The
U.S. Embassy in Caracas has been funneling money to political
opponents of the government of President Hugo Chávez, according to
researcher Eva Golinger. In a cable dated March 2009 senior official
John Caulfield, requested $10 million for opposition-led state and
municipal governments as well as NGOs, youth groups and political
campaigns—all to “counter” Chávez.
“Given
that the November 2008 elections and February 2009 referendum created
a new political map for Venezuela, post requests an additional USD 3
million to increase outreach efforts to newly elected state and
municipal governments,” Caulfield wrote.
The
money was also “to continue programs to strengthen civil society
and prepare for the next round of elections in 2010.”
U.S.
and European agencies gave an additional $57 million to the
Venezuelan opposition during the 2010 elections. But far from
strengthening democracy in Venezuela, as they claim, these millions
are aimed at defeating the ruling United Socialist Party of
Venezuela.
Illegal
meddling
The
Vienna Convention prohibits embassies and diplomats from intervening
in the internal affairs of a host nation. Foreign funding of
political groups is also illegal in Venezuela, as it is in many other
countries.
But
that has not stopped the U.S. government from spending millions to
destabilize what Caulfield calls “an active and intractable U.S.
competitor in the region.”
The
U.S. government is also unhappy that Chávez is using state resources
to raise the living standards of the working class. In a cable dated
June 16, 2009, Caulfield complained of Chávez’s popularity with the
poor, adding,
“He
is not only channeling government resources to the economically
disadvantaged, but also prioritizing the [Bolivarian
government’s] role
in the economy at the expense of the private sector.”
Thus
the real problem the U.S. government has with Chávez is that he has
won the support of the majority of his people by improving their
lives.
