive at anything.” [My Emphasis]
Russia believes that the extra issues the Outlaw Empire and others want to include don’t belong in the JCPOA conversation and instead should be negotiated in an overall collective security agreement, which I also agree with:
“Returning to the issues arising from renewing the JCPOA, including the conditions for Iran (missiles and regional policy), we are convinced that if the Conference on Security in the Gulf that we are proposing is held based on the principles of respect for each other’s interests, equality, and the need to achieve mutually acceptable compromises, then it could be used to discuss the problems and concerns of the parties.”
Now in Saudi Arabia after his meeting with Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Lavrov explained Russia’s position on Yemen, which we don’t get to hear/read very often:
“We are concerned, as are our Saudi friends, over what is happening in Yemen. Over two thirds of its population is in need of urgent help as a result of the bloody conflict that has lasted almost six years. We share the view that the country can be prevented from sliding into an abyss of chaos and humanitarian disaster only if the armed confrontation is stopped as soon as possible and the Yemenis resolve their numerous problems and fairly serious divergences at the negotiating table and reach agreement taking into account the interests of all Yemeni political forces. In this context, we reaffirm our support for the efforts of the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths.”
Lavrov concludes his general remarks with praise lacking from his interactions with the West:
“I would like to express gratitude to our Saudi colleagues for the traditional hospitality that we are always given in Saudi Arabia, and thank our friends for the intensive talks and trustworthy dialogue. We appreciate this dialogue that really helps us develop bilateral relations and facilitates the conditions for stabilisation in different parts of this region.” [My Emphasis]
More about Yemen:
“Question (translated from Arabic): What do you think about the recent attack on Ras Tanura Airport in Saudi Arabia? How did the international community respond to this? Should the international community take any additional measures in the context of that incident?
“Foreign Minister Lavrov (speaking after Faisal bin Farhan): Early on, during today’s talks, I stated Russia’s position on these unacceptable actions and emphasised that all parties to the conflict in Yemen, just like any other conflict for that matter, must comply with international humanitarian law under which attacks on civilian infrastructure facilities causing civilian deaths are absolutely unacceptable. We have held this position from day one. I hope all parties understand the need to stop the hostilities and will be supportive of the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths’, efforts. We see eye-to-eye on this.
“Question: How will the US decision to stop supporting military operations in the republic affect the situation in Yemen?
“Sergey Lavrov (answers after Faisal bin Farhan): I will not comment on relations between Saudi Arabia and the United States, including in the sphere of arms supplies. Regardless of whether the issue is about Yemen or any other hot spot, the more weapons there are, the greater the temptation and risks. On the other hand, cutting arms supplies will not guarantee peace in the region.
“Most importantly, everyone with or without weapons must end the hostilities and sit down and talk. The United States decided to take the Ansar Allah group off its terrorist list. I hope this message was taken correctly. This by no means represents issuing a carte blanche to continue the violence. This is an indication that they must be part of an inclusive all-Yemeni process. We discussed this issue today from that perspective.” [My Emphasis]
Note how Russian policy is the same as in Syria regarding civilians. The Saudis probably didn’t like being rebuked for their inhumane actions, but that’s part of holding a serious dialog. I’m not certain but I believe Lavrov will visit Qatar next.
Posted by: karlof1 | Mar 10 2021 18:07 utc | 65
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