Shortly after Tillerson resigned from ExxonMobil to become Secretary of State, wouldn't you know it, ExxonMobil hit one of the biggest offshore oil and natural gas fields in the world. Is so happens that the water it is in is claimed by Venezuela. ExxonMobil says that the water in question belongs to Venezuela's neighbor Guyana.
Tillerson had his ExxonMobil bags all packed and ready for a visit with Guyana's president David Granger, when Trump tapped him for Secretary of State. Does anyone believe that Tillerson can be objective about whose water ExxonMobil is drilling in (New York Times)?
During Tillerson's confirmation hearing he assured Congress that he would have no conflicts of interest between his former employer ExxonMobil and his role as Secretary of State. Is that believable, just because he set up a trust fund for his millions of dollars from ExxonMobil?
A believable argument of Tillerson's "no conflict of interest" is that the U.S. Empire and oil corporations are conjoined twins at the hips. To the Empire and Tillerson, what is good for ExxonMobil is good for the U.S.A., but is it good for the people of the U.S.A. Pssst---they don't care about people.
U.S. foreign policy objectives have no concern for the people of Venezuela. Ignore the cheap talk about the Empire's concerns for democracy and human rights. Trump is already using the fake referendum to try and push Venezuela over the edge into a civil war, a coup, or even a U.S. invasion. A civil war in Venezuela would be a tragedy the equal of what the Empire has perpetrated in Syria, where the body count is still mounting, with millions of people killed, widowed, orphaned, maimed and driven into refugee camps.
The possibility of civil war in Venezuela is not an exaggeration. The country is badly divided between the wealthy haves and the millions of poor have-nots. The U.S. is egging a conflict on. Hugo Chavez brought social services, healthcare, education and housing to the poor with his Bolivarian Revolution. The U.S. Empire and ExxonMobil have declared war on democratically elected President Nicolas Maduro, and he is in the Empire's crosshairs. Trump has said that all options are on the table.
Trump is turning up the heat. He announced "swift and strong actions" if Venezuela proceeds with already planned elections for the National Constituent Assembly, scheduled for a vote on July 30th. Maduro's response to Trump is that he is being "vulgar" because "the process of the constituent assembly is already in the hands of the people who will exercise their right to vote."
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