US Vice-President Pence tries weasel word strategy about US military intervention in Venezuela


Christof Lehmann (nsnbc) : US Vice-President Mike arrived in Colombia after President Juan Manuel Santos unequivocally warned against any military intervention in neighboring Venezuela. During a joint press conference Santos reiterated Colombia’s position while – an apparently not very happy – Pence used weasel words while not excluding a US military adventure. While most analysts would agree that an open US military intervention is unlikely, those knowledgeable about US military doctrin also know that any intervention would most probably be launched with special operations forces and militant proxies at its core.  

Colombia_Cartagena_Juan Manuel Santos_Mike Pence_Aug 2017US Vice-President Mike pence arrived in Cartagena, Colombia, only days after US President Donald Trump declared that the US has many options, including military options for Venezuela, if necessary. In an earlier statement the administration of President Juan Manuel Santos categorically rejected any military intervention in Venezuela and called for dialog and legal initiatives within the framework of the United Nations, if necessary.

Tensions between Venezuela on one hand, and Colombia, the USA, EU and others have been high since the latter rejected the outcome of elections of a constituent Assembly that superseded the National Assembly after the Supreme Court, earlier this year, claimed the legislative branch was in contempt and usurped its powers. Tensions grew even more last week, after Venezuela’s Defense Ministry threatened Colombia with military actions.

Santos urged Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, the ruling socialist PSUV as well as the Roundtable of Democratic Unity (MUD) coalition to engage in peaceful and constructive dialog to resolve the crisis in the country. Colombia, rightfully, perceives peace and stability in Venezuela as crucial for the ongoing peace process in Colombia. A conflict could not merely derail peace talks with Colombia’s National Liberation Army (ELN) – a scenario that most independent analysts perceive as unlikely. The greater risk is that an armed conflict in Venezuela, especially one with US participation, would play into the hands of Colombian right-wing neo-paramilitaries and drug cartels. Speaking at a joint press conference after his meeting with Pence, Santos said:

As friends you have to tell each other the truth. I told Vice-President Pence that the possibility of a military intervention may not be considered. Neither Colombia nor Latin America — from the Rio Sur to Patagonia — could agree. The Americas is a continent of peace. Let’s leave it that way.

Pence, for his part, responded diplomatically correct to Santos but without explicitly ruling out a US military intervention in Venezuela. Pence said:

The United States, Colombia and free nations of Latin America will not be silent. Venezuela is sliding into dictatorship and as President Trump has said “The United States will not stand by as Venezuela crumbles.” We will continue to stand with free nations across our hemisphere until democracy is restored for the Venezuelan people. … You can be assured, Mr. President, we will continue to take action until the Maduro regime restores democracy, holds free and fair elections, releases all political prisoners and ends the repression of the Venezuelan people. As President Trump said a few days ago: “We have many options for Venezuela.” And the president also remains confident that working with all of our allies across Latin America we can achieve a peaceable solution to the crisis facing the Venezuelan people. Working with free nations across this hemisphere the United States will continue to bring the full measure of American economic and diplomatic power until democracy is restored in Venezuela.

Most objective observers would agree that an overt U.S. military intervention in Venezuela is unlikely to occur. Those who are knowledgeable about the current US military strategy would, however, have to point at the high probability of the United States’ use of special operations forces in conjunction with right-wing paramilitaries – and eventually parts of Venezuela’s armed forces.

In 2010 the Headquarter of the Army and the United States Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School published “Special Forces Unconventional Warfare” designated as Training Circular TC 18-01. The document is restricted but nsnbc international chose to make it accessible in its entirety – HERE.

“Training Circular (TC) 18-01, Special Forces Unconventional Warfare, defines the current United States (U.S.) Army Special Forces (SF) concept of planning and conducting unconventional warfare (UW) operations. For the foreseeable future, U.S. forces will predominantly engage in irregular warfare (IW) operations.” (emphasis added)

The document, designated to be released to “foreign students” on a case by case basis, describes in great detail how the USA assesses the potential for an opposition, including an armed opposition, that would go along with US policy directives. How an opposition can be aided to tap into a small potential for violent opposition and to build this potential into a fully developed armed insurgency. The exact strategy has “successfully” been used in Libya and Syria, and Pence did not specifically exclude that it would be used in Venezuela. Sadly, no reporter was present to ask pence specifically about the TC 18-01 and how it relates to statements about US “military options” in Venezuela.

CH/L – nsnbc 14.08.2017



Source Article from https://nsnbc.me/2017/08/14/after-colombias-unequivocal-rejection-us-vice-president-pence-backpaddles-on-military-intervention-in-venezuela/

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