Cuba Gives its 'Unconditional Support' to Venezuela against U.S.

[Bosonic]

Source: AFP

Cuba said it's giving "unconditional support" to Venezuela after an executive order by President Barack Obama authorized new sanctions against senior officials of the country.

"Cuba again reiterates its unconditional support and that of our people to the Bolivarian Revolution, the legitimate government of President Nicolas Maduro, and the heroic brotherly people of Venezuela," said a text signed by the government of Cuba.

Read more: http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/170842-cuba-gives-its-unconditional-support-to-venezuela-against-u-s

[heaven05]

1. good going

Cuba....

[Dont call me Shirley]

2. The oil mongers are gonna steal "their" oil however they can, coup d'états, wars, slick deals.

And the bushes are gonna get their revenge for Chavez' devil comment.

[newfie11]

3. Way to go Cuba

[hack89]

4. Cuba's economy is absolutely dependent on that $6 billion annual subsidy from Venezuela

until they can reorient their economy towards the US, they will play nice with Venezuela.

[Judi Lynn]

5. Cuba was far more dependent upon its ally Russia when Reagan forced Russia to break ties with Cuba

in order to find peace with the U.S.

Cuba went through a torturous time making the adjustment, called "The Special Period." They had to rethink and redo deep changes in agriculture, in creating new methods of transportation, etc.

They came through it. They've been through the worst Washington can throw at them.

They made this stand because of their ethical position, their awareness of US history in the Western Hemisphere. Period. There's no mystery whatsoever about it.

Progressive Venezuelan leaders would NEVER turn against Cuba. That has been the plan announced during Hugo Chavez by the filthy right-wing oligarchy for their plans when they take over.

The RIGHT-WING is the greedy, vicious elite sector of Venezuelans planning to dump Cuba, N0T the left. Everyone knows that, even short-attention span rightists.

[hack89]

6. Cuba depends on cheap Venezuelan oil and gas

just like it depended on cheap Soviet oil and gas. Cuba didn't fix their problem - they just found another sugar daddy. When VZ goes down the tubes and the cheap oil goes away, there won't be anyone to plug that massive hole in the Cuban economy.

The progressive Venezuelan leaders won't have any say about it. Sooner or later the Venezuelan people will ask why their leaders are giving away their oil and oil revenues to other countries while they slide into third world status. Either the leaders will see the error of their ways and keep that money and oil in VZ or they will be swinging from the lampposts.

[Judi Lynn]

7. "Cuba depends on cheap Venezuelan oil and gas." So does much of the Caribbean and Central America.

Venezuela's assistance in providing oil to small, poor countries goes back all the way to the 1970's, and the San Jose Accord.

Cuba limped along with no "cheap oil" through the "special period," and survived. They were certainly not getting discounted oil then.

"Another sugar daddy." Trying to make it sleazy doesn't advance your cause.

If any Venezuelan officials swing from lampposts, as leftist people did in Cuba under US-supported Fulgencio Batista, it will be because the right-wing oligarchs did it, just as they blockaded the Cuban embassy during their coup in 2002, cut the water, electricity, wouldn't let anyone in or out, or allow food in to feed the workers there for a couple of days until the people of Venezuela overthrew their coup on Hugo Chavez's administration, and had Hugo Chavez returned from his forced kidnapping.

[hack89]

8. Yes - and they will all suffer too as those subsidies go away

the criminal mismanagement of the Venezuelan economy will hurt a lot more than just the people of Venezuela.

Cuba needs one thing to modernize their economy and that is capital. They have never been self sufficient (they import 80% of their food) and they are being left behind economically. Their infrastructure is old and crumbling while their economy produces nothing of value. Tourism is the one thing they have going for them - but that will not amount to much until they can tap the US market. Which is where they are heading - closer economic ties to America. And American investment in Cuba.

At some point the people of Venezuela will say enough. It could be the oligarchs that take advantage of the situation. But then it could be the army stepping in to "stabilize" the country - it wouldn't be the first time. Or there could be a coup from the left as hardcore Chavezistas wrestle the Bolivarian Revolution from Maduro before he ruins everything that Chavez accomplished. Time will tell.

[JonLP24]

10. Different countries have different economies

Like any oil dependent nation they are suffering due to low oil prices. Nationalize is a good strategy to have better control it of it and then when the price goes back their economy will flourish again. Wyoming & North Dakota economies are hurting right now but the US doesn't live or die on oil production, as the #1 importer their overall economy was more harmed when the price went up. Diversify is easier said than done, especially when a country like Venezuelan is constantly pulled in the direction or people want to constantly privatize Venezuela. However, they do have a somewhat thriving manufacturing industry --- the privatize Venezuela people probably want to offshore of that so things like that make it more difficult to diversify.

They do have elections whether they are fair or not, I have no idea but I can imagine how anti-American rhetoric can get you elected since and I'd have to go back and look for it but I believe Venezuela is one of the lowest score American perception polls (no poll done in Russia or a lot of the countries I was really interested in) outside of Southwest Asia if not the lowest.

I don't deny Venezuela isn't without its problems but it isn't helpful when they have constant foreign interference and sanctions isn't going to help their economy either, US trying to "save" Venezuela isn't going to help them. If the people of Venezuela decide to do whatever that is fine by me, people of Venezuela need control of Venezuela to help Venezuela.

[hack89]

11. They were a mess before the drop in oil prices

there are several factors in play. The first is their moronic currency laws that have have made dollars scarce and prevent Venezuelan companies from buying goods and materials they need. Toyota of Venezuela, for example, has stopped producing cars because they cannot get dollars to buy car parts. So no - they do not have a thriving manufacturing sector. It is in fact dying away.

Secondly is steadily declining oil production as their oil infrastructure decays. Chavez turned the oil industry into a piggy bank to fund social programs instead of reinvesting money to maintain and improve their oil production capabilities. Couple that with an exodus of skilled oil field workers out of the country in search of better jobs and wages and the result is a decade of declining oil production. Now impose a drop in the price of oil on top of that and you have a huge mess.

And finally you have the huge deficits they have been running and the massive loans they have taken (especially from China). There are serious doubts that they can continue to pay off those debts which is why their bonds have been downgraded to junk bond status.

America is not interfering - we are in fact their largest trading partner. We buy a lot of their oil.

There are no sanctions on their economy. There are sanctions on seven individuals.

[JonLP24]

13. Currency laws & how it affects currency I little to no knowledge of

Except Kuwaiti Dinar is or was the most valuable at one time. Their economy is usually in top shape but they have a lot of poverty especially because the labor is mostly imported. Irrelevant to what you're saying but I'll concede that point as something I'm not familiar with

The second paragraph is basically argues the other way was better but the other way created all that poverty which the oil profits or "piggy banK" were used to address it.

I know who their top importer is, but I mean their overall history. They have several coups & coup attempts in the 90's & 2000's, that kind of thing tends to hold a country back.

You got me on the sanctions but this is very political & interfering, they are doing this for a reason. "Free speech"? "Human rights violations"? I'm awaiting sanctions on the 'House of Saud'. I'll check Google news because they should be coming any minute right?

[Marksman_91]

12. The sanctions don't affect their economy whatsoever

That's just what Chavistas are trying to spin this into. The sanctions consist of seizing assets owned by specific government officials in the US. There's nothing whatsoever that says the sanctions are geared towards making the economy weak. Hell, ironically, the US is the one country that has helped maintain their economy the most, being their #1 oil client, and is perhaps the only one in the entire Western hemisphere that pays for their oil in actual dollars instead of by trading certain goods and services. First lesson when you have oil, NEVER sell it for anything else other than hard currency.

[JonLP24]

14. I assumed they were oil sanctions because they sit on a oil & not as willing to play ball or open

up to multinationals.

If that is the first rule why has the US been trading weapons & equipment to Saudi Arabia for oil for years? Either way, low prices hurt oil dependent nations & oil dependent US states dependent on oil & gas.

First lesson should probably be ethics because there is a lot of that missing when it comes to oil

[JonLP24]

9. What is wrong with that?

Out of all the countries out there we are picking on Venezuela.