By Les Blough and Arturo Rosales

It will come as no surprise to most Axis of Logic readers that there has been a Rolling Coup against the government of Venezuela since former President Chavez was first elected 14 years ago in 1998. The US-backed coup attempt in April, 2002 followed by the managers’ lockout of the nation’s petroleum industry in 2002-2003 are well-known throughout the world. Since then there have been weekly acts of sabotage of the country’s infrastructure and food supply along with acts of violence and assassinations.

On a regular basis we have been reporting ongoing efforts to overthrow the democratically elected government and to destabilize Venezuela since Axis of Logic was first launched over 10 years ago. This report however stands out with yesterday’s revelation of a document by RT News in Spanish. Because of it’s import and critical bearing on the future of Venezuela and all Latin American countries, we have translated it into English for Axis of Logic readers.

Background

Throughout the years, the opposition forces in Venezuela have been in disarray with infighting for power amongst their various political parties and in 2005 they abstained from voting in the parliamentary elections altogether and lost all the deputies seats to the chavista parties.

It was a tactic that failed miserably. In 2008 they attempted to unite by forming Mesa de Unidad Democratica (MUD) but the divisions and conflicts within their ranks only increased when Primero Justicia (First Justice) took control of MUD alienating other political opposition parties. Increasingly frustrated with their inability to win an election democratically, they stepped up their attempts to overthrow the government by other means. After President Chavez trounced their candidate for president, Capriles Radonski in October 2012 and they failed to gain control of the National Assembly (congress), the opposition stoked their fires of what we call the “Rolling Coup.”

When Capriles Radonski suffered his second defeat by Nicolas Maduro on April 14 of this year, he claimed election fraud and the heads of the opposition refused to recognize Maduro as president. Likewise, the United States was the only country in the world who would not acknowledge his presidency. On April 15, the day after the election, Radonski called for members of the opposition to go to the streets and incite riots which resulted in 9 Chavistas being murdered execution style, one of them a 9 year old child and others being wounded.

Increased Attacks for Destabilization

Since then treasonous acts by the US-backed opposition are commonplace. Assassination plots against President Maduro revealed and foiled; the US blocked President Maduro from flying over Puerto Rico on his recent trip to China; threats were made against his life, preventing him from delivering his first speech as head of state at the UN General Assembly in October; since around August 1 of this year the opposition has increased their attacks on the Venezuelan infrastructure, electrical system and food supply & distribution systems. This increase in attacks is occurring in context with the December 8 elections when 335 mayors of towns and cities will be elected across the country. Over the last 3 months electricity to swaths of Venezuela have been cut by saboteurs and basic foods and other household products have been hoarded or destroyed to give the appearance of shortages. We are now experiencing this on a daily basis.

Yesterday the secret document was made public by the Venezuelan government and published in RT News with commentary by Eva Golinger. The document explains in detail, the sources and careful planning behind the Rolling Coup. Titled, Plan Estratégico Venezuela (Strategic Plan Venezuela), the plan outlines objectives, goals and methods and identifies the December 8 elections as the enemy’s target for destroying the country. The plan was prepared in a meeting on June 13, 2013 with leaders of the Venezuelan opposition and representatives of the following 4 organizations:

Fundación Internacionalismo Democrático of former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe Vélez,

of former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe Vélez, Fundación Centro de Pensamiento Primero Colombia (The Center of Thought Foundation – Colombia First)

(The Center of Thought Foundation – Colombia First) and the US firm, FTI Consulting

USAID – The United States Agency for International Development for Latin America

Mark Feierstein, Head of USAID for Latin America

Three key opposition leaders involved are

Maria Corina Machado and Julio Borges, both members of the Venezuelan National Assembly;

Juan José (J.J.) Rendón Delgado, a psychologist, political strategist and expert in psychological warfare and

Ramón Guillermo Avelado, the president of MUD.



Mark Feierstein, responsible for USAID, the US Agency for International Development for Latin America also participated in Plan Estratégico Venezuela for the destabilization of the country.

Maria Corina Machado, Member of the National Assembly Jorge Borges, Member of the National Assembly

Juan José (J.J.) Rendón Delgado, Psychologist and expert in psychological warfare. Ramón Guillermo Avelado, Politician and Executive Secretary of Mesa de Unidad Demorcratica (MUD)

Alvaro Uribe, former president of Colombia is a central figure not only in the development of this plan but in many attempts to sabotage and overthrow the Venezuelan government from the earliest days when President Chavez was first elected 14 years ago.

Rather than describing the evidence against those who would overthrow the Venezuelan government and instead of providing the reader with excerpts from the document, we decided to translate it into English for you to read and form your own conclusions. We have also been preparing an article that lists well documented, specific attacks and the government’s response in Maduro Fights Back, a detailed report which will be featured next week on Axis of Logic.

Plan Estratégico Venezuela

13 de junio de 2013 (Translated by Axis of Logic) Democracy in Latin America has suffered a setback and is kidnapped by populist governments that prohibit, violate and intimidated the liberal thinking, freedom of expression and human rights in the region.El Centro de Pensamiento Primero Colombia (The Center of Thought First Colombia) supports free and open discussion of the liberal thought in Latin America to disarm the expanded threat in the region with the violation of Human Rights and of the Popular Will. By such facts in conjunction with the FTI Consulting and with the Fundacion Internacionalismo Democratico (Foundation Democratic Internationalism), we work to restore democracy in Latin America that has been aggrieved by the pseudo-progressive regimes led by Venezuela. The Venezuelan Strategic Plan, agreed with worthy representatives of the opposition to the government of Nicolas Maduro, and is geared toward these objectives with the strong and constant support of several leading personalities in work to return Venezuela to true democracy and independence that has been held hostage by more than 14 years. Time We have 185 days to reach the goals set for Venezuelan Strategic Plan and to execute the action designed to achieve the objective. Scope In the entire territory of the Republic of Venezuela, to all the sectors of Venezuelan citizenship and to all the government and administrative institutions of the country. Actions To refine the confrontational speech and complainant, Henrique Capriles. That is more fresh and attractive but at the same time to show resolution and consistency in its lines. Clearly establish the motto “We are a better alternative.”To generate excitement with short messages but ones that reach greater numbers of people, returning to the social problems, causing social discontent. To increase the problems with shortages of basic products of the food basket.

To maintain and increase the sabotage that affect services to the population particularly to the electrical system, that allows for blaming the government for alleged inefficiencies and negligence.

To support the normalization of US-Venezuelan relations. This, will dilute the campaign of the government on the interference of the United States and justify the direct contact between our related forces.

To create crisis situations in the streets to facilitate the intervention by the United States and NATO forces, with the support of the government of Colombia. When possible, the violence must cause deaths and injuries. Encourage hunger strikes of several days, mass mobilizations, problems in universities and other sectors of society already identified as governmental institutions.

To move all available forces to compile a dossier of disrepute and weakening of the government that will give greater credibility to the opposition. With the support of the United States government, manipulate the involvement of the government and senior officials with drug trafficking and money laundering.

To enhance the actions of lobbying governments in Latin America, mainly in those countries that may be more sensitive to the pressures of our allies, namely Colombia, Peru, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, Costa Rica Guatemala, El Salvador, Mexico and Honduras. At the same time depressing the governments of countries allied to the regime, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador and Nicaragua generating discredit in both regions.To increase the supply of financial funds that Venezuelan opposition receives, aiming to reach at least 55% of the mayors in the municipal elections.

To maintain and increase the campaign against Cuban interference; to affect the main social missions and diminish popular support for the government. To especially treat the presence of Cuban soldiers in the Venezuelan Armed Forces.

To prepare and disseminate printed and audiovisual materials that expand the matrices of opinion in our interest, with the slogan, “We are a better alternative.” In addition to identify and reattribute identified problems that point to the opposition. Hire journalists and reporters from 9 international media: CNN, The New York Times, The New York Post, Reuters, AP, EFE, The Miami Herald, Time, BBC, and Venezuela’s Clarín, ABC, among others. To these ends make the necessary contacts with the Foreign Press Association in Caracas.

To promote the pronouncements of opinon leaders and personalities around the world who identify with the feeling of our plans and actions in favor of Venezuela.

To extend the image of a severe crisis in Venezuela to more external media and possible countries as a means of managing international public opinion.

To work from now on in the formulation of the legal conditions necessary for a future institutional transition in Venezuela.

To coordinate the specific tasks that run the representatives of the Mesa de Unidad Demorcratica (MUD)* in the United States, in alliance with the opposition forces against the Castro regime that lie in that country. To strengthen the work of the mayor of the City of Doral [Florida], its mayor, Luigi Boria, and the Organización de Venezolanos Perseguidos Políticos en el Exilio (Organization of Persecuted Venezuelans in Exile – VEPPEX), with the support of the congressmen and senators of Cuban origin and the Cuban American National Foundation, among other organizations that support our Strategic Plan.*NOTE: Mesa de Unidad Demorcratica or “MUD” is the alliance of oppositin political parties in Venezuela

To contact military groups, active and retired who have already been identified; to extend the campaign to delegitimize the government’s prestige within the [Venezuelan] Armed Forces under the principle that the Armed Forces must take on the role of guarantor of democracy in Venezuela. We must achieve, by any means, the reestablishment of the constitution. It is vital to prepare the military for that from a scenario of crisis and social unrest championing insurrection against the government, or at least support of a foreign intervention or a civil uprising. Purpose The objectives posed in the present plan is essentially to target the municipal scheduled for 8 December, at the same time they include the gradual accelerated wearing down of the management of the government by providing the supreme triumph of the opposition in that event, but it will be much better if this can be achieved earlier [before December 8 Mayoral Elections]

Source for Plan Estratégico Venezuela (in Spanish): RT News

Many thanks to Axis of Logic Columnist, Arturo Rosales for contributing to this report.

Read Arturo Rosales’ October 11, 2013 report, Venezuela. Focusing on disaster by ignoring the facts in which he covers the various forms of sabotage, the Economic War and provides information on the Venezuelan economy that will surprise you.

Biography, Analysis and Essays by Arturo Rosales

Biography, Essays and Poetry by Les Blough