By: Kayhan Int’l Staff Writer
 
The United States, which has tens of thousands of nuclear weapons, has launched wars in over 150 countries, and is the greatest threat to world peace, has once again made the absurd claim that the peaceful nation of Venezuela is a threat to its national security!
It’s no wonder the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) has been quick to slam Washington for its dubious claims and illegal sanctions, calling on Washington to revoke the measure.
Foreign ministers from the 12-nation UNASUR have issued a joint statement that reads: "We call upon the United States to evaluate and implement dialogue as an alternative. The signing of an executive order by President Barack Obama on March 9 labeling Caracas as an extraordinary threat to national security was actually a threat to Venezuela’s sovereignty.”
Under international law, the hostile actions by the U.S. amount to an interventionist threat to the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other nations. These actions are only designed for one purpose: to topple the non-aligned government in Caracas.
Lest we forget the U.S. has been inflating its claims about "unusual and extraordinary threats” to its security for decades. The two countries have been at odds since late Hugo Chavez became Venezuela’s president in 1999. And Washington has admitted to endorsing a coup that briefly removed Chavez from power in 2002.
So if Washington is really concerned about security, how come it never imposes sanctions on the Zionist regime of Israel which undermines the sovereignty of Lebanon; Saudi Arabia which threatens the sovereignty of Yemen and cracks down on pro-democracy protesters in Bahrain; regime changers which undermine NATO security and democratic processes in Ukraine; and persons who contribute to the conflicts in the Central African Republic and the world over? These entities and terrorist enablers have all been deemed extraordinary threats to U.S. national security for years; yet Washington has never done anything to stop them.
The problem, perhaps, is that these entities are U.S. allies and Venezuela is not - especially given America’s obvious interest to end President Nicolas Maduro’s rule. If this is indeed about human rights, Washington should be sanctioning its own allies first before sanctioning Venezuela.
As is, America’s dominant position in the world’s financial system is being contested as never before. The absurd decision to label Venezuela as a threat will only intensify its own isolation AND Latin American opposition to its intrusions.
At the same time, it will ignite Russian and Chinese efforts to establish alternatives to U.S. default financial tools. They have already started doing just that: trading in their own national currencies and encouraging others to join the club, including Iran.
For years, the U.S. has used its dominant position in the global financial system to use sanctions to contain nations it doesn’t like. The Venezuela sanctions regime reflects a new degree of pettiness, though.
Without question, just like those against Iran, these illegal sanctions will backfire. They will never be able to undermine Maduro’s rule, and they will never be able to preserve America’s status quo in Latin America.