Neocolonialism: Venezuela says sanctions and war central axis of US foreign policy

Venezuela's Vice President has stated that sanctions, along with war, are the central axis of the foreign policy of the United States.

Delcy Rodriguez highlighted on Tuesday that the United States' unilateral coercive actions aim to pressure Venezuela into altering its path of independence and self-determination, and that the sanctions are new mechanisms of neocolonialism.

She said through such unilateral coercive measures the US seeks to "blackmail" Venezuela in changing the path of independence and the right to self-determination of this country.

"Sanctions are, along with war, the central axis of the foreign policy of the United States," Rodriguez was quoted as saying.

"Over 1,000 unilateral coercive measures, wrongly called 'sanctions', have been used to blackmail us and force us to change our course of independence and self-determination," she said.

"We have been punished for our defense of self-determination. This sanctions system is a new form of colonialism that seeks to seize our resources."

The vice president delivered her remarks at the Caribbean Regional Seminar of the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization, which opened Tuesday in Venezuela's capital Caracas.

During her speech, she showed graphs of the economic losses caused by the sanctions imposed on Venezuela between 2000 and 2022, during the administrations of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump and the incumbent President Joe Biden.

"The unilateral coercive measures seek to obstruct the advancement of new models of development and happiness proposed by peoples who refuse to bow to the hegemonic system," Rodriguez noted.

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She highlighted that the foreign policy of the United States relies on engaging in wars to uphold dominance and imposing unjust sanctions.

"Currently, 28 percent of the world's population lives in 30 countries sanctioned by the United States. Its sanctions cover 72 percent of the planet's territory," Rodriguez recalled.

A massive march took place in Venezuela’s Petare, Miranda state, on Monday, which was led by Rodriguez and Miranda Governor Hector Rodriguez, who showed their support for President Nicolas Maduro and denounced the US sanctions imposed on Venezuela.

"Today, the people of Petare took to the streets against the criminal blockade. We told Biden: Lift the blockade now!" Rodriguez said, urging the population not to be deceived by the oligarchy that seeks to bury the legacy of Commander Hugo Chavez in oblivion.

"They will never see President Maduro kneeling before the Yankees. He has confronted the empire because the Venezuelan people deserve respect," Rodriguez stressed.

According to reports of Venezuela's anti-sanctions government observatory, 930 sanctions have been imposed against the Caribbean country.

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