Venezuela is a hotbed, rife with political accusations, alliances, and – oil. Recognized as having the world’s largest proven reserves of oil, Venezuela’s crisis serves to make it a viable target for the three global powers; US, Russia and China. While oil used to be the new ‘black gold’, as individual countries expanded their resource production, black gold became more akin to black silver. So what’s all the hubbub to control Venezuela really about?
In 1950, Venezuela was the world’s 4th wealthiest country per capita! Despite numerous natural resources at their disposal, the economy of Venezuela concentrated heavily on oil production. When the shortages in the late 1970’s parlayed to a glut in the 1980’s, Venezuela’s government failed to diversify the economy to balance this shift. Exports accounted for nearly 17% of the GDP and oil represented 95% of the exports. When the price of crude tanked, Venezuela was left holding an empty nozzle.
Inflation took off, poverty increased, shortages of basic products became rampant, and Hugo Chavez’ solution was to institute welfare reforms and subsidies. Instead of diversifying the economy, Chavez further spiraled any chance for a recovery by instituting Socialist ideologies. Fast forward and the Maduro Socialist regime is now facing a collapsed society with inflation rates at 2.3 million%. Population below poverty rate was 20% in 2015 and is estimated to be 87%-90% today.
Yes! Venezuela is in Crisis – and it was NOT manufactured by the US. It has been in a downward spiral for nearly 40 years.
Despite rich land, Venezuela’s agriculture production is abysmal. Foreign companies have fled, and despite rich resources of iron, ore, gold, diamonds, coal, nickel and bauxite, production has fallen to a drizzle. In 2014, General Motors moved out due to a lack of equipment and supplies.
With the US being Venezuela’s biggest trade partner, China slowly gained traction under the Maduro regime plowing billions into the destitute economy and climbing to second place. Russia doesn’t even make the top ten tier in either imports or exports. But Russia has taken a significant look at what the collapse does provide – an opportunity.
While Maduro was not ‘aligned’ with the US given his dictatorship moral, Venezuela did represent a significant trade partner with $3.45 billion in US imports (38% of Venezuela’s total) and $11.6billion in US exports (42% of Venezuela’s total).
So the US has an obvious economic agenda and a prosperous Venezuela is good juju for the US. Hence the country and its assets are prime target practice for whoever lands their flag. The US telling Russia to get out is like telling the Federal Reserve to dismantle… ain’t goin’ to happen.
Maduro leveled his country without any ‘assistance’ from anyone, except maybe Chavez who is dead.
Russia’s interest, China’s interest, are simply analogous to vulture business deals; an opportunity presents itself, advantage is established. From a business standpoint it is similar to mergers and acquisitions. But the US had ‘first’ interest given our trade partnership, and maintaining that level requires either helping Maduro move from a Socialist regime to a capitalist one, or finding someone who will without being assassinated in the process.
Venezuela is one of only four countries that utilizes electronic voting machines for its entire electorate. Manufactured by SmartMatic, the machines have come under scrutiny for being easily hacked so as to manipulate an election. The current Chairman of SmartMatic is Lord Mark Malloch-Brown of the UK. Malloch-Brown is a former UK government minister, UN Deputy Secretary General with specialties in the World Bank, and former journalist for our very own Rothschild syndicate, The Economist. He has spent most of his career ‘advising’ politicians in their presidential campaigns including; Bolivia, Peru, Chile, Columbia, Philippines and Venezuela.
Malloch-Brown has been a vocal critic of Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, and the US at large, while being praised by the likes of John Podesta… Malloch was the Vice Chair for Soros Fund Management and the Open Society Institute.
Today, Malloch is co-chair of the Board of Trustees for the International Crisis Group. The current President of the International Crisis Group is Robert Malley who was an advisor and special assistant to President Bill Clinton, and special ISIS adviser to Obama.
It was SmartMatic machines that were used in Obama’s 2012 re-election. And in 2015, Malloch-Brown made a presentation before the Atlantic Council to support modernized voting technology—namely touchscreen machines and optical scanners—which are already in use in 307 counties and 16 states in the U.S. Elections are rigged. Attempting to defer the risk to a programmable hacked machine is a sales tactic. We now know that 307 counties and 16 states – are rigged. We also know that SmartMatic machines are used in the UK. Smartmatic now operates under the holding company, SGO Corporation Limited.
The Board of Directors of SGO includes David Giampaolo. He is also a member of the Global Partners Council at the Institute of New Economic Thinking (INET). Founded by James Balsillie, William Janeway and George Soros, INET is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working in promotion of new economic theories to address social issues such as wealth inequality and environmental sustainability.
Again we find that the Swampland of the US is intricately entwined in the Swampland of the UK with PM May leading the anti-BREXIT BREXIT tribulation into the fiery pits of Gog and Magog, while the Cabal, not the US, intervenes and manipulates coups and election tabulation.