Terror That Justifies the Bombs of Lies

Precisely determining the death toll from the Global War on Terror, launched by the United States in 2001 following the airplane attacks on key American landmarks, is impossible. Some sources cite 900,000 victims; others, more recent, exceed three million, the vast majority of whom were innocent.

The events of September 11, 2001, provided the United States with a pretext to massacre in the name of a war on terrorism that effectively transformed the nation—if it wasn't already—into a terrorist government itself. It bombed schools, gunned down innocents, tortured with impunity, and normalized practices that had previously been exercised with more discretion.

The stories that emerged from the notorious prison at the illegal naval base at Guantánamo Bay are horrifying. Approximately 800 people from over 40 nations were detained there, with the vast majority never facing trial—another "collateral" damage of the war on terror.

A Familiar Pretext for Escalation

Therefore, when the U.S. Secretary of State announced that the Cartel of the Suns would soon be designated a foreign terrorist organization, many understood it as an escalation in aggressions against Venezuela and against Latin America and the Caribbean.

While the Cartel of the Suns, allegedly led by President Nicolás Maduro, is an argument sustained by fantasy and lies, it would not be the first time the United States has used false pretenses to bomb nations. Recall the evidence presented by George W. Bush and Colin Powell at the UN regarding Iraq's supposed weapons of mass destruction, which never materialized after the country was ravaged and looted. We can also speak of Libya and the alleged imperative need for the U.S. to protect its people from a supposed tyrant.

A Well-Oiled Media Machine

It is not new for lies and manipulation to pave the way for bombs. For this, the United States employs a well-oiled media machine that convinces, generates fear, and influences sentiments and perceptions to justify its aggressions. We see this same mechanism activated now against Venezuela, intent on portraying a "narco-state" in the midst of a supposed fight against drug trafficking. This narrative was reinforced after the U.S., in an act of pure effrontery, placed a bounty on Maduro's head.

It is evident that Marco Rubio and a bellicose faction within U.S. political centers are putting all their effort into starting a war in Venezuela, doing so from the safety of thousands of miles away, from offices where the falacies are constructed that will continue to lengthen the list of victims of America's supposed fight against terrorism.

The Economic and Financial Front

Anything can be expected from a U.S. administration that has dusted off the most Machiavellian and lethal playbooks, one that continues with selective attacks, televised assassinations, and the application of another, less discussed but equally damaging facet: the freezing of assets and economic and financial persecution.

Venezuela has already endured all these stages, and not just under the Trump administration. It was Barack Obama who designated it an unusual and extraordinary threat to U.S. national security and seized the Latin American nation's assets. England, recalling its history of privateers and pirates, seized over 40 million dollars in gold that Venezuela had deposited in banks on English soil.

Today, Venezuela faces a significant threat, and with it, the entire region. Therefore, it is necessary to stand with it in its struggle for truth and for peace—a peace that has been so often tarnished by the bombs of lies.

Translated by Sergio A. Paneque Díaz / CubaSí Translation Staff