President Trump has announced
the withdrawal of US combat troops from the « Greater Middle East », but the
Pentagon is still pursuing the implementation of the Rumsfeld-Cebrowski plan.
This time the aim is to destroy the States of the « Caribbean Basin ». This is
nothing like the overthrow of pro-Soviet regimes, as in the 1970’s, but the
destruction of all regional State structures, without consideration for friends
or political enemies. Thierry Meyssan observes the preparations for this new series
of wars.
In a series of previous
articles, we presented the SouthCom plan to provoke wars between the
Latin-American nations in order to destroy the structures of all the States in
the « Caribbean Basin » [1].
Preparations for wars of this
magnitude, intended to follow on from the conflicts in the « Greater Middle
East » according to the Rumsfeld-Cebrowski strategy, requires a decade [2].
After the period of economic
destabilisation [3] and that of military preparation, the
actual operation should begin in the years to come by an attack on Venezuela by
Brazil (supported by Israël), Colombia (an ally of the United States) and
Guyana (in other words, the United Kingdom). It will be followed by others,
beginning with Cuba and Nicaragua (the « troïka of tyranny » according to John
Bolton).
However, the original plan
may be modified, particularly because of the return of the imperial ambitions
of the United Kingdom [4] which may influence the Pentagon.
This
is where we are now:
The evolution of Venezuela
Venezuelan President Hugo
Chávez had developed relations with the « Greater Middle East » on an
ideological basis. He had in particular grown closer to Iranian President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Syrian President Bachar el-Assad. Together, they had
imagined the possibility of founding an intergovernmental organisation, the «
Free Allies Movement », on the model of the « Non-Aligned Movement », which was
paralysed by the alignment with the United States, over time, of certain of its
members [5].
Although
Nicolas Maduro adopted the same language as Hugo Chávez, he chose a very
different foreign policy. It is true that he continued the rapprochement with
Russia and, in his turn welcomed Russian bombers to Venezuela. He signed a
contract to import 600,000 tonnes of wheat in order to deal with starvation in
his country. Above all, he prepared to receive six billion dollars of
investments, including five in the oil sector. Russian engineers took over the
posts which were intended for Venezuelan workers but which they had abandoned.
Nicolas
Maduro reorganised the alliances of his country on new foundations. He wove
close links with Turkey, which is a member of NATO and whose army presently
occupies Northern Syria. Maduro went to Istanbul on four occasions and Erdoğan
went once to Caracas.
Switzerland
was an ally of Hugo Chávez, and had advised him for the composition of his
Constitution. Fearing that he would be unable to refine his country’s gold in
Switzerland, Nicolas Maduro looked to Turkey, which transformed the raw
material into bullion. In the past, this gold had remained in Swiss banks as a
guarantee for oil contracts. From now on, the liquid assets were transferred to
Turkey, while the newly treated gold returned to Venezuela. This orientation
may be interpreted as being no longer founded on ideology, but on interest.
Everything depends on who benefits.
Simultaneously, Venezuela
became the target of a destabilisation campaign which began with the guarimbas demonstrations, continued with the
attempted coup d’etat on 12 February 2015 (« Operation Jericho »), then by a
series of attacks on the national currency, and organised emigration. In this
context, Turkey offered Venezuela the possibility of avoiding US sanctions. The
exchanges between the two countries multiplied fifteen-fold in 2018.
Whatever
the evolution of the Venezuelan régime, nothing can justify what is being
prepared against its population.
Coordination of logistical
means
From 31 July to 12 August
2017, SouthCom organise a vast exercise with more than 3,000 men from 25 allied
states, including France and the United Kingdom. The goal was to prepare a
swift landing for troops in Venezuela [6].
Colombia
The Politically Incorr...Thomas
E. Woods Jr.Best Price: $1.34Buy New $8.47(as
of 07:35 EST - Details)
Colombia is a state, but not
a nation. Its population lives geographically separate according to social
class, with enormous differences in the quality of life. Almost no Colombian
has ever spent time in a neighbourhood attributed to another social class than
their own. This strict separation has made possible the multiplication of
paramilitary forces and consequently armed interior conflicts which have caused
more than 220,000 victims in thirty years.
In
power since August 2018, President Iván Duque has challenged the fragile peace
concluded with the FARC by his predecessor, Juan Manuel Santos – but not with
the ELN. He has not dismissed the option of a military intervention against
Venezuela. According to Nicolas Maduro, the United States are currently training
734 mercenaries in a training camp situated in Tona with a view to carrying out
a false flag operation intended to spark a war with Venezuela. Taking into
account the sociological particularity of Colombia, it is impossible to
determine with certainty whether or not the training camp is controlled by
Bogota.
Guyana
In
the 19th century, the colonial powers agreed to a frontier between British
Guyana (presently Guyana) and Dutch Guyana (presently Surinam). but no text has
ever defined the frontier between the British zone and the Spanish zone
(presently Venezuela). Consequently, Guyana administrates 160,000 km2 of forest
which is still a source of dispute with its larger neighbour. By virtue of the
Geneva agreement of 17 February 1966, the two states deferred to the Secretary
General of the UNO (at that time the Burmese U Thant). Nothing has changed
since then – Guyana has proposed to bring the case before the UNO Permanent
Court of Arbitration, while Venezuela prefers direct negotiations.
This
territorial dispute does not seem particularly urgent, because the contested
area is an uninhabited forest which was believed to be without value – however,
it is a huge area which represents two thirds of Guyana. The Geneva agreement
has been violated 15 times by Guyana, which specifically authorised the
exploitation of a gold mine. Above all, the stakes were raised in 2015 with the
discovery by ExxonMobil of oil deposits in the Atlantic Ocean, particularly in
the territorial waters of the contested zone.
The
population of Guyana is composed of 40 % Indians, 30 % Africans, 20 % mixed
race and 10 % American Indians. The Indians are a strong presence in the civil
services and the Africans in the army.
On 21
December, a vote of no confidence was lodged against the government of
President David Granger, a pro-British, anti-Venezuelan General, in power since
2015. To everyone’s surprise, a deputy, Charrandas Persaud, voted against his
own party, and in an atmosphere of indescribable chaos, provoked the fall of
the government which had only a one-vote majority. Since then, the country is
in a state of great instability – we do not know whether President Granger, who
is presently undergoing chemotherapy, will be able to handle current affairs,
while Charrandas Persaud left Parliament with an escort, via a back door, and
has fled to Canada.
On 23 December 2018, in the
absence of a government, the Ramform Tethys (under
the flag of the Bahamas) and the Delta Monarch (Trinidad
and Tobago) undertook submarine explorations in the contested zone on behalf of
Exxon-Mobil. Considering that this intrusion violated the Geneva agreement, the
Venezuelan army chased the two ships away. The Guyanese Minister for Foreign
Affairs, working with current affairs, declared it a hostile act.
The United Kingdom Minister
for Defense, Gavin Williamson, declared to the Sunday
Telegraph on 30 December 2018 that the Crown was putting an end
to decolonisation, which had been Whitehall’s doctrine since the Suez affair in
1956. London is preparing to open a new military base in the Caribbean (for the
moment the UK has bases only in Gibraltar, Cyprus, Diego Garcia and on the
Falkland islands). The new base could be situated on Montserrat (West Indies),
or more probably in Guyana, and should be operational in 2022 [7].
Guyana is a neighbour of
Surinam (Dutch Guyana). Its President, Desi Bouterse, is wanted in Europe for
drug trafficking – an affair which pre-dated his election. But his son, Dino,
was arrested in Panama in 2013, despite the fact that he entered that country
under a diplomatic passport. He was extradited to the United States where he
was sentenced to 16 years of prison for drug trafficking – in reality because
he was setting up the Lebanese Hezbollah in Surinam.
Brazil
In
May 2016, Henrique Meirelles, the Minister of Finance for the transitional
government of Libano-Brazilian Michel Temer, nominated Israelo-Brazilian Ilan
Goldfajn as director of the Central Bank. Mereilles had also presided the
Committee for the preparation of the Olympic Games, calling on Tsahal to
coordinate the Brazilian army and police, thus guaranteeing the security of the
Games. Simultaneously controlling the Central Bank, the army and the police of
Brazil, Israël had no difficulty in supporting the popular movement of
dissatisfaction in the face of the incompetence of the Workers’ Party.
Believing
– without any solid proof – that Presidente Dilma Rousseff had fudged the
public accounts in the context of the Petrobras scandal, the parliamentarians
impeached her in August 2016.
During
the Presidential election of 2018, candidate Jair Bolsonaro went to Israël to
be baptised in the waters of the Jordan, and consequently obtained a massive
percentage of the evangelical vote. He was elected with General Hamilton Mourão
as his Vice-President. During the period of transition, Mourão declared that
Brazil should prepare to send men to Venezuela as a « peace force » once
President Maduro had been overthrown – comments which constitute a
barely-disguised threat which President Bolsonaro attempted to downplay.
In an
interview on 3 January 2019, on the TV channel SBT, President Bolsonaro spoke
of negotiations with the Pentagon concerning the possibility of creating a US
military base in Brazil. This declaration raised powerful opposition within the
armed forces, for whom their country is capable of defending itself without
assistance.
During
his investiture on 2 January 2019, the new President welcomed Israëli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This was the first time that an Israëli
personality of this importance had been to Brazil. On this occasion, President
Bolsonaro announced the coming transfer of the Brazilian embassy from Tel-Aviv
to Jerusalem.
US Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo, who also went to the investiture, where he met Peruvian Minister for
Foreign Affairs Néstor Popolizio, announced with President Bolsonaro his
intention to fight with him against the « authoritarian régimes » of Venezuela
and Cuba. Returning to the United States, he stopped over in Bogota to meet
with Colombian President Iván Duque. The two men agreed to work for the
diplomatic isolation of Venezuela. On 4 January 2019, the 14 States of the Lima
Group (including Brazil, Colombia and Guyana) met to agree that Nicolas
Maduro’s new mandate, which begins on 10 January, is « illegitimate » [8]. This communiqué has not been signed by
Mexico. Apart from this, six of the member-States lodged a complaint with the
International Criminal Tribunal against President Nicolas Maduro for crimes
against humanity.
It is
perfectly clear today that the process towards war is under way. Enormous
forces are in play, and there is little that can be done to stop them now. It
is in this context that Russia is studying the possibility of setting up a
permanent aero-naval base in Venezuela. The island of La Orchila – where
President Hugo Chávez was held prisoner during the coup d’etat of April 2002 –
would enable the storing of strategic bombers. This would constitute a much
greater threat to the United States than the Soviet missiles stationed in Cuba
in 1962.
—
[1] « Plan
to overthrow the Venezuelan Dictatorship – “Masterstroke” »,
Admiral Kurt W. Tidd, Voltaire Network, 23
février 2018. “The United States “Master Stroke” against Venezuela”,
by Stella Calloni; “The United States are preparing a war between
Latin-American states”, by Thierry Meyssan, Translation Pete
Kimberley, Voltaire Network, 17 May and 18
December 2018.
[2] The Pentagon’s New Map,
Thomas P. M. Barnett, Putnam Publishing Group, 2004. “The
US military project for the world”, by Thierry Meyssan, Translation
Pete Kimberley, Voltaire Network, 22 August 2017.
[3] “Declaration
of a National Emergency with Respect to Venezuela”, “Executive
Order – Blocking Property and Suspending Entry of Certain Persons Contributing
to the Situation in Venezuela”, by Barack Obama, Voltaire Network, 9 March 2015.
[4] « Brexit
: Londres assume sa nouvelle politique coloniale », Réseau Voltaire, 3 janvier 2019.
[5] “Assad
and Chávez call for the creation of a Free Allied Movement”, Voltaire Network, 29 June 2010.
[6] “Large-scale
manoeuvres encircling Venezuela”, by Manlio Dinucci, Translation
Anoosha Boralessa, Il Manifesto (Italy)
, Voltaire Network, 23 August 2017.
[7] “We are opening new overseas bases to boost
Britain”, Christopher Hope, Sunday Telegraph,
December 30, 2018.
[8] «Declaración
del Grupo de Lima», Red Voltaire ,
4 de enero de 2019.
French
intellectual, founder and chairman of Voltaire Network and the Axis for Peace
Conference. His columns specializing in international relations feature in
daily newspapers and weekly magazines in Arabic, Spanish and Russian. His last
two books published in English : 9/11 the Big Lie and Pentagate.
The
articles on Voltaire Network may be freely reproduced provided the source is
cited, their integrity is respected and they are not used for commercial
purposes (license CC BY-NC-ND).
