Atenea Jimenez downplays the significance of US sanctions against Venezuela. She says:
"When you analyse the situation, there was evidently a process of economic decline prior to the sanctions....Only after this did the sanctions impact society". It is true that there was a downturn in the Venezuelan economy in 2013-15, largely due to a fall in oil prices. This highlights the need for Venezuela to diversify its economy. But the sanctions imposed after 2015 led to a much more drastic decline in the economy. This should not be treated as unimportant. The US sanctions ban companies from dealing with Venezuelan government bodies such as the state oil company PDVSA, unless granted an exemption by the US government - and exemptions are only granted under terms that are very unfavourable to Venezuela. The US government tries to impose this ban on companies all around the world, not just US companies. Non-US companies can be targeted with secondary sanctions if they disobey US orders. Thus the sanctions amount to a blockade. The Maduro government justifies its concessions to the capitalist class by arguing that they are necessary to circumvent the blockade. For example, it uses private companies as intermediaries to import and export goods. Of course the private companies expect to make a profit, so this policy enriches a section of the capitalist class. Also, the secrecy involved facilitates the growth of corruption. A left critic of Maduro should say how they think the Venezuelan government should respond to the blockade. But because Jimenez does not think the sanctions are very important, she does not say how they should be combated. The Maduro government can legitimately be criticised for many things. But a critic who fails to take the blockade seriously can not provide a real left-wing alternative. They can not put forward an alternative economic policy if they ignore the economic impact of the blockade. They can not defend Venezuela's sovereignty if they do not recognise the blockade as a violation of sovereignty. They can not consistently defend democracy if they do not recognise the blockade as a form of blackmail that, amongst other things, aims to intimidate the Venezuelan people into not voting for a candidate that the US government disapproves of. Chris Slee ________________________________ From: marxmail@groups.io <marxmail@groups.io> on behalf of Fred Fuentes via groups.io <fred.fuentes=gmail....@groups.io> Sent: Sunday, 23 February 2025 11:06 AM To: marxmail@groups.io <marxmail@groups.io> Subject: [marxmail] ‘Maduro has done tremendous damage to the left’: An interview with Atenea Jiménez (Alliance for Sovereignty and Democracy, Venezuela) Atenea Jiménez is a Venezuelan sociologist and co-founder of the National Network of Communal Activists and the Campesino University of Venezuela Argimiro Gabaldón. Currently living in Spain, Jiménez helped initiate the new Alianza por la Soberanía y la Democracia<https://x.com/ASDVenezuela> (Alliance for Sovereignty and Democracy, ASD), which is bringing together various Venezuelan left movements and activists. In this interview with Federico Fuentes for LINKS International Journal of Socialist Renewal<https://links.org.au/>, Jiménez explains the origins and objectives of the alliance, and its views on the Nicolás Maduro government and traditional right-wing opposition. She also discusses how the new Donald Trump presidency might impact Venezuelan politics, and the need for solidarity with Venezuela’s left. Read the interview here https://links.org.au/maduro-has-done-tremendous-damage-left-interview-atenea-jimenez-alliance-sovereignty-and-democracy -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#35363): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/35363 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/111334332/21656 -=-=- 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: marxmail+ow...@groups.io Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/13617172/21656/1316126222/xyzzy [arch...@mail-archive.com] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
