Chris writes: "Fred Fuentes denies that Venezuela is currently subject to a naval blockade. In December and January the US navy seized 9 ships carrying oil being exported from Venezuela, and stole the oil. This sent a very clear message to the Venezuelan government: It said that the US will control Venezuela's oil exports. This control over oil exports, established by the blockade, continues to this day. There is an implied threat: If you disobey our orders we will again seize your oil (and perhaps bomb you and/or kidnap you as well)."
Yes, in December and January there was a blockade - one it should be noted that the Venezuelan government helped enforce. Today there is, as you yourself point out, at most an implied threat. The two are not the same. Again, if there is a blockade in place Chris simply has to provide evidence for this. So far he has not. Chris writes: "Every decision taken by the Delcy Rodriguez government has been made under coercion. Fred says that Venezuela 'relinquished the right to determine where the oil goes'. In fact this right was taken away by military force. " Yes, that is what I said in the very next sentence: "While we can certainly argue this was done under extreme duress..." Choosing to deliberately cut short quotes to pretend someone said something they didn't is not a useful way to advance a discussion. Chris writes: "Fred says that "Venezuela handed over the commercialisation of its oil to the US". This is like saying that somebody threatened by an armed robber "handed over" (or "relinquished") their money to the robber. The US took control of the commercialisation of Venezuelan oil by military force." Again, as I pointed out I never denied this. But it is a fact that this right has now been relinquished indefinitely as a result of the new hydrocarbon law that the government says was drafted well before January 3 and represents their model for the oil industry. Unless they are lying, then this was not done by military force. Chris writes: "But the Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA is not allowed to sell oil to China directly, without going through "US-appointed intermediaries". If PDVSA tried to do this, the ships would be seized by the US navy." The first step for Venezuela to sell oil to China would not be sending ships, but resuming the right to commercialise its own oil. In reality, Venezuela has been relinquishing this right for several years through Production Participation Contracts in which PDVSA’s partners control everything, including commercialisation. This is now legalised in the new hydrocarbon laws. So the first step would be ripping up contracts and the new law. Chris writes: "Venezuelan government officials such as Jorge Rodriguez deny being under US tutelage and speak of a "cooperative relationship". They are very polite, fearing that any criticism of the US will result in further punishment, while hoping that if they appear cooperative the sanctions will be eased." This is pure speculation. Chris also insisted that it was simply untrue that Maduro could have offered up everything to the US to avoid a US invasion when it was reported by the NYT and yet this is exactly what Maduro later publicly said in an interview just days before January 3 and what the government is doing now to avoid another invasion. Chris prefers to impose motivations onto the Venezuelan government to fit his mistaken belief that it continues to represent some kind of revolutionary or leftist alternative. Of course, Chris is welcome to think whatever he want to of the Venezuelan government and claim it is just being polite, etc, but without evidence there is no reason to take his word over those of the protagonists themselves. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#41452): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/41452 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]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
