Your Eyewitness is reminded of Henry II’s exasperated cry – “Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?” – at Thomas Becket’s goings on against him!! In this case, however, it’s this “turbulent dictator” Maduro. By now we thought the ex-bus driver successor to Chavez would’ve been long gone – after the Americans had put him in their sights!! But it seems the Agency just ain’t what it used to be!! And then again, under the new woke dispensation, it’s been decided that USAID and other “no contact” bodies are supposed to deal with nettlesome regimes!!
But even then, there gotta be a clear and consistent policy from the political directorate!! And right now, the Biden Administration seems to be caught in some Hamlet-like existential angst of “to be or not to be” firm with Maduro. Now, as a Guyanese, your Eyewitness is a realist and considers Maduro as external enemy#1!! No if and buts about that!! And so will every Venezuelan leader qualify until they decide to give up their claim to our Essequibo – which is two-thirds of our national territory. This Sword of Damocles gotta be removed over our heads!!
Now, from that same realpolitik standpoint, your Eyewitness accepts that the US wants to control those 300 billion barrels of oil sloshing under Venezuelan territory. Whoever controls that oil has a head start to head off the challenge from China and India to be the #1 superpower in the world. But the US under Biden is playing a “hold me-loose me” game that’s not gonna get them anywhere. They’ve been playing around with elections for years now – and what has it gotten them?? Zilch. They even gave permission for Chevron to produce oil from their licence and sell it to PVDSA – to no avail.
Now, again to encourage democratic elections in Venezuela, Biden had drafted a proposal to ease oil sanctions against the country. If the measures are approved, he’s gonna amend or replace executive orders issued by Trump – in response to Maduro’s fraudulent 2018 re-election. The US first implemented sanctions against Venezuela back in 2006, taking on then strongman-leader Hugo Chavez’s obduracy on terrorism and drug trafficking. These were expanded to cover human and civil rights abuses in 2014. These sanctions designated state officials, including Chavez’s successor Maduro and his close associates. They also limited financial transactions and placed controls on the oil and gold trade with Venezuela. In 2018, after the aforementioned Maduro’s fiddled re-election, the US imposed further sanctions.
Now, in your Eyewitness’s opinion, the carrot will never work against dictators like Maduro. They only understand the stick.
While the US may talk softly to lull him, they gotta wield their big stick against Maduro!!
…Norton in America
It seems Norton’s enemies have drawn their long knives and are diligently following the advice of the droll comedian WC Fields, who once famously suggested: “If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit.” The Opposition Leader is touring the US – obviously in an effort to build a war chest for the 2025 elections. But rather than get behind the man, half of the Central Exec are spending their time throwing bullshit potshots at the man.
Hey…so he didn’t draw no crowd in Richmond Hill – but that’s no fault of his, is it?? It was his bete noir Granger who’d muddied the waters in that PPP stronghold. Back in 2015, when some had become disenchanted with the PPP in government for 23 years – the perennial danger of long incumbency! – some Richmond Hill residents had invited Granger to a duck curry dinner. But the man insisted on eating the duck curry and rice with a knife and fork!!
They decided the PNC couldn’t be rusted!! Poor Norton!!
