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<h2><font size=3><b>Wednesday, February 3,
2010</b></font></h2><font size=3>
<a href="http://www.chavezcode.com/2010/02/us-intelligence-report-classifies.html" eudora="autourl">
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<a href="http://www.chavezcode.com/2010/02/us-intelligence-report-classifies.html">
US Intelligence Report Classifies Venezuela as “Anti-US Leader”</a>
</u></b></h3><font size=3>By Eva Golinger<br><br>
3 February 2010 – As is custom at the beginning of each year, the
different US agencies publish their famous annual reports on topics
ranging from human rights, trafficking in persons, terrorism, threats,
drug-trafficking, and other issues that indicate who will be this year’s
target of US aggression. Yesterday, it was the intelligence community’s
turn. Admiral Dennis Blair, National Director of Intelligence, presented
the Annual Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community before the
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.<br><br>
The report details the principle threats to the interests and security of
the US worldwide. This year, in addition to mentioning the usual suspects
– Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan, Al Qa’ida and Iraq – the report
dedicates significant space to Venezuela.<br><br>
In the section referring to threats in Latin America, which carries the
title “Latin America Stable, but Challenged by Crime and Populism”, a
large portion is dedicated to Venezuela. “In…countries such as Venezuela,
Bolivia and Nicaragua, elected populist leaders are moving toward a more
authoritarian and statist political and economic model, and they have
banded together to oppose US influence and policies in the region.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has established himself as one of the
US’s foremost international detractors, denouncing liberal democracy and
market capitalism and opposing US policies and interests in the
region.”<br><br>
Classifying President Chavez as “one of the US’s foremost international
detractors” already gives indication that the US intelligence community
considers the Venezuelan president as an enemy. But following that
paragraph, further down, a section titled “Venezuela: Leading Anti-US
Regional Force”, further confirms the official US vision of Venezuela as
a major adversary. “President Chavez continues to impose an authoritarian
populist political model in Venezuela that undermines democratic
institutions. Since winning a constitutional referendum in early 2009
that removed term limits and will permit his reelection, Chavez has taken
further steps to consolidate his political power and weaken the
opposition in the run up to the 2010 legislative elections.”<br><br>
The mention of the congressional elections in Venezuela this year
evidences how deeply involved US intelligence agencies are in internal
Venezuelan affairs. The US is not always interested in legislative
elections in a foreign nation. Such a focus only occurs when the US has
some kind of investment in the outcome of the electoral process, as in
this case. There is no question that the flow of US dollars will increase
this year to fund campaigns of opposition candidates and aid in the
execution of strategies to undermine the Chavez government. <br><br>
In the following paragraph, the intelligence assessment utilizes every
claim made by opposition groups and media in Venezuela against Chavez,
“The National Assembly passed a law that shifted control of state
infrastructure, goods, and services to Caracas in order to deprive
opposition states and municipalities of funds. Chavez has curtailed free
expression and opposition activities by shutting down independent news
outlets, harassing and detaining protestors, and threatening opposition
leaders with criminal charges for corruption. Chavez’s popularity has
dropped significantly in recent polls as a result of his repressive
measures, continued high crime, rising inflation, water and power
shortages, and a major currency devaluation, raising questions about his
longer term political future.”<br><br>
Not only is the US intelligence community demonstrating poor intelligence
collecting and analyses here, but also evidencing its clear dependency on
opposition sources inside and outside Venezuela. No news outlets have
been shut down in Venezuela. Some have been fined and sanctioned for not
following legal regulations, but that happens frequently in the US as
well. The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) imposes sanctions on
hundreds of media outlets in the US each year. No one classifies those
actions as violating freedom of expression, but rather merely enforcing
the law.<br><br>
Furthermore, not only has the Chavez administration not detained
protestors that regularly violate all kinds of laws by blocking highways
and vital roads throughout the nation, marching without permission from
local authorities, calling publicly for the overthrow of the government,
throwing molotov cocktails and other deadly objects at state security
forces, but President Chavez himself has actually ordered police to
refrain from carrying deadly weapons when dealing with public protests
and to respect demonstrators’ human rights. In the US, protestors are
regularly detained and violently repressed by police forces – almost at
every demonstration – and constantly denied permission to march or
protest near any government building.<br><br>
Also, Chavez’s popularity has not “dropped significantly”. It remains
well above 60%, as it has been during the past several years.<br><br>
But the report goes on to accuse Chavez of forming an “anti-US alliance”
in Latin America. “On foreign policy, Chavez’s regional influence may
have peaked, but he is likely to continue to support likeminded political
allies and movements in neighboring countries and seek to undermine
moderate, pro-US governments. He has formed an alliance of radical
leaders in Cuba, Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, an until recently,
Honduras.” (Note: Honduras was part of the Bolivarian Alliance of the
Americas “ALBA”, until the recent Washington-backed coup d’etat. This
statement in the intelligence report evidences the US’s clear
satisfaction with Honduras’ withdrawal from the alliance).<br><br>
In the following phrase, the US intelligence report also relates Chavez
and ALBA nations to drug-trafficking and terrorism, “He and his allies
are likely to oppose nearly every US policy initiative in the region,
including the expansion of free trade, counter drug and counterterrorism
cooperation, military training and security initiatives, and even US
assistance programs.”<br><br>
“Chavez’s relationship with Colombia’s President Uribe is particularly
troubled. His outspoken opposition to Colombia’s Defense Cooperation
Agreement with the US has led to an increase in border tensions. Chavez
has called the agreement a declaration of war against Venezuela. He has
restricted Colombian imports, warned of a potential military conflict and
continued his covert support to the terrorist Revolutionary Armed Forces
of Colombia (FARC).”<br><br>
In the above statement, the US again accuses the Chavez government of
supporting the FARC, yet has never presented any solid evidence to back
this claim, which has been repeatedly denied by the Venezuelan
government. Cynically, the US is also accusing Chavez of somehow
“increasing tensions” with Colombia because he opposes the establishment
of seven US military bases in Colombia right across the Venezuelan
border. A May 2009 US Air Force official document detailed how one of the
Colombian military bases in Palanquero would be used by US armed forces
to “combat the constant threat of anti-US governments in the region” and
would improve the US’s capacity to execute “Expedentiary Warfare”.
<br><br>
Clearly, as the report classifies Venezuela as the “anti-US leader” in
the region, that would indicate, as outlined in the US Air Force
document, that the increased US military presence in Colombia is
precisely to threaten and/or attack Venezuela.<br><br>
Finally, the US intelligence report discusses the perceived threat
surrounding Chavez’s relationship with Iran, Russia and China. “Chavez
will continue to cultivate closer political, economic and security ties
with Iran, Russia and China. He has developed a close personal
relationship with Iranian President Ahmadinejad and they have signed
numerous agreements…Most of the agreements Moscow has signed with Chavez
relate to arms sales and investments in the Venezuelan energy sector…On
paper, Venezuela’s acquisitions are impressive, but their armed forces
lack the training and logistics capacity to use these to their full
capability. Yet, the scale of the purchases has caused concern in
neighboring countries, particularly Colombia, and risks fueling a
regional arms race.”<br><br>
The report ends by mentioning Venezuela in the section on “Significant
State and Non-State Intelligence Threats”, claiming that “North Korea and
Venezuela posess more limited intelligence capabilities focused primarily
on regional threats and supporting the ruling regime…Venezuela’s services
are working to counter US influence in Latin America by supporting
leftist governments and insurgent groups.” The other countries mentioned
in this section are China, Russia and Cuba, along with non-state actors
Al Qa’ida and Hizballah. <br><br>
Apparently, now the US formally views Venezuela as a threat in the same
class as Al Qa’ida.<br><br>
What this intelligence report really means is that operations against the
Chavez government will substantially increase this year. The report will
be used to justify a larger budget allocation to intelligence missions
against Venezuela. But even more dangerously, the focus in the report on
Hugo Chavez, the man, evidences that he has become the principal target
of US aggression. Placing such an emphasis on one individual as the cause
of major threats to US interests raises the possibilities of an
assassination attempt or other tactic to rid Empire of an individual
perceived as an “anti-US leader”.<br><br>
See the original report
<a href="http://www.dni.gov/testimonies/20100202_testimony.pdf">here</a>.
<br>
Posted by Eva Golinger at
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