Simon Rodriguez claims that the US naval blockade of Venezuela no longer exists.
However, I am sure that if the Venezuelan government tried to send cargoes of oil to destinations that the US does not approve of (e.g. Cuba or China) the US navy would once again start boarding the ships and seizing the oil. This means that, in effect, the blockade still exists. The ongoing blockade, combined with the ongoing threat of renewed military attacks on Venezuela, has led the Delcy Rodriguez government to comply with US demands and speak politely to US officials. Whether such subservience will be permanenr, or whether Delcy Rodriguez is waiting for changes in the US (e.g. a further growth of opposition to Trump) to make possible a more independent policy, I don't know. In any case, the task of socialists in the US and its allies such as Australia is to campaign against the blockade, the military threats and the sanctions. I would be interested to hear about the "many alternatives" to capitulation that Simon speals of. Chris Slee ________________________________ From: [email protected] <[email protected]> on behalf of Simón Rodríguez via groups.io <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, 7 April 2026 8:34 AM To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [marxmail] The commune and popular sovereignty in times of imperialist siege (Orinoco Tribune) There was a naval blockade, and while it lasted it was condemned by the Left opposition. The current statu quo now is different from the situation in December 2025: now US and Venezuela have diplomatic relations, high ranking Trumpist officials have visited Caracas and received red carpet treatment, including the CIA director, the US manages the commerce of Venezuelan oil, the law was quickly and without any democratic discussion reformed to better suit US interests. Delcy Rodríguez and other high ranking members of the Venezuelan regime talk about Trump in friendly terms. The Venezuelan government has also condemned the Iranian response to US and Israel's attack. There were of course many alternatives to this outcome, total capitulation was the route adopted by the Venezuelan government. While US crimes should be condemned always, the fact that the Venezuelan government chose this path certainly tells us what kind of government it has been all along. It should not be above any criticism. Those who claimed the Bolibourgeoisie was socialist, revolutionary or anti-imperialist should admit they were wrong all along and think again about what Venezuelan workers and socialists have been criticizing all these years. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#41362): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/41362 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/118607353/21656 -=-=- POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. #4 Do not exceed five posts a day. -=-=- Group Owner: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/13617172/21656/1316126222/xyzzy [[email protected]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
