Venezuela threatens oil, trade in continuing election spat with US

[dipsydoodle]

In response to remarks from US Assistant Secretary of State Roberta Jacobson, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Elias Jaua warned that any sanctions imposed by the US for its April 14 presidential ballot would be met with punitive oil and trade measures.

Over the weekend Jacobson commented on CNN en Espanol, stating that the Venezuelan state moved too quickly in proclaiming Nicolás Maduro its new president in light of tight electoral results, and that half of the country’s public rejected the results.

When Jacobson was asked whether the US would go so far as to impose sanctions if Venezuela refused to recount poll results, she could not confirm or deny the possibility.

In response to Jacobson’s remarks, Foreign Minister Jaua said that his country held the US responsible for the violence that followed the election and has so far left eight people dead. He added that Venezuela would respond in kind to any US sanctions.

http://en.rt.com/news/venezuela-threatens-us-oil-238/

[Bacchus4.0]

1. not sure what possible sanctions there could be

however, lets say there were. The US could simply stop sending Venezuela any refined gasoline, or food.

[Peace Patriot]

2. I think DUers should be aware of your crude, propagandistic attitude toward Venezuela's

government, in your photoshopped naked Maduro cabinet ministers, here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/110814764#post2

After posting such crap, you really think anybody should take your comments seriously?

[Bacchus4.0]

3. I am glad I made them aware that they are nothing but criminals n/t

s

[Peace Patriot]

9. I don't think you made "them" aware of anything at all, but...

...you made us aware of your crude, propagandistic attitude toward the government of Venezuela, and you beautifully illustrated the Associated Pukes' propaganda piece.

Way to go, Bacchus4.0. Pix = 1,000 words.

[Peace Patriot]

11. I notice that a DU jury hid your ugly photoshopping...

"A Jury voted 5-1 to hide this post on Tue Apr 23, 2013, 11:00 AM. Reason: This post is disruptive, hurtful, rude, insensitive, over-the-top, or otherwise inappropriate. (See Community Standards.) When the original post in a discussion thread is hidden by Jury decision, the entire discussion thread is automatically locked so new replies cannot be posted. Show post"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/110814764

But anyone who wants to see what you did can click on "Show post" and be educated about your "disruptive, hurtful, insensitive, over-the-top" attitude toward the Chavez/Maduro government.

I actually don't agree with censorship in most cases, and I don't agree with it on this one. The only censorship I might agree to, in a political forum, are threats of physical violence or racist/sexist crudities that could easily lead to physical violence. Mere insulting, demeaning cartoons about political figures, such as you (or some pal of yours) did of Maduro's cabinet, should be allowed (with proper attribution of both the article and the photoshopping, of course.) For one thing, they allow us to see YOU more clearly--to understand where you are coming from, and what your views are.

It must aggravate you that all of Latin America stands behind Maduro as the legitimate, elected president of Venezuela, and that Venezuela has an election system that former U.S. president Jimmy Carter recently called "the best in the world." I think you need to realize that Latin America is no longer anybody's "back yard" and no amount of corporate media propaganda or derisive posts at DU, is going to change that. You keep repeating the same "talking points," over and over--identical to the manufactured "talking points" we see in the corporate media. It's boring! I like your photoshopping better--whoever did it. It's crude. It's mean. It's demeaning. It's typical of the rightwing, here and in Venezuela, that fronts for transglobal corporations and war profiteers. It reveals the latter's true attitude toward the poor majority and toward democracy: visceral hatred.

[Bacchus4.0]

12. yes, it was a political cartoon

I saw the jury response and I have noticed that some of my posts are being reported by a particularly obnoxious chavista fanatic who takes criticism against the lying corrupt Ven administration way too personally.

I do not believe Latin America is the US's back yard at all so I don't really know who you are talking to. All Latin American nations have the right to run their own affairs, including deposing their own leaders, for malfeance and ineptidude. I also have the right to criticize and point out the corruption and maladministration. Many here cannot handle criticism.

You seem more inclined to interventionism provided its the "right" kind of interventionism. You supported a UN or Latin American peace mission to Colombia despite Colombia never asking for one. You also seem to believe that individual nations require the approval of other nations even when acting under their own sovereignty. Thus, you supported a referendum in the Falklands until you found out the result, you don't believe that Paraguay had the right to impeach Lugo, or Honduras had the right to depose Z.

[joshcryer]

16. Yeah, this is NK style posturing.

It makes little sense and the US is going to be oil self-sufficient in another few more years as the oil shales come online.

I'll note that these people so concerned totally neglected PDVSAs desire to have an emergency OPEC meeting. Of course that post falls under the radar. Not one rec, few views, it's as if people want to have their head in the sand over these issues.

[Peace Patriot]

4. It's both hilarious and tragic for the U.S. to be demanding a recount

of an election that the U.S. government and its corporate/war profiteer rulers don't like the results of, since, in the U.S., HALF THE STATES CANNOT DO A RECOUNT OR AN AUDIT, and the other half do only a miserably inadequate 1% audit, and only a 3% audit for those who have the MONEY, lawyers and other wherewithal to get a "recount."

The whole system here is largely (75%) owned and controlled by ONE, PRIVATE, FAR RIGHTWING-CONNECTED CORPORATION (ES&S, which bought out Diebold) and is run on 'TRADE SECRET' code--code that the public is forbidden to review--with half the states having NO BALLOT at all TO recount, and the rest of the system highly vulnerable to untraceable FRAUD.

Venezuela, on the other hand, uses OPEN SOURCE code in its electronic system--code that belongs to the PUBLIC and that anyone may review--provides a verified ballot for every vote, and does a whopping 55% audit of every election, immediately after the vote. 55% is more than five times the audit needed to detect fraud in an electronic system.

Not to mention all the various kinds of FRAUD and CORRUPTION in U.S. elections, notably in 2000 and 2004, but all through a system awash in cash and controlled by the 1% and THEIR monopolistic media.

Jimmy Carter recently called Venezuela's election system "the best in the world."

The U.S. election system is arguably the WORST in the western world.

And the U.S. is criticizing Venezuela?! And demanding a recount in Venezuela?!

Hilarious. Tragic. Disgusting.

[joshcryer]

15. Smartmatic's source code is NOT open source.

Please stop repeating that falsehood.

Or provide a link to the source code.

[Catherina]

5. If the US keeps this up, it's going to unecessarilly box itself into a bad corner n/t

[Bacchus4.0]

6. where would Venezuela get all its gas and food then? n/t

s

[Catherina]

7. Venezuelan Gov''t Authorizes New joint Oil Company with Russia

Venezuelan Gov''t Authorizes New joint Oil Company


Caracas, Apr 23 (Prensa Latina) Venezuelan government authorized today the creation of a mixed company between the Corporation Venezolana del Petroleo (CVP) and the Russian company Rosneft, which will work in Carabobo at Orinoco oil strip.

According to the Official Gazette of the Republic, the Venezuelan State will hold a 60 percent in the share capital, while the foreign company will hold the 40 percent.

The new company will carry out the prospecting, transportation and storage of crude oil and natural gas in a total surface of 341 square kilometers.

...

The mixed company will be able to perform actions to improve heavy and extra heavy oil through several procedures as established in the agreement.

...

Modificado el ( martes, 23 de abril de 2013 )

[Catherina]

8. Venezuela to Construct 3 Oil Refineries in China

Venezuela to Construct 3 Oil Refineries in China

MEXICO CITY, April 28 (RIA Novosti) Venezuela will construct three oil refineries in China, the state-run Venezuelan oil company PDVSA said, quoting Energy Minister Rafael Ramirez.

“Our goal is to give an impetus to Venezuela’s energy cooperation with Asian countries, which is in line with President Hugo Chavez’s policies aimed at building a multipolar world and diversifying the oil market,” Ramirez was quoted as saying.

...

The oil refineries will be jointly owned by Venezuela and China, the PDVSA said. They are expected to refine up to 800,000 barrels of Venezuelan crude a day.

....

In late February, the two countries signed $10 billion worth of contracts in various spheres, including energy, agriculture, construction and industry.

http://en.rian.ru/business/20120428/173104130.html

[dipsydoodle]

10. I sometimes wonder

if they'll be the first to leave OPEC and reprice outside of the petrodollar. Be good to see the rot start.

[Catherina]

13. I do too. It will be interesting to watch n/t

[joshcryer]

14. They clearly want to leave OPEC.

Unfortunately for them the US is becoming an oil state, and indeed, will not even be needing Venezuelan oil by 2015 or thereabouts. Their next biggest partner is China, who they owe a lot of debt to. It'll be interesting to see how they fair.

[dipsydoodle]

17. If oil was to be repriced in Yuan

The US would need to be an oil state. Part of the issue in Iraq went back to Saddam repricing in Euros which cost the US a bundle at the time - the US doesn't like being forced to buy foreign currency which requires real money.

[joshcryer]

18. Good luck with that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_oil_production

Wishful thinking, imo. They had 14 years to make themselves self-sufficient but failed miserably being the biggest trading partner with the United States after Mexico and Brazil. Now the US is following a no-international-oil roadmap (and an energy self-sufficiency roadmap) all these countries depending on US dollars to keep their governments running are going to be in trouble.

As I said up thread, it is notable that the PDVSAs call for an emergency OPEC meeting went under the radar here. It's a big deal because Venezuela can't afford for oil to be under $100 a barrel for a very long time. Venezuela wants to slow production and raise the price. It's quite interesting how such good little capitalists that they want to be.

[Bacchus4.0]

19. I wonder if they have given up on diversifying the economy

since the last 14 years have been a disaster. I suppose they will talk a big game on promoting industry and agriculture but knowing that its oil or nothing.

[joshcryer]

20. They never really tried it, imo. No attempt to implement import substitution.

Almost no effort whatsoever to prevent the country from becoming a cash crop banana republic for the west. Hell, even the dual exchange rate was odious at best, before 1989 Venezuela had a fixed exchange rate with import substitution along with very high tariffs for imports (this was intended to keep foreign states from having so much sway and power). With the dual exchange rate Venezuela effectively stopped having a fixed rate, the boligarchs, because they have purchasing power, can do business at whim while the people are forced to use internal money, which gets devalued over and over again. And there exist effectively no tariffs at all for imports.

In reality Venezuela's boligarchs play with US dollars and the plebs have zero agency because they cannot compete with the boligarchs in any way whatsoever.

[wayne_fontes]

21. Those facilities won't open for two years

if they are ever built. VZ has no money now much less 4.5 billion to throw into foreign refineries.

It's hard to imagine a more worthless threat. The US can buy oil else where, VZ can't get their heavy crude refined any where else in the world. 95% of VZ's foreign earnings are from oil. The central governments deficit was 20% last year. Any wiggle room the had left is so far in the rear view mirror it's no longer visible.