'US Venezuela sanctions meant to create artificial crisis'
Venezuela has kicked off two days of military drills in the wake of recent tensions between Caracas and Washington. President Nicolas Maduro ordered the wargames to be held in reaction to latest threats and economic sanctions imposed on the country by the White House. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump threatened Caracas with military action over Maduro’s ‘authoritarian rule.’ That sparked anger among the people of Venezuela and certain Latin American countries.
Talking to Press TV, Shobhan Saxena, a journalist and political commentator, said that Washington’s ultimate goal is to replace the current government with an obedient one through every possible means, including a military action.
“The United States is hell-bent on regime change in Venezuela. President Trump has already threatened military action against the democratically-elected government of Venezuela. He has also imposed new sanctions, which means that the Venezuela government is not in a position to get new loans.”
Saxena continued, “I think there is an all-out attack on Venezuela trying to change the government through military pressure and creating more financial problems.”
He further hinted at attempts by US officials to use Venezuela’s economic woes as a tool to create artificial crisis and push its people towards a revolution, suggesting that Maduro’s only way out is to focus on promoting public welfare more than ever before.
“The country is already badly divided into two factions. The government is facing a lot of problems and I think if this situation continues, it would become the source of more problems for President Maduro,” the analyst said.
Political tensions in Venezuela rose recently after Caracas announced plans to establish a Constituent Assembly to take over the opposition-controlled parliament and rewrite the constitution. The opposition saw the move as an overt attempt by President Maduro to accumulate power.
Protests erupted on the streets, and clashes led to the death of at least 120 people on both sides.
Meanwhile, Washington imposed new economic sanctions directly targeting Maduro, accusing him of “dictatorship.” Maduro says the US is seeking to stifle oil exports through sanctions and a "naval blockade" on the Latin American country. He believes the US and its allies in the region are fomenting instability to bring down his government.
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