Behind the US war on Venezuela

[Joanne98]

Review by Roberto Jorquera
19 April 2008


Bush vs Chavez — Washington’s war on Venezuela
By Eva Golinger
Monthly Review Press, 2008
$26.00 (pb), available at <http://www.resistancebooks.com>


Eva Golinger’s latest installment in the battle between the US and the Bolivarian revolution in Venezuela, Bush vs Chavez — Washington’s war on Venezuela is a fascinating account that looks behind the scenes of US policy towards the government of President Hugo Chavez.

The book is a brilliant sequel to her previous book The Chavez Code.

Combing through thousands of documents attained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in the US, Golinger is able to bring to light the facts behind US policy towards Venezuela throughout Chavez’s presidency.

Golinger focuses on the role of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI), as well as their subsidiary organisations scattered throughout Latin America.

In the first section of the book, Golinger provides a history of US government intervention in Latin America and how its policy has developed in Venezuela, learning from past interventions such as in Chile, Nicaragua, Cuba and Haiti. From the information that Golinger has been able to access, a clear pattern emerges showing how the political moves against Chavez since 1998 have had their roots directly in US government bodies.

Golinger is able to provide evidence that the major political attacks that have been made against the Bolivarian revolution have been orchestrated in the US. These include the December 2001 one-day strike organised by the bosses, the April 2002 coup attempt, the December 2002 to February 2003 lock out of PDVSA (Venezuelan oil industry) workers and the shut down of the industry, the guarimba (a plan allegedly formed by opposition guru Robert Alonso, for right-wing forces to engage in widespread civil disobedience and violence in the streets of Caracas and other metropolitan areas) of February 2004, the recall referendum of August 2004, the continued build up of US troops in the Caribbean and Colombia, as well as numerous other events.

Golinger notes that “For the Fiscal year 2003 USAID’s OTI office requested $5,074,000 for its Venezuela operations … In Fall 2003, the OTI requested an additional $6,345,000 for use in Venezuela during 2004. USAID also gave the International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) more than $2 million for ‘strengthening political parties’ and ‘promoting electoral processes’ in Venezuela during 2003-04. The NDI’s grant specifically mentioned collaboration with <“civil society” organisation Sumate”. [br />http://www.greenleft.org.au/2008/747/38631

[Arctic Dave]

1. There are a few on this website that seem very

happy with what the US is trying to do to HC. I'm suprised they haven't been around to bash the book.

[Judi Lynn]

2. Eva Golinger is intrepid. So good to see her and other superior people working relentlessly

to get the information out to those who care, through the wall of disinformation.

Too bad there aren't more people writing professionally who are motivated by high principles, as well.

[yurbud]

3. maybe the trolls are too busy working on somebody's campaign...

[stimbox]

4. The same organizations backing the "Free" Tibet movement.

"Spreading Democracy" is such a noble cause.

:sarcasm:

[Joe Chi Minh]

5. They envy us our freedoms, you know, and love it when we remedy their

incarceration by occupying their countries and confiscating their raw materials; or interfering on the side of their erstwhile feudal masters. Just about anything we do, really. There must just be something about us that very winsome, I suppose. Glamorous Westerners, eh?

[Pietro]

6. Ecuador has the same problem

The CIA has infiltrated Ecuador in such a way that president Correa just had to close the American US Air base in that country. US is seeking to destabilize socialist governments in Latin America, as usual.