Featured Image: Senator Marco Rubio Photo: AP/J. Scott Applewhite.
In a move that will strengthen the “hawks” within the White House and the Pentagon, Donald Trump named Senator Marco Rubio as his new Secretary of State. Rubio, a staunch critic of the government of Nicolás Maduro, is seen by many as the face of the US’s hardline policy towards Latin America.
In an interview with Sputnik, political analyst Kendrick Figueredo shared his reflections on what this appointment could mean for relations between Venezuela and the United States.
“This appointment of Rubio is one more example of the erratic situation of Yankee imperialism,” commented Figueredo, who considers that Rubio’s election is not a simple political move but a sign of an “even stronger attack against our Revolution, against Cuba and Nicaragua, and against North American unity.”
Rubio, known for his uncompromising stance towards leftist governments in the region, represents, according to the analyst, “the postulates of John Quincy Adams in their most modern and dangerous version.”
A contradictory agenda and a brutalized society
Although Trump has promised a pragmatic approach to his policies, the appointment of Rubio, along with figures such as Congressman Michael Waltz for Homeland Security and Rick Scott in Congress, raises doubts about the real direction of his administration. “In its current phase of hegemonic decline, fascism is once again riding on the expectations and illusions of alienated American society,” says Figueredo.
He explains that this policy of confrontation and war is actually a way of diverting attention from internal problems and keeping a “brutalized” society entertained with a narrative of “Hollywood ultranationalism.”
The analyst adds that figures such as Rubio have found support among people in the US, not because of their political proposals, but because “they represent a way out of the threats to the ‘American Dream.'” In Figueredo’s words, Rubio’s appointment would be a nod to “the most heartfelt fears” of US society, which he describes as “discontent and frustrations that the establishment has known how to capitalize on.”
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Figueredo also questioned Rubio’s relationships and ties:
“Marco Rubio… is Orlando Cicilia’s brother-in-law, a convicted and confessed drug trafficker,” explains Figueredo, who noted that Rubio, in his role as leader of the Venezuelan opposition abroad, has resorted to dubious strategies and alliances.
According to the analyst, Rubio embodies “the typical gusano bully character” and described him as “the ‘Tony Montana’ of Parliament,” referring to the character from the film Scarface.
For Figueredo, Rubio represents the union of several dark interests (“financial capital, terrorist groups, drug trafficking, and Zionism”) in a dangerous alliance that, in his opinion, threatens not only Venezuela but the entire Latin American region. “He is the chancellor of imperial decline,” the analyst concludes, stressing that Rubio embodies the most negative values ​​of US foreign policy.
Rubio’s operators in Venezuela
Figueredo was categorical in pointing out that the Venezuelan right has always collaborated closely with Rubio and other members of the anti-Venezuelan lobby in the United States, especially Senator Rick Scott, to attack the Bolivarian Revolution and promote “unilateral coercive measures, the theft of assets such as CITGO, and terrorist actions.”
Furthermore, the analyst mentioned that the Republican has always had support from figures from the Venezuelan far-right such as MarĂa Corina Machado, Leopoldo LĂłpez, and Juan GuaidĂł, among others.
“They are gringos from the shore whose purpose seems to be to turn our country into another star on the US flag,” added Figueredo.
The continuity of US strategy
Looking ahead, Kendrick Figueredo expressed his conviction that the resistance of the Venezuelan people will be key to confront any attack that may arise from Rubio’s leadership in US foreign policy.
Given the possible insistence of the United States and Europe on a strategy of regime change in Venezuela, the analyst is confident that the population will once again take to the streets to reaffirm its support for the President Nicolás Maduro.
“I am convinced that on January 10, the entire world will witness the capacity of Venezuelans to mobilize and, with it, their conviction that permanent street action is the guarantee to preserve peace,” he said.
Figueredo was also critical of the position of the European Union, which, in his opinion, “marches in the rearguard of US politics in a shameful position of subordination.”
He referred to Karl Marx’s famous phrase about the repetition of history, indicating that any attempt to promote a new opposition figure in Venezuela would only be “a farce” compared to previous attempts.
Rubio’s appointment will mean an intensification of pressure on Venezuela and other Latin American countries that maintain independence in global geopolitics. Kendrick Figueredo concluded his analysis with a call for resistance and unity, pointing out that the threat Rubio represents is not only political but an attempt to subdue the region under the interests of a faction that seeks to restore US hegemony in the hemisphere.
“That world is today in a Gramscian bind, hence the danger of its monsters who, like the mafia, kill,” he concluded, reaffirming his conviction that the resistance and awareness of the people will be essential in this possible new stage of confrontation.
(Sputnik)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
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