Black Agenda Report
Black Agenda Report
News, commentary and analysis from the black left.

  • Home
  • Africa
  • African America
  • Education
  • Environment
  • International
  • Media and Culture
  • Political Economy
  • Radio
  • US Politics
  • War and Empire
  • omnibus

Freedom Rider: Standing with Venezuela and Iran
Margaret Kimberley, BAR senior columnist
08 Apr 2020
Freedom Rider: Standing with Venezuela and Iran
Freedom Rider: Standing with Venezuela and Iran

The Trump administration wants a hot war with Iran or Venezuela, or both, and those of us claiming to be anti-war must be on our guard and ready for action.

“The Democrats who say Trump must ask permission before killing people will in all likelihood give him the approval he seeks.”

The Donald Trump administration hasn’t given up its dream of regime change in Venezuela and Iran. They have vowed not to ease the sanctions that have literally killed thousands of people in both countries. In fact, they have increased them and claim that their efforts to do just that are somehow humanitarian.

All previous attempts to dislodge the elected president of Venezuela have ended in failure. In 2019 the U.S. instigated riots near the Colombian border and a coup attempt which fortunately was more of a photo opportunity than a serious effort by the opposition to take power. Would be usurper Juan Guaido has traveled all over the world and gained the backing of U.S. vassal states without accomplishing the desired result. The recent indictment of president Nicolas Maduro on drug trafficking charges was a sign that they will again up the ante.

When Trump and his attorney general weren’t making up charges out of thin air against Maduro, they muttered about Iranian “sneak attacks.” Not content to murder Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, they have refused to leave Iraq when that country’s parliament ordered them to do so. The rationale is that they are fighting an Iraqi resistance which they claim is directed by Iran. Of course the violence in Iraq is a direct result of the 2003 invasion and occupation which killed 1 million people.

“They have refused to leave Iraq when that country’s parliament ordered them to do so.”

The United States is a failed state, but one which still has the largest military in the world and for now the most economic power. It has nothing else to offer except destruction and death as its crumbling infrastructure kills its own people, as can be seen in the COVID-19 outbreak.

There will surely be manufactured pretexts for war, such as the mysterious sinking of a Venezuelan vessel by a supposed “cruise ship” with a hull fit out with ice breaking capabilities. Ice breakers generally do not sail in the Caribbean but we can expect more unlikely events to take place in order to get Congress and the public to prepare for a hot war. The phony Gulf of Tonkin in the 1960s and phony claims of Weapons of Mass Destruction in 2003 are just two of the lies told to justify American aggressions.

The quarantines taking place during the COVID-19 pandemic are an opportune moment for mischief making but those of us claiming to be anti-war must be on our guard and ready for action. We already know that the Trump administration wants a hot war on Iran and we know that the corporate media and the political duopoly will support any effort in that direction.

“We can expect more unlikely events to take place in order to get Congress and the public to prepare for a hot war.”

The same compromised journalists who rail against Trump’s vile ramblings during COVID-19 press conferences will quickly fall into line if he claims some justification for a war. The Democrats who say he must ask permission before killing people will in all likelihood give him the approval he seeks. Democrats have already lionized Guaido and signaled that they would give Trump a free hand in Venezuela. They already repeat Trump administration claims about Iran as fact. Neither the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN or MSNBC asked hard questions about the Soleimani assassination, which was a war crime by definition. None of them do the job that journalists are supposed to do and ask why there are sanctions at all or question the premise that America has the right to do what it wants whenever it wants. 

It will be up to those who call themselves anti-war to refrain from falling into line and supporting candidates and parties who advocate for more war crimes. The discredited doctrine of lesser evilism must be rejected, and political independence must be the order of the day. Not only should Trump be called to account in case of war, but so must the democrats who give him any support.

“Democrats have already lionized Guaido and signaled that they would give Trump a free hand in Venezuela.”

Even in quarantine the people can and must go out into the streets. Mass actions can be done with safety in mind. If protesters have to wear masks and gloves for the sake of safety then so be it. The only thing worse than U.S. aggression would be silence and complicity.

The Soleimani assassination put thousands of people out in the streets demanding no war against Iran. This moment is one that cries out for sustained activity and not for falling into complacency when the Trump team is seemingly quiescent. 

There must be unquestioned support for the people of Iran and Venezuela. Any critique of their governments, no matter how valid they may be, must be put on hold. These sovereign nations have a right to self-defense and their people have a right to live in peace. Critique must be reserved for this country, its political parties and its corporate media. They can all be counted on to march in lock step when other nations are attacked. There must be clear resolve to be unsparing in our opposition to all of the aggressors and their accomplices should the worst come to pass. 

Margaret Kimberley’s Freedom Rider column appears weekly in BAR, and is widely reprinted elsewhere. She maintains a frequently updated blog as well at patreon.com/margaretkimberley and she regularly posts on Twitter @freedomrideblog. Ms. Kimberley lives in New York City, and can be reached via e-Mail at Margaret.Kimberley(at)BlackAgendaReport.com. 

COMMENTS?

Please join the conversation on Black Agenda Report's Facebook page at http://facebook.com/blackagendareport

Or, you can comment by emailing us at [email protected]

U.S. Imperialism

Trending

Elizabeth Warren Wants Green Bombs, not a Green New Deal
Parallels Between Black and Palestinian Struggles
Cory Booker Hates Public Schools
Bill Cosby Should Have Been Denounced by Black America Long Ago
The Black Wall Around Barack Obama: Who Does It Protect Him Against?
How Complacency, Complicity of Black Misleadership Class Led to Supreme Court Evisceration of the Voting Rights Act

Related Stories

Freedom Rider: Capitol Riot Brings U.S. Foreign Policy Home
Margaret Kimberley, BAR senior columnist
Freedom Rider: Capitol Riot Brings U.S. Foreign Policy Home
13 January 2021
There needs to be soul searching and truth telling about invasions, interventions, coups and sanctions that are far more destructive than the Trump
White Rightwing Chickens Roost Violently at Capitol
BAP Coordinating Committee
White Rightwing Chickens Roost Violently at Capitol
13 January 2021
The Democrat-aligned oligarchy will try to use last week’s racist violence as an excuse to impose a corporate brand of fascism.
Coup d’état or Insurrection – What’s Good for the Goose… 
Dr.Wilmer J. Leon, III
Coup d’état or Insurrection – What’s Good for the Goose… 
13 January 2021
Under what authority does the American government have the right to instigate and execute coup’s against democratically elected governments in othe
The “Non-Aligned” Nations Realign
Wilmer J. Leon III
The “Non-Aligned” Nations Realign
14 October 2020
The formerly colonized peoples of the planet say No to US bullying, sanctions and regime change.
The Stalinist Trial of Julian Assange
John Pilger
The Stalinist Trial of Julian Assange
09 September 2020
The collusion of powers wants to bury Julian alive in their war on the very principle of freedom of speech and freedom of thought, and democracy.
No to the New Cold war with China
​​​​​​​ Ajamu Baraka, BAR editor and columnist
No to the New Cold war with China
29 July 2020
The African radical, anti-imperialist, internationalist movement, sees the Chinese state and the Chinese people much differently than the U.S.
Building Power to Win is the Revolutionary Approach to Bourgeois Electoralism”
​​​​​​​ Ajamu Baraka, BAR editor and columnist
Building Power to Win is the Revolutionary Approach to Bourgeois Electoralism”
17 June 2020
We must make clear that it is imperialism that degrades and destroys the earth, makes water a commodity, food a luxury, education an impossibility,
Update on Charges Against the Venezuela Embassy Protectors
Ajamu Baraka and Bahman Azad
Update on Charges Against the Venezuela Embassy Protectors
17 June 2020
It was agreed that dropping the federal charges and seeking no jail time in return for pleading to a very low-level DC Code charge was an important
Trump vs. Biden: The China-Hating Contest Is On Like Donkey Kong
Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
Trump vs. Biden: The China-Hating Contest Is On Like Donkey Kong
20 May 2020
Trump and Biden promise their fans a roaring hate-fest this election cycle, as they vie for the honor of defending America’s right to full spectrum
Fighting the Invisible Enemy: Imperial Fascism 2020, Not Covid-19
Lauren Smith
Fighting the Invisible Enemy: Imperial Fascism 2020, Not Covid-19
06 May 2020
What could possibly be a more effective way to seal borders, discourage protest, and position the United States into perfect alignment for WWIII?

More Stories


  • Letters from Our Readers
    Jason Choudhry, BAR Comments Editor
    Letters from Our Readers
    13 Jan 2021
    “The Squad Won’t Fight Pelosi and Corporate Power” by Glen Ford discuss
  • BAR Book Forum: Zakiya Luna’s “Reproductive Rights as Human Rights”
    Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
    BAR Book Forum: Zakiya Luna’s “Reproductive Rights as Human Rights”
    13 Jan 2021
    This book is a story about a group of (mostly) women who wanted to make change and understood that liberation is an inside job.  
  • BAR Book Forum: Chris A. Barcelos’ “Distributing Condoms and Hope”
    Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
    BAR Book Forum: Chris A. Barcelos’ “Distributing Condoms and Hope”
    13 Jan 2021
    Replacing cops with social workers could “reproduce the same kinds of harm,” as this author explains.
  • Coup d’état or Insurrection – What’s Good for the Goose… 
    Dr.Wilmer J. Leon, III
    Coup d’état or Insurrection – What’s Good for the Goose… 
    13 Jan 2021
    Under what authority does the American government have the right to instigate and execute coup’s against democratically elected governments in other countries?
  • The Trump Administration’s Parting Outrage Against Cuba
    Medea Benjamin and Leonardo Flores
    The Trump Administration’s Parting Outrage Against Cuba
    13 Jan 2021
    Cuba’s placement on the state sponsors of terror list is meant to be a thorn in any plan by the Biden administration for rapprochement.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us