Some useful remarks to be added to this very informative Sputnik’s infographic. The 900 us military bases spanning the entire world clearly demonstrate that there is no International law which is a mere fiction as the relationships between what is be called the states are governed by the law of the strongest by hegemonic power using its military power to maintain the statu quo, that is global capitalism solely governed by the law of the jungle. Since its inception, the United States started to show hegemonic and imperialistic velleities witnessed by the infamous Monroe doctrine transforming the new independently Latin American into US backyard excluding the European powers in particular the former colonizer Spain the western hemisphere. The so called American Spanish war and the military intervention in Cuba in 1898 was the first step in US imperialism and its hidden motivation deeply studied an documented by the renown political scientist and historian, William Appleman Williams in his very exciting and seminal book highly recommended to those all who want to understand the main reasons behind US bloody and endless wars, “the roots of the modern American empire” with this telling subtitle, “A study of the growth and shaping of social consciousness in a market place society” published in 1969. By reading this book, one can understand why the Bolshevik revolution and the rise of the Soviet Union under the rule of Stalin fatally became the nightmare of the United States as the new communist global power especially after the WWII represented a real threat to unbridled American hegemony. Atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945, was but a test before wiping out 76 major cities in the USSR leading to the collapse of the Soviet power and the dismantlement of the biggest country in the world into minuscule ethnic states as it will be the case in Yugoslavia after the death of Marechal Josep Tito and bombing of Serbia by NATO’s forces in 1999. Some final remarks must be done, (1) Israel should not be considered as foreign state hosting US military base, it is itself a large US military base; (2) for example, there is no military base in France since De Gaulle ordered the closing of US military base, but this country participated directly or indirectly in all US bloody wars since the WWII in particular in the African continent where the US marines are hosted inside a French military base in Djibouti, camp Lemonnier, a larger French military base leased to the United States. Till now, there is no US military base in Nigeria, but the Nigerian government under the rule of former drug dealer in Chicago, Bola Tinubu is negotiating with the US government to host a military base there. The new military leadership in both Burkina Faso and Niger requested the closing of US military base.
The ECOWAS’s military intervention in Niger sounds the death knell of this tool of western imperialism in Africa which is similar organization of US clone, AFRICOM created in the wake of NATO’s aggression against Libyan Jammahiria and the brutal assassination of its leader Muammar Kaddafi. The outcome of such planned military aggression will have two fatal consequences (1) Its military agression against a member will lead forcefully Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea to quit it (2) western puppet Bazoum, his family, his ministers and their families wil be eliminated,consequently the so called constitutional order will not be reinstated . Of course, France, USA, EUROPE have already their puppets to be reinstalled but the African nation will be plunged in civil war like in its neigyboting nation Libya. Furthermore, the minister of defense of Burkina faso declared that his country, with Mali and Guinea is prepared to fight back eventual invaders; read more on @elmir1975
THE SO CALLED “COUP” IN VENEZUELA : A HOLLYWOOD SHOW
In Venezuela, on Tuesday, April 30, a military coup attempt in Venezuela led by imprisoned right wing leader Leopoldo Lopez, freed from house arrest early Tuesday by Venezuela’s Sebin intelligence service and self-proclaimed “Interim President” Juan Guaido, and some members of the armed forces who blocked a highway in Caracas close to La Carleta airbase and called on the army to rise up
Planned longtime before by the secretary Pompeo former CIA director, John Bolton, Trump’s national adviser and the CIA’s psychological warfare department created in 1947 to fight international communism according to the Truman Doctrine, In ordre to make believe that Venezuela witnessed a military uprising led by Guiado, a psychological warfare has been waged both inside the country and internationally through social and mass media. While blocking the Altamira highway in eastern Caracas, Lopez and Guaido published videos on social media calling on other elements of the armed forces to join the uprising and on their supporters to take to the streets, making believe that the moment of victory and the ‘final phase” was approaching in order to oust the Maduro government.
Psychological warfare plan inside Venezuela
In his psychological warfare, Guiado posted a series of tweets around 6:00 am local time Juan Guaidó @jguaido –
“People of Venezuela began the end of usurpation. At this moment I meet the main military units of our armed force initiating the final phase of Operation Freedom”.
“Venezuelan people we go to the street, national armed force to continue the deployment until we consolidate the end of the encroachment that is already irreversible”.
“The national armed forces have made the right decision, they have the support of the Venezuelan people, with the endorsement of our Constitution, with the guarantee of being on the right side of the story. To deploy the forces to achieve the cessation of usurpation”
People of Venezuela, we need to go out on the streets together, to support the democratic forces and to regain our freedom. Organized and together with the main military units. People of Caracas, all to La Carlota.
Guaido also posted a short video which shows talking into the camera with some 30 soldiers standing behind him. Guaidó and López went to the La Carlota airforce base near Caracas. Lopez tweeted
Leopoldo López @leopoldolopez
“Venezuela: The final phase has begun for the cessation of usurpation, Operation Freedom. I have been released by the military to the order of the Constitution and of President Guaidó. I’m at the La Carlota Base. All to mobilize. It’s time to conquer freedom. Strength and Faith”
In Venezuela, on Tuesday, April 30, a military coup attempt in Venezuela led by imprisoned right wing leader Leopoldo Lopez, freed from house arrest early Tuesday by Venezuela’s Sebin intelligence service and self-proclaimed “Interim President” Juan Guaido, and some members of the armed forces who blocked a highway in Caracas close to La Carleta airbase and called on the army to rise up
Planned longtime before by the secretary Pompeo former CIA director, John Bolton, Trump’s national adviser and the CIA’s psychological warfare department created in 1947 to fight international communism according to the Truman Doctrine, In ordre to make believe that Venezuela witnessed a military uprising led by Guiado, a psychological warfare has been waged both inside the country and internationally through social and mass media. While blocking the Altamira highway in eastern Caracas, Lopez and Guaido published videos on social media calling on other elements of the armed forces to join the uprising and on their supporters to take to the streets, making believe that the moment of victory and the ‘final phase” was approaching in order to oust the Maduro government.
Psychological warfare plan inside Venezuela
In his psychological warfare, Guiado posted a series of tweets around 6:00 am local time Juan Guaidó @jguaido – 9:58 utc – 30 Apr 2019
“People of Venezuela began the end of usurpation. At this moment I meet the main military units of our armed force initiating the final phase of Operation Freedom”.
“Venezuelan people we go to the street, national armed force to continue the deployment until we consolidate the end of the encroachment that is already irreversible”.
“The national armed forces have made the right decision, they have the support of the Venezuelan people, with the endorsement of our Constitution, with the guarantee of being on the right side of the story. To deploy the forces to achieve the cessation of usurpation”
People of Venezuela, we need to go out on the streets together, to support the democratic forces and to regain our freedom. Organized and together with the main military units. People of Caracas, all to La Carlota.
Guaido also posted a short video which shows talking into the camera with some 30 soldiers standing behind him. Guaidó and López went to the La Carlota airforce base near Caracas. Lopez tweeted
“Venezuela: The final phase has begun for the cessation of usurpation, Operation Freedom. I have been released by the military to the order of the Constitution and of President Guaidó. I’m at the La Carlota Base. All to mobilize. It’s time to conquer freedom. Strength and Faith”
Rumors were spreading, surely according to the CIA’s psychological warfare plan, that Guiado and Lopez were inside La Cralotta airbase but t has been confirmed that Guadió and Lopez did not enter the La Carlota air base which remained under control of government forces.
A short video and a photo show a few low rank soldiers on a highway bridge with a carton of bananas and a basket of machine gun ammunition. Besides one machine guns they are armed with normal rifles and pistols. They are marked with a blue armlet or masks as Guaidó supporters.
Psychological warfare Plan outside Venezuela
Parallel to the psychological warfare plan inside Venezuela, the United States et its vassals in Latin America and Europe, waged a psychological warfare over the world reminding us the then psychological warfare waged by the CIA and its main propaganda devices, Voice of America and Radio Free Europe during Budapest, Prague and Walesa’s Solidarnosc in 1980-81.
Among the devices used in the psychological warfare waged against the Maduro government was news published by Reuters that the Blackwater founder Erik Prince is looking for money to set up a mercenary army to attack Venezuela and to create what he called the “dynamic event that break the stalemate that has existed since January” For this purpose, in private meetings in the United States and Europe, Prince sketched out a plan to field up to 5,000 soldiers-for-hire on behalf of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido.
In the United States, Marco Rubio claimed that Guaidó supporters have taken the La Carlota Base. (La Carlota’s official name is Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda Air Base.) These reports are false. The small gang of Guaidó soldiers and some Guaidó supporters are on a highway bridge near the entrance of the air base. The base is in the hand of government forces. The opposition never entered it.
In France, the media of propaganda was spreading fake news of so called “uprising of the army against Maduro’s government” Reliable reports pointed out that Guaido’s “military uprising” were the 30 or so men on the bridge switched to Guaidó, carrying M4 Colt assault rifles delivered to the opposition through a number of flights coming from Florida. While the official assault rifle of the Venezuelan military is the Kalashnikov AK-103.
It is becoming clear that the so called “military uprising” is no more than a psychological warfare planned and waged internationally by the CIA and its propaganda’s outlets all over the world. Here is a map of the whole ‘military uprising”’ scene which plays in a small area of the wealthy Altamira district of Caracas.
At the bottom of the map is the La Calota air base, also known as Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda Base, which Guaido supporters tried to enter. They threw rocks against the guards until tear gas drove them away. Directly north of it runs a highway east to west. The two highway bridges on which Guaidó’s soldiers stand are crossing the highway right next to the base. Some 500 meters north of the highway bridges is Plaza Altamira (the upper blue point) where Guaidó spoke to some supporters.
The highway bridges can be seen in this video taken from north of the highway looking south across the bridges towards the airport. In the video some fireworks go off to which nervous Guaidó supporting soldiers on a bridge respond by firing a few shots into the air.
The whole “military uprising” was run within a 500 x 200 meter corridor with nothing of significance happening outside of it. A psychological warfare stunt but so far nothing more than that.
Rumors were spreading, surely according to the CIA’s psychological warfare plan, that Guiado and Lopez were inside La Cralotta airbase but t has been confirmed that Guadió and Lopez did not enter the La Carlota air base which remained under control of government forces.
A short video and a photo show a few low rank soldiers on a highway bridge with a carton of bananas and a basket of machine gun ammunition. Besides one machine guns they are armed with normal rifles and pistols. They are marked with a blue armlet or masks as Guaidó supporters.
Psychological warfare Plan outside Venezuela
Parallel to the psychological warfare plan inside Venezuela, the United States et its vassals in Latin America and Europe, waged a psychological warfare over the world reminding us the then psychological warfare waged by the CIA and its main propaganda devices, Voice of America and Radio Free Europe during Budapest, Prague and Walesa’s Solidarnosc in 1980-81.
Among the devices used in the psychological warfare waged against the Maduro government was news published by Reuters that the Blackwater founder Erik Prince is looking for money to set up a mercenary army to attack Venezuela and to create what he called the “dynamic event that break the stalemate that has existed since January” For this purpose, in private meetings in the United States and Europe, Prince sketched out a plan to field up to 5,000 soldiers-for-hire on behalf of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido.
In the United States, Marco Rubio claimed that Guaidó supporters have taken the La Carlota Base. (La Carlota’s official name is Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda Air Base.) These reports are false. The small gang of Guaidó soldiers and some Guaidó supporters are on a highway bridge near the entrance of the air base. The base is in the hand of government forces. The opposition never entered it.
In France, the media of propaganda was spreading fake news of so called “uprising of the army against Maduro’s government” Reliable reports pointed out that Guaido’s “military uprising” were the 30 or so men on the bridge switched to Guaidó, carrying M4 Colt assault rifles delivered to the opposition through a number of flights coming from Florida. While the official assault rifle of the Venezuelan military is the Kalashnikov AK-103.
It is becoming clear that the so called “military uprising” is no more than a psychological warfare planned and waged internationally by the CIA and its propaganda’s outlets all over the world. Here is a map of the whole ‘military uprising”’ scene which plays in a small area of the wealthy Altamira district of Caracas.
Venezuela4s Hollowod show
At the bottom of the map is the La Calota air base, also known as Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda Base, which Guaido supporters tried to enter. They threw rocks against the guards until tear gas drove them away. Directly north of it runs a highway east to west. The two highway bridges on which Guaidó’s soldiers stand are crossing the highway right next to the base. Some 500 meters north of the highway bridges is Plaza Altamira (the upper blue point) where Guaidó spoke to some supporters.
The highway bridges can be seen in this video taken from north of the highway looking south across the bridges towards the airport. In the video some fireworks go off to which nervous Guaidó supporting soldiers on a bridge respond by firing a few shots into the air.
The whole “military uprising” was run within a 500 x 200 meter corridor with nothing of significance happening outside of it. A psychological warfare stunt but so far nothing more than that.
In its binary and manihean approach, the mainstream in the West has to use the term expansionism instead of imperialism to hide the really long and bloody European and American imperialism while the word imperialism is automatically and unconsciously reserved to the U.S.S.R. The question that deserves to put is : was really the U.S.S.R imperialist power ? To be put it otherwise, through the 1939 Nazi-Soviet Pacts, and the division of Europe at the end of the Second World War, could the Soviet Union be qualified as imperialist and conquering nation ?
According to the 1939 Nazi-soviet pacts, during the truce period between Germany and the U.S.S.R.,the Soviet union seized areas such as Latvia, Estonia, half of Poland and Bessarabia. Why precisely these areas and not other ones ? the answer is very easy when we think in terms of geopolitics. All tehse areas were seized by the Soviet Union as defense buffer zones and valuable strategic positions against Germany; the Baltic states region is the most vital and at a planning conference on « Barbarossa » on February 3, 1941, Hitler declared that « the main aim is to gain possession of the Baltic States and Leningrad » . On can remember also before World War I Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania had been provinces of Russia. Then at the time of the Bolshevik Revolution, Germany had forcibly annexed them. During the subsequent years of western intervention the Allies encouraged and sponsored the White forces and finally they established the three countries as part of the cordon sanitaire designed to contain the Soviet Union.
Natural right had been used by western imperialism as ideological weapon in order to conquer territories and to dismember old empires in Europe( Spansih and Ottoman empires) and in Asia (Chinese and Persian empires). Broadly defined, the concept of natural right is that of a pretended right conferred by the « Nature » from which is deduced a whole system named « natural law » existing prior to or independently of political society. The idea of « natural rights » originated in natural law, used as well by the Greek and Roman and Stoicism as by different schools of politico-legal thought of Middle age onwards, in order to justify rights of property, civil liberties and the rise of democratic thought rights of popular sovereignty. Philosophers of the eighteenth century brought the concept of natural right into the center of political thought used then by the bourgeoisie and the rising classes as ideological weapon against the monarchies and the system of privileges.
In the aftermath of the First World War, the main concern of the victorious powers was less the peace in itself that of how dealing with this new and dangerous threat which was the Bolshevism. Indeed, Versailles’s peace-settlement imposed by the major victors (USA, Britain, France, Italy) was dominated by two main considerations : First how the surviving dictatorial regimes in Europe and in the USA would deal with the new revolutionary regime in Russia and second how to avoid its spread and its contamination of West European countries, the old and new ones, by an alternative revolutionary regime, that of Bolshevism. In short, the main preoccupation of the Victor powers during Versailles negotiations was how making the world safe from Bolshevism and how re-mapping Europe domestic politics either within the Victor countries as well within the new states in eastern Europe those which had been built on the overthrow of the Russian and Habsurg empires. The priority for the Allied was to thwart Bolchevism through direct intervention into Russian territory or by setting up a mercenary and proxy troops, the « Whites » in order to stamp out the new revolutionary Bolshevik regime. The second thing was to redraw the map of Europe by creating proxies regimes and proxies states around dedicated to isolate it behind a « quarantine belt » (cordon sanitaire), in the contemporary language of diplomacy) of anti-communist states built both on the spoils of the formerly Russian lands and on those of Austro-Hungary empire. This « quarantaine belt » went from north to South : from Finland an autonomous region allowed by lenin to secede; three new little Baltic republics(Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) proxies states created ex-nihilo having any historical precedent ; Poland restored to independent statehood after 120 years and an enormously enlarged Rumania in size doubled by accessions from the Hungarian and Austrian lands of the Habsburg empire and ex-Russian Bessarabia. The attempt to form proxies states into the Caucasus failed because of the support brought by an anti-communist but revolutionary Turkey to revolutionary Bolshevik Russia. The attempt to create proxies states such as Armenian and Georgian proxies states setting up after Brest Litowosk and attempts under the British to detach oïl-rich Azerbaijan, had failed after the victory of the Bolsheviks in the Civil War of 1918-1920 and the Soviet-Turkish treaty of 1921; Other proxies states had been created out of nothing like Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia combinations.
Behind the The rise and the srenghtening of Bonapartism after the Napoleonic wars in europe lay major changes and radical innovation and the major and determinant fact the emergence of the working-xclass as an indepdendent and self-concious force in politics in Britina and in France. urban discontent was universal in the West a proletarian and socialist movement was chiefly visible and palpable in the countries biritna and France because of Jacobinism and babouvism France possessed the was more predisposed and rmorre ready for revolution working class or urban revolution and socialism appeared very real dangers in Western Europe. Radical democracy had made major advances both in the USA Under President Andrew Jackson(1829-37) as in Europe where the European revolution rehained its momentum. For the mass of the common people the problem pushed them inevitably towards social revolution. their hatred of the rich and the greta gave their desperation eyes and a purpsoe were concious of taht purpose. the greta awakening provoked by the jacobin model had taught them that common men. this was the « spectre of communism » which haunted Europe the fear of « teh proletariat » which affected not merely with the revolution which broke out in the firts months of 1848 was not a social revoltuion merely that it involved and mobilized all social classes. it was the rising of the labouring poor.
In 1848, Revolution triumphed In France and the republic was proclamied on 24 February. during the firts months of the springtilme of people all governements were swept away or reduced to impotence. In France where the revolution succeded rapidly in France the firts Landmark of conservative revival was the lecetion of April in which universal suffarge teh second Landmark was the isolation and defeta of the revolutionary workers in paris defeated in the June insurrection where the urban plebeians or more the enw proletarians came within the ardius of jacobin, socialist or democratic republcan idleogy they became a political force at least as rioters.
As Thermidorean reaction during the French revolution and its subsequent napoloenic miliatry dictatorship which had destroyed the Jacobin Revolution and its ideals, the dream of equality liberty and fraternity, Louis Napoleon coup d’état of dcemeber 1851 played the same role than that of his illustrous uncle by destroying the dream of popualr democracy and the people rising to shake off oppression after 1848 Revolution in franxce and in Europe too. The revolution of 1848 in France was not merely a brief historical episode without consequence. it was, like the jacobinism, the achievment of real popualr democracy with large popualr political participation by contrast with the cosntitutional monarchy where barriers and institutional hurdles had been erceted based on property or educational quallifications for the voters and where there wasthere was only 168 000 voters. the Jacobin experience servend as set of models and patetrs for popualr upheavals during the post-napoleonic period in europe and over the world.
In the Postwar years, the United States became literally has bees benne firmly established. As in totalitarian Europe, the United States witnessed in the aftermath of the war and during interwar years witnessed the same phenomenon as in Italy and Germany. The slogan « American way of life » was not so different from European racism. during the interwar years, the executive remains dictatorial as during as that during the war enjoyed by Wilson. With Herbert Hoover who came to the presidency in 1929 the executive had been strengthened and became more efficient. Nationalism and chauvinism which had been planted during the war sprouted in terrifying form. Like in Europe, these nationalism and chauvinism had been expressed by widespread hostility to foreigners and to foreign ideas as Well against the political opponents Inside the United States. The American racism and the hunt against all not America, against foreigners and foreign ideas were the same as that which were at the same time widespread in Europe. Aliens suspected of radical ideas and radical notions were rounded up and deported by the scores ; legislatures were « purged » of socialists and states tried to enforce loyalty to political and economic institutions by repressive legislations. like the European racist and chauvinist movements, there was their equivalent in the USA with the Ku Klux Klan which boasted a membership of millions dedicated itself to that notion of Aryan supremacy which European dictators were to take up a decade later in two notorious cases that of Mooney and Billins in California and of Sacco and Vanzetti in Massachusetts in both cases the victims were punished more for their radicalism than for any crimes proved against them.
in the aftermath of the Second World War campaign for loyalty, conformity and hundred-per-cent Americanism reappeared in more virulent as it was the case the first World. Though the Communist party in the United States had at most seventy-five thousand members a number steadily diminishing a clamor arose for outlawing it and for a recklessly indiscriminate investigation of alleged disloyalty especially in the government, the press and the amusement Industry. The movement threatened basic civil rights and the Eugene Dennis secretary of the Communist party had been convicted and sentenced in order to eradicate any disloyal and specially Communist activities two Committees had been set up : the House Committee on Un-American activities in the Eightieth Congress and President Truman’s special Civil Rights Committee both of which reported in 1947. In the fall of 1946, Truman issued an executive order creating the President’s temporary commission on Employee Loyalty the following an elaborate machinery was created. The Civil Service Commission established regional loyalty or subversive were giving hearings before a loyalty board with counsel
Just after Truman’s election for second tenure in 1949 Eleven Communist leaders, the « Politburo » of the party were brought to trial in 1949 on the charge of violing the Smith Act of 1940 which made conspiracy to « advocate and teach » the violent overthrow of the government a crime the jury found all eleven defendants guilty and ultimately they went to jail Alger Hiss head of the Carnegie Endowment for international Peace went on trial he was charged with perjury. After one jury disagreed another found Hiss guilty and sentenced to five years jail. The government deported a number of aliens charged with Communist activities
American dictatorship entred a new phase at the beginning of the ninettenth century with the netry to the White House of Andrew Lackson in 1828 jackson’s inauguarated a new eraa in American dictatorship . Jackson had been described according to Justice Story as the « king of Mob » because of his populism and his appeal to the people as he had always one of them. Once in popwer, Jackson vigorously carrieed his main ideas into practice ; Under his presidency he strenthened the power of the executive by opposing his « Maysville veto » disapproving voting money by Congress for olocal roads an d canals from Maysville to Lexington into Kentucky. He opposed South carolina when it attempted to nullify the protective tariff of 1828; in 1832, Jackson strenly vetooed a bill for recharter of the second bank of the United States
Slavery was and still today remains an institution and a global system, albeit under disguised forms, of the first importance. Seen in historical perspective, it was a part of the western imperialism since the discovery of the “new World” and its rise and development till now. In other word, Slavery seems to be unthinkable without imperialism and conversely, the history of imperialism that shaped the modern world order had largely contributed to the rise and the development of the slavery system since the sixteenth century. Albeit this is not the appropriate place to deal with this topic, we can say without making a mistake, that capitalism also like slavery is unthinkable without imperialism that contributed to its rise and its development.
So, the history of slavery beginning with imperialism could not be separate from the history of western imperialism or more precisely of western imperialism rivalries both inside and outside the European continent. The history of western imperialism and therefore the history of European imperialist rivalries in and outside Europe began in the late of the fifteenth century with the famous treaty of Tordisillas which can be considered as the first treaty dividing the world between the two main powers at that time, Portugal and Spain. Thanks to this division, Spain had the first and vast empire ruled by the Spanish king Charles V with had far-flung possessions from Spain to the Andes from Austria to Peru from Lombardy to the Philippines from the Low Countries to Mexico (New Spain. In order to rule at distance through a huge royal bureaucracy and armies their “universal monarchy” and to defend it agaisnt their domestic and foreign enemies, Hapsburgs monarchs counted drawing their source of power, that is, the silver and the golf by exploiting their vast empire in New World colonies.
The first captive African slave had been in the New world by Portuguese traders who sold them to Spanish colonists. Captive Africans were supplied in order to replace Indigenous slaves on plantation and in the silver mines in the Spanish Caribbean. From the 1520s the Spanish royal authorities authorized the introduction of African slaves into the Spanish colonies in Latin America to supply the deficiency of Indian slavery in the New world. Habsburgs Empire headed by the Spanish king Charles V.
