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A billboard, backdropped by the Catia neighborhood, promotes an image of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores in Caracas, Venezuela
AN IRANIAN oil tanker arrived safely in Venezuela at the weekend, the first of five ships bringing supplies to the blockaded country.
The ship was escorted into port by Venezuelan naval vessels for fear that the United States, which has imposed crippling unilateral sanctions on both countries, might use its huge Caribbean naval presence to obstruct delivery. It has previously blocked Chinese ships carrying medical aid from docking in Cuba.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had warned that the US would face “problems” if it tried to stop the ships, while Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro said he was ready to respond to any aggression. “They want to enslave us,” he said. “If you want peace, you must be prepared to defend it.”
International solidarity can ensure that Trump and his machine cannot prevail without a level of political and economic cost that he will not want to pay, argues CLAUDIA WEBBE
The global left must be unwavering in it is support for Venezuela as Washington increases its aggression, and clear-eyed about the West’s cynical motives for targeting it, says CLAUDIA WEBBE
HANK KENNEDY contends that US military attacks in the Caribbean amount to modern piracy driven by Venezuela’s oil wealth