[News] USAID Closes Office in Venezuela

[Anti-Imperialist News]

USAID CLOSES OFFICE IN VENEZUELA
by Eva Golinger

Posted on 
<http://lchirino.wordpress.com/2011/02/08/usaid-closes-office-in-venezuela-by-eva-golinger/>February 
8, 2011 by <http://lchirino.wordpress.com/author/lchirino/>lchirino
http://lchirino.wordpress.com/2011/02/08/usaid-closes-office-in-venezuela-by-eva-golinger/

The US agency closed its Office of Transition 
Initiatives, which was used to provide Venezuelan 
opposition with millions of dollars every year.

By Eva Golinger

Set up in 2002, the so-called Office of 
Transition Initiatives (OTI) in Venezuela, which 
used millions of dollars to finance actions aimed 
at destabilizing the country and removing 
President Hugo Chavez from power, has finally 
closed its doors following countless 
denunciations about its subversive activities.

When Russell Porter, director of the OTI­a 
division of USAID dedicated to promote 
“transitions” in countries strategically 
important for Washington­first came to Venezuela 
in January 2002, he was committed to “evaluating 
the political situation” to find out how the 
USAID could better help by means of a “transition towards democracy.”

But the actual goal was not supporting democracy 
in Venezuela, since there was a democratic regime 
here that was supported by the majority of the 
people. The mission of the USAID, along with 
other US agencies, was to boost a “change of 
regime” that favored American interests, what 
translated into ousting President Chavez from power.

In the beginning, the USAID program for 
Venezuela­drawn up few weeks after Porter´s 
visit­would finance and advice political parties, 
non-government organizations and media outlets 
linked to the anti-Chavez sector. Three months 
after Porter´s visit to Venezuela, a coup was 
staged against the President which, after its 
initial success was defeated in less than 48 
hours by the Venezuelan people. Most actors and 
groups involved in the coup had already been 
provided with a multi-million financing from the 
USAID and another US agency called National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

THE MULTIMILLION BUDGET

During its first two years of operations in 
Venezuela, the USAID/OTI managed an 
over-10-million-dollar budget by sponsoring some 
64 opposition groups and programs in the country. 
A large part of this sum was dedicated to 
anti-Chavez propaganda in the media during the 
so-called “Managers´ Stoppage” in late 2002 and 
later to back a campaign for a revoking referendum against President Chavez.

Oppositions groups like SUMATE, CEDICE, Primero 
Justicia, CTV, Fedecarmaras and others, stood out 
as main recipients of that money and the leaders 
of destabilization efforts in the country.

After its failed attempts to oust the Venezuelan 
President, the USAID/OTI increased its budget and 
reoriented its Venezuela strategy; this time they 
focused on a sector not targeted before: the youths.

Over 34 percent of the multi-million USAID/OTI 
budget, which increased up to 15 million dollars 
annually, was dedicated to finance and give 
advice to an opposition “student” and youth 
movement from 2006 to 2010. Under the umbrella of 
USAID, workshops on how to use social networks 
like Twitter and Facebook to boost a “change of 
regime ” and “leadership” training programs for 
the youths were spread throughout the country.

And the money resulted in an effective tool. An 
opposition “student movement” was created. The 
“Manos blancas” (White Hands), the guru of the 
so-called “color revolutions” of Eastern Europe, 
attracted world attention with its protests 
against the Venezuelan government and its 
innovative tactics taken from the manuals and 
guidelines of US agencies and partners such as 
the Albert Einstein Institute and Gene Sharp.

However, despite the huge investment made on 
Venezuelan opposition, they did not reach their 
main goal. On the contrary, the popularity of 
Hugo Chavez kept growing, while relations between 
opposition groups and their US sponsors and advisors became less attractive.

THE UNQUESTIONABLE EVIDENCE

The budget to finance opposition groups in 
Venezuela for 2010 reached over 57 million 
dollars. This huge interference with the 
country´s internal affairs and the violation of 
its sovereignty was corroborated by documents 
declassified by Washington, as well as by public 
reports issued by international organizations 
like the Spain-based Fundacion de Relaciones 
Internacionales y Dialogo Exterior –FRIDE- 
(International Relations and Dialog Foundation)

At the same time, the USAID presence in Venezuela 
never was legitimate­it was never authorized by 
the Venezuelan state, which evidenced a flagrant 
violation of national sovereignty. Unlike its 
programs in other countries, which are usually 
agreed to with the local authorities, in the case 
of Venezuela the USAID/OTI was operating in an 
illegal, semi-clandestine and subversive way.

Denunciations in Venezuela of the 
destabilization-aimed financing activity were 
considered by the authorities and in late 2010, 
they passed the Law for the Defense of Political 
Sovereignty and National Self-determination, 
which prohibits foreign financing with political aims in the country.

Did the USAID decide to abide by Venezuelan law? 
Did that organization realize that it had lost 
its millions of dollars in a fraudulent 
opposition that was incapable of retaking power? 
Or is it restructuring its strategy against the 
Venezuelan government by looking at other 
channels to finance and support its allies?

The fact is that the flow of dollars will 
continue to reach the groups that promote the US 
agenda in Venezuela, while imperial interference 
will not stop. But the closing of the USAID 
office in Venezuela is a victory for the 
Revolution, and a big step to guarantee national sovereignty.

Persistent denunciation works sometimes no matter 
if how powerful the adversary may be; the 
commitment to justice and truth will always win.

[English version by South Journal]




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