Venezuela: Beyond the Corporate Thing.

[Joanne98]

http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=45&ItemID=14418

Over the last week or so Western Bloc corporate media wrapped their clammy, information-choking tendrils mostly around the latest fake Middle East peace talks, continuing grief for the corporate financial sector and assorted disorders for Nicolas Sarkozy in France and Gordon Brown over there at No. 10 Gin Lane. Next week, one of the big corporate news efforts will be to suffocate the electoral victory supporters of President Chavez are likely to win on December 2nd for the Venezuelan government's proposed constitutional reforms. To realise what is at stake one needs to check out a few headlines the Western Bloc corporate Thing will never release from its media maw.

The following have appeared in Latin American and other news sites over the last several weeks. They give a very different perspective on the Venezuelan government from the one generally marketed in the hopelessly biased mainstream corporate media.

"Mission Miracle cares for more than 1000 from Peru" (Prensa MinCI, Aporrea.org, 25/11/07 )
"The solidarity programme the Bolvarian Republic of Venezuela is carrying out in different parts of the Americas, known as Mission Miracle has also been happening in Peru where more than 1000 people have benefited since assistance to the Peruvian people began in 2006."

"Venezuelan shipment of 16,000 barrels of gas/diesel averts Guyana fuel crisis", (Stabroek News of Guyana, VHeadline.com, 21/11/2007) The Venezuelan embassy in Guyana noted, "With this delivery of fuel, Venezuela ratifies its politics of cooperation and solidarity to guarantee direct benefits for the people of Guyana and the other Caribbean countries. Likewise, it shows its disposition to work for the economic and social integration of the people of Latin America and the Caribbean."

"Honduras will import Venezuelan fuel on preferential terms", (Prensa Latina, Rebelion.org, 26-11-2007 )
"Honduras will import Venezuelan fuels on preferential terms allowing a better use of financial resources for social policies, Presidency Minister Yani Rosenthal reported today. She announced that the authorities of the PETROCARIBE company will be contacted tomorrow to speed up talks. The purchase of these fuels, she said, will be for two years in the amount of US$750 million with half of that amount paid via a credit line extended by the government of Hugo Chavez. Rosenthal stressed the benefits of PETROCARIBE as a development initiative aimed at helping countries like Honduras in a vulnerable financial situation get access to fuels on preferential terms. The official emphasised this will contribute to a more efficient use of cash resources for mainly socially-oriented activities and will help relieve the impact of the high price of crude oil in the world market."

"Venezuela donates US$16 million for massive purchase of rice and beans", (La Gente, RadioPrimerisima.com, 23/11/2007)
"Venezuela donated the funds to alleviate the effects of Hurricane Felix and heavy rains lasting two weeks which affected farming. Roger Romero, Director of the National Food Supply company told AFP, "Part of these funds are being used to cope with the rising price spiral in basic foods.....We are working on a campaign to supply direct to the population via the creation of solidarity-based fair trade networks that will work temporarily until the market stabilizes" Romero added."

In his "Brief comments on Venezuela's 2007 Q3 macro-economic results" (Rebelion.org, 24/11/2007) economics professor Alexis Mujica Martínez reviews Venezuela's economic performance. The facts he cites are notably absent from almost all mainstream corporate reporting on Venezuela outside the specialist press - for good reason. Mujica Martinez points out that Venezuela has had unprecedented growth averaging over 12% for 16 consecutive quarters, among the highest in the world.

Mujica Martinez reckons some current shortages can be explained by the 3% gap between aggregate demand (growing over 18% so far in 2007) and aggregate supply (growing at 15%). Corporate media reports stress shortages in supermarkets without noting deliberate attempts by opposition business federation FEDECAMERAS members to deliberately cause those shortages, just as price-gouging anti-government business people have done in Nicaragua (hence the need for Venezuelan support). Nor do critics note the incovenient fact that some shortages seem to be caused by rising living standards with greater numbers of Venezuelans consuming more.

Mujica Martinez points out how anti-government commentators fail to report that capital investment in Venezuela has increased over 17% this year. Private sector industrial manufactuing increased 8% with the private sector in general contributing over 60% of gross domestic product. As Mujica Martinez notes, this is the country anti-Chavez media around the world accuse of strangling private enterprise.

"Venezuela will provide a third of the oil Portugal needs" (TeleSUR, Aporrea.org 20/11/07 )
""Venezuela and Portugal will become strategic partners with the signing of an energy policy agreement which will allow the South American country to supply a third of the Portugal's oil needs, during a visit this Tuesday by the Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez."" Venezuela's ambassador in Lisbon made the announcement concerning the upcoming signing of the agreement in question and also indicated that a Memorandum of Understanding exists between Portugal's GALP oil company and Venezuela's PdVSA oil company. The agreement will make possible "the supply of a third of Portugal's oil needs while Galp will carry out exploration and subsequent exploitation in the Orinoco Oil Belt."

With oil prices now almost touching US$100 the barrel, commentator Hedelberto López Blanch notes in "The Caribbean and the ALBA lifeline" (Rebelion.org, 20-11-2007) , " On April 29th in 2007 the 5th ALBA Summit took place in Barquisimeto on the first anniversary of the Peoples' Trade Treaty. Member countries Venezuela, Bolivia, Cuba and Nicaragua participated along with invited observers like Haiti, Ecuador, Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Uruguay to assess ALBA's first strategic plan and work on cooperation and integration evolved during 2006.

The meeting also agreed to reinforce the creation of businesses, strategies and Supra-National programmes with all countries in education, healthcare, energy, communications, transport, housing, highways, food supply, mining and others to help diminish aggressive action by multinational companies and international financial organizations to the detriment of the majority of the population.

Thus, 18 programmes are in progress covering food supply, medicine production, metal-mechanical production, telecommunications, tourism, various manufactures and iron mining in Bolivia, as well as setting up gasification plants in Bolivia and Cuba. For its part PETROCARIBE, set up in 2005, permits the supply of crude oil and its derivatives from Venezuela to Caribbean countries via mixed (State-private) distribution companies."

"ECLAC report states poverty in Venezuela fell to 18.4%" (Vive TV, Aporrea.org, 19/11/07)
"The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean released in Santiago, Chile the report "Latin America Social Panorama 2007" in which it confirms the progress of social and economic policies of the Bolivarian government of President Hugo Chavez Frias. According to the report levels of poverty in Venezuela fell to 18.4% while the number of people living in extreme poverty fell 12.3%."

In "The Chavez Bank" (Sin permiso, Rebelion.org, 16-11-2007) Javier Diez Canseco notes, "That's the name the US government and press and various Peruvian communications media defending neoliberal policies have given the Bank of the South which should formally be set up on December 5th.....The Bank of the South is a Development Bank, giving credit for regional development and integration projects for countries in South America. It is an initiative proposed by Hugo Chavez almost a year ago which has become a reality with the participation of Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela ....even the Colombian government of the same Uribe who is a trusted partner of the US made known its interest a couple of weeks ago."

"Guatemalan President elect will visit Venezuela to sign oil agreements" (Agencia Bolivariana de Noticias, Aporrea.org, 11/11/07) "Recently elected President of Guatemala, Alvaro Colom, will visit Caracas on December 11th and 12th to sign a series of agreements between that country and Venezuela, reported President Hugo Chavez Frias. The Venezuelan President added that Guatemala's possible incorporation into the PETROCARIBE oil cooperation initiative may also be expected."

"Venezuela, Syria and Iran to sign agreement to construct 140,000 bpd refinery" (Xinhuanet, VHeadline.com, 29/10/ 2007)
"China's Xinhua: Syria, Iran and Venezuela are to sign a partnership agreement tomorrow, Tuesday, to construct a crude oil refinery near the midland city of Homs, with a capacity of 140,000 barrels per day the official SANA news agency reported.
The signing of the agreement would be followed by establishing a joint company for carrying out studies and implementing the project, said the report. In addition to the three countries, the Malaysian al-Bukhari Group will participate in the construction of the refinery, it added."

As Alberto Cruz has reported in "Venezuela's bad example" (Ceprid, ZNet, 27/11/2007) "Venezuela launched an internal campaign within OPEC to democratize the Development and Cooperation Fund (worth US$40bn) and to see that the fund did not depend exclusively on Saudi Arabia, which consistently put the management of that fund in the hands of US and European businesses. Venezuela won that battle, so now not only US and European firms manage the fund, but the OPEC countries themselves and other non-Western bloc companies from outside the oil cartel."

And "....without Petrocaribe, the 16 member countries - impoverished, lacking infrastructure and dependent on international aid - would today, with the exception of Cuba and Venezuela, face a tragic, dead-end outlook with astronomical prices for oil and its derivatives, along with increased world food prices as a result of production geared to bio-fuels. The extent of the savings on these countries' oil bills is already around US$450 million since they freed themselves from oil market intermediaries and speculators."

And "With barter (oil for Cuban doctors, for Argentine meat and ships, for Uruguayan milk and cheese etc.), Venezuela has started a direct exchange of goods that breaks World Trade Organization norms and hands weaker countries a bigger role when it comes to selling their produce and raw materials."

In his article "The murder of a Chavez supporter in Venezuela : what happened and what El Mundo reported" (Rebelion.org, 28-11-2007) Pascual Serrano nailed the corporate zombie-media modus operandi in his analysis of reporting on recent violent opposition demonstrations in Caracas. While his detailed breakdown of the incident in which anti-Chavez rioters murdered Jose Oliveros Yepez catches out El Mundo's editors specifically, the same unethical behaviour can be found consistently in Western corporate media reporting of events in Venezuela. The opposition are constantly given the benefit of the doubt. The Chavez government and their supporters are consistently vilified.

"In 31 countries: Cuba reaches the million mark of impoverished people given free eye operations" (AP, Rebelion.org, 29-11-2007) Almost a million people from 31 impoverished countries recovered their sight after being surgically operatted on by Cuban doctors under the auspices of Operation Miracle, a cooperation programme led by Cuba and Venezuela." (Worth noting the absence of this clear and factual AP wire service report from output of the major corporate news outlets.)

Conclusion
The reason people in Western Bloc countries are seldom if ever able to read this kind of information in their corporate mainstream media is because those media clearly and deliberately serve the interests of corporate capitalism and support the here-today-gone-tomorrow political factotums in the promotion and defence of that destructive, unsustainable anti-humanitarian system against those who resist it. The continuing corporate media onslaught on the government of President Chavez will most likely intensify over the weekend and for most of next week.

They will do their usual thing-from-the-crypt-as-reporter, shlock-horror charade. That Venezuela is in economic crisis when its economy is in better shape than almost any of its South American neighbours. That Venezuela threatens regional stability when Venezuela's foreign policy ensures weaker more vulnerable economies are better able than ever to resist the chaos resulting from insatiably greedy "free market" corporate monopoly capitalism. That Chavez is aiming for dictatorship in proposing indefinite re-election as enjoyed by Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair, John Howard, and other neoliberal mascots of the global corporate Thing. It slithers unendingly down and around the world's phone and dinner networks via company boardrooms, government offices and editorial conference tables.

The reporting it regurgitates is an integral part of the relentless campaign of intervention throughout Latin America by Western Bloc powers desperate to maintain their centuries-old stranglehold on the continent's natural resources. Around the world, peoples suffering under corporate capitalism's inhumanity hope the Chavez government will win the December 2nd vote. In the aftermath, the Venezuelan authorities will need to be more alert than ever to defeat aggressive efforts by Western Bloc governments to deny the Venezuelan people their fundamental right to self-determination.
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=45&ItemID=14418


toni solo is based in Central America - articles are archived at toni.tortillaconsal.com

[Sarah Ibarruri]

1. Any time CEOs and stockholders see their mass profits compromised in any way.....

... they'll lie and then they'll start hiring murderers.... Our media is complicit in all this, too. They know better.

[Joanne98]

2. I'm reading The Shock Doctrine! They've been doing this for 35 years!

[Sarah Ibarruri]

3. Yes they have, and they continue.

Corporations and the mega-rich work as a cancer against all countries and their people.

[mike098762001]

4. Is “Operacion Tenazas” disinformation from the Venezuelan government? « Mercury Rising

Posted by Charles on November 30, 2007

DemocracyNow! carried a segment with James Petras on the Operacion Tenazas story described below. Petras has not supplied any additional substantiation for the memo at the heart of this either on DemocracyNow! or in his Counterpunch article.

Charley points us toward a post by Larry Johnson discounting the report. Larry says:

State Department officers do not write memos to Hayden. Particularly mid-level Foreign Service Officers. A CIA officer under diplomatic cover sends his communications to headquarters via an encoded message. We call these messages cables, harkening back to the days of telegraphs and telegrams.

This, in my judgment, is the work–very clumsy work at that–of the Venezuelan intelligence service eager to build on the truth that the United States has sought to oust Chavez.

This is probably correct. There are a number of things about the memo that raise questions, such as:

1. How would it have been intercepted?
2. Why would it have been routed from a field officer directly to the head of the CIA?
3. Why is there only one name on the distribution list?
4. Why did the Venezuelan government not supply a photocopy of the original in English?
5. There’s phrasing that seems odd, such as “a group called Red Flag, long a sworn enemy of our interests in the country.” or “We have reaped the greatest successes in the spheres of propaganda and psychological operations, to the point that in the last weeks, we have imposed our agenda and dominated the publicity scene.” Cables tend to be dry and operationally oriented (See, for example this from Operation Condor).
6. There is extraordinary discussion of individual personalities and a numbered bank account, details that would be unusual for communication to one of the top figures in government.

So, there’s plenty of reason to be skeptical about it. Unlike Larry Johnson, however, I don’t see any objections that are dispositive. It’s not unknown for very senior USG officials to be the point man on coups. Henry Kissinger on Operation Condor comes to mind. Nor is it impossible for that function to be outside of the Department of State. Rice is no Kissinger. My guess is that this has a 20% chance of being for real, and an 80% chance of being a fake… though perhaps one generated by the USG itself. The one thing that’s not at issue is that the tactics ascribed by the intercept to the USG have been used for real in the past.

Lee Sustar, a left voice, makes it clear that there is by no means unanimity within Chavez’s party on the reforms (see here). That’s important to understanding this. Venezuela is really divided into five camps: people who want socialism, people who would have a violent coup than permit socialism, people who realize that there has to be some way to stop the opposition from getting its way through violence and sabotage but are skeptical about the proposed reforms, people who are alarmed by the proposed reforms even though they acknowledge that Venezuela has race and class problems, and people who are totally confused by it all.

Choices! Choices! I guess things really are easier as long as Bush is the dictator.

[mike098762001]

5. Marc Cooper (Allende's translator) on Hugo

http://marccooper.com/arendt-v-chavez/
Arendt V. Chavez

As a two-story high inflatable statue of himself was rolled out for the occasion, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez unveiled plans that would allow his perpetual re-election. This seems to be the one glaring flaw in the Castro-Chavez model: you build a society full of the New Socialist Man but then you find among the millions of new revolutionaries only one of them is deemed fit to govern in perpetuity. Back to the drawing board, comrade.

You'd think that with the abject failure of the Cuban model to build anything resembling democracy, sincere leftists would be smart enough to not go down the same road in boosting Chavez. But then again, you'd think after a simple viewing of Lawrence of Arabia, the Neocons would have abandoned any notion of nation-building in Iraq. Oh well, ideology is a powerful intoxicant no matter the brand.

Meanwhile, I came across one of the most thoughtful pieces to date on Chavez. Especially in relation to that species of thinking university students who the President-Forever simply brands as imperialist tools. The piece is penned by Hannah Arendt's biographer who just returned from Caracas. Let the ad hominem commence!

Update: I love this posting on Chavez. (Hat tip to Michael Pugliese). Wonderful!

[Joanne98]

9. Washington hasn't denied it.

[mike098762001]

6. Notes on XXIst Century Socialism

http://threewayfight.blogspot.com/2007/08/notes-on-xxist-century-socialism.html
July 2007

Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela, recently announced the arrival of XXIst Century Socialism. This declaration, although greeted with great enthusiasm, left a residue of confusion. Since Chavez didn't discuss XXIst Century Socialism during his recent Presidential campaign, and since there are virtually no public theoretical documents defining this new Socialist era, its precise features are not always clear.

Fortunately, Chavez has appointed a committee, well stocked with international supporters, to come up with appropriate explanatory documents. In the meantime, we can best understand the contours of XXIst Century Socialism by examining it as it actually functions in the real world. Practice is the true test of theory; after several years of Chavez's leadership, we can readily detect the broad outlines of this innovative Socialism.

There appear to be several critical new features of the new XXIst Century Socialist breakthrough. We will review some of the most important:

First of all, XXIst Century Socialism does not require a revolution. This comes as a great relief to Socialists around the world, and will surely encourage many new Socialists to step forward.

Socialism now has a better strategy for establishing its hegemony. This strategy calls for XXIst Century Socialists to promote a powerful populist figure, preferably one who (as in Chavez's case) specifically denies being a leftist. After helping this man to power, the Socialists encourage him to take over as many state and economic institutions as possible, removing bourgeois obstacles that would have taken mass organizations many years to overthrow. In time, the Socialists convince the Leader to declare himself a Socialist.

Not only does this strategic solution avoid much sterile left-wing ideological debate, it also makes worker insurgency, clandestine revolutionary organization, guerrilla warfare, a militant women's movement and many other holdovers from the Old Socialism obsolete.

Second of all, XXIst Century Socialism is initiated and directed from above. The Socialist Leader makes all decisions about the direction of society, an arrangement that provides maximum flexibility and singleness of purpose.

The Socialist Leader is responsible for deciding the details as well as the overall direction of domestic and foreign policy. These decisions are announced to the people when the time is right. The Leader is also positioned to reverse Socialism's course quickly if conditions change.

To implement this advanced policy, the Socialist Leader has personal control of the finances, media, justice system and armed forces of the state, with no sabotaging oversight from bureaucrats, functionaries or potential backsliders.

Similarly, to avoid the carping and splitting that are so common among old-style party-builders, the Leader himself declares and forms the XXIst Century Socialist Party. As a side benefit, anyone who does not join the true Party is starkly exposed as a likely enemy of Socialism.

To prevent this Socialism from above from becoming undemocratic, Socialist society is mobilized to support it in the ideological realm and in the streets. Large posters of the Leader are prominently displayed on public surfaces; busloads of supporters are organized for all his speaking engagements. Roving bands of Socialists maintain discipline and quickly implement the Leader's instructions.

Since a Leader must be able to communicate directly to the masses, XXIst Century Socialism provides for him to take over all broadcast media for unlimited periods so that the people can see and hear the Leader's speeches or informal comments. Opposing media are permitted to operate during other time periods, unless the Leader determines that they are undermining Socialism. Reactionary misuse of the media will be prevented by any means necessary.

Third of all, XXIst Century Socialism is socially conservative. This is one of the most innovative features of the new Socialism--one that is sure to rattle the bourgeoisie. The ruling classes expect Socialists to take knee-jerk positions on women's rights, religion and other social issues.

But Chavez confounds ruling class strategists by opposing abortion (which he "abhors"�), by appealing to messianic religious fervor (he calls Jesus his "savior"� and "Commander-in-Chief"�), and by embracing anti-imperialist partners of the hard Right such as Iran's fundamentalist leader, Amadinejad (whom he considers his "ideological brother"). Chavez and his Bolivarian comrades lead the way with an unapologetically virile style of leadership. They transcend the "political correctness" and petty concerns of bourgeois feminism that have enervated Socialism for decades.

Fourth of all, XXIst Century Socialism defeats capitalism using the weapon of natural resources. Trying to create a sustainable, broad-based economy in an under-developed country is an exercise in frustration. The new Socialist model, by contrast, is fueled by massive sales of oil and other super-valuable commodities. The bourgeoisie is infuriated by having to finance Socialism every time they purchase a barrel of crude on the world market. The Leader generously shares tens of billions of dollars of windfall profits from natural resources with allies and friends of Socialism worldwide.

Fifth of all, XXIst Century Socialism builds a rich web of rewards and financial networks. The Old Socialist bromide called for giving "To each, according to their labor."� This is now replaced with, "To each, according to their XXIst Century Socialism."

Socialists are compensated in myriad ways, as in Venezuela. Those who prove their loyalty enjoy automatic preference on the job and in every other aspect of social life. Pro-Socialist businesses also are richly rewarded. At the same time, careful monitoring, including computerized recording of citizen voting choices, allows XXIst Century Socialists to detect disloyal individuals and counteract their treachery through a wide array of proactive measures.

Under the new Socialism, reactionary corruption inherited from the bourgeoisie is dialectically transformed into a progressive system of Socialist Rewards. Superficial observers are confused that in Venezuela, judges and law enforcement officials from the old regime are allowed to continue their previous practices with impunity, and that no-bid contracts, private jets, Hummers, and other luxuries proliferate among Socialists. It is plain to see, however, that today such benefits are only permitted to those who are loyal to XXIst Century Socialism. Any official who strays off the path of Socialism can be quickly arrested for Bourgeois Corruption, which gives critical leverage to the Socialist leadership.

Overall, XXIst Century Socialism dramatically streamlines the political process. Divisive special interest groups such as independent unions, women's organizations and opposition parties are no longer necessary, since Socialism itself looks after all the Socialist people. The bond between the Socialist Leader and the masses is direct and visceral, unmediated by bureaucratic, legislative, political or judicial institutions. For instance, armed Socialist militias swear loyalty not to a paper constitution, but personally, to the Leader himself. The same efficient dynamic applies in practice to judges, Socialist legislators and politicians, the military, and those who direct Socialist industries.

Surely many more features of XXIst Century Socialism will emerge as time goes on. One thing is certain, though: if current trends continue to advance, Socialism will never be the same.

# posted by Matthew @ 10:00 PM
Comments:
I reposted this for comment on the redFlags site. Hope that's not a problem...
# posted by the burningman : August 17, 2007 10:37 AM

So, what are you saying? Chavez should break Starbucks windows and play hacky sack? Is that it?
# posted by Louis Proyect : August 20, 2007 8:32 PM

No. He should sit at the feet of the great Louis Proyect, learning the dialectics of Marxism-Leninism-Trotskyism-Proyect thought.
# posted by Anonymous : August 24, 2007 11:20 AM

Venezuela's socialism is a serious business. Chavez has enemies in the rightist opposition, as well as fake supporters in his own government. To bring socialism, it will be by more than decree.
# posted by Renegade Eye : August 30, 2007 11:29 PM

i just want to see the existing comments on this.

in general i disagree with this analysis, it strikes me as a bit simplistic.

an interesting counter argument is located here:

http://www.politicsforum.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1334972&sid=49832702f93f46a27683234efec57922

[mike098762001]

7. "If God gives me life and help," Chavez said, "I will be at the head of the government until 2050!"

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hAyrGfE-ZWy2y7T2UdYkNsnzF65gD8T8EKOG1

[Joanne98]

8. That would make him 103! It's a joke!

[mike098762001]

10. [Marxism] The Battle for the United Socialist Party of Venezuela

http://www.marxmail.org/msg34181.html