Contributed by Joe Montero

President Nicolás Maduro and the head of Venezuela’s national Constituent Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, have been indicted in the US.

The United States is just now maneuvering with a new attempt to generate another coup and install a government of its own choice in Venezuela.

It’s is being condemned in Venezuela. You couldn’t expect anything else. Even opponents of Nicolas Maduro and the government in Caracas, have pointed out that it risks prolonged conflict and puts the international standing of the United States at risk of plummeting. It is not held too high as it is.

The means to be used, is an indictment just announced by the Attorney General William Barr.

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, the President of the nation’s Constituent Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, and 13 other political leaders are accused of being involved in in narcotrafficking, narcoterrorism and money laundering.

Along with the indictment, comes a $15 million price on the head of Maduro and $10 million for Cabello, Hugo Carvajal, former head of Venezuela’s military intelligence, Olíver Alcalá, a retired army major general, and Tareck Zaidan El Aissami Maddah, the country’s industry minister. Others on the list include Maikel Moreno, head of the Venezuelan Supreme Court, defence Minister Gen Vladimir Padrino.

By putting big cash payouts on the heads of the named, it is hoped that this will encourage some officials to betray their government and country.

Such an open violation of international convention smells of desperation. All plot to date have failed to topple the Venezuelan government. It gets stronger instead.

The latest US action worries other nations. More than thirty of them are suffering United States imposed sanctions. If this happens to Venezuela, it can happen to anyone.

The accusations are based on the Venezuela government having a friendly relationship with the FARC in Columbia. No evidence has been presented of involvement in narco-crime. There is only an invented scenario.

FARC has long been accused. The reality is that the Washington ally Iván Duque Márquez has a long association with the narco-gangs in his country and linked to the paramilitaries, which have for long, moonlighted with the cocaine gangs, which in practice, have immunity in Colombia.

These are the same paramilitaries used to enter Venezuela and carry out violent acts against the government, economy and people. They are protected by the United States. WHat about Oliver North, who openly bragged about setting up the Colombian drug cartels, was made a hero for it and became a Senator/

Although FARC was involved in a long civil war, it is now an internationally recognised political party, which won around 57 percent of the in 2018’s presidential and parliamentary elections. Questions remains about the winners.

The rise of extra judicial killings of Ivan Duque’s political opponents and new drive towards the militarisation of society is starting to to breed conflict once again.

Venezuela is accused of giving safe sanctuary to those who cross the 1000-kilometre border between the two countries.

Meanwhile United States backed would be President Juan Guaido and his people face multi-million cases concerning their own corrupt large-scale corruption. Washington’s response is to use its diplomatic muscle to try and remove these charges. Guaido is accused of having stripped a Spain based Venezuelan enterprise handed to him by the United Sates and walked off with $119 million.

Washington doesn’t stop at whitewashing the bad behaviour of its proteges. They continue to get political support.

The problem with this is that Guaido is an almost spent force in Venezuela. After a series of blunders, winning a reputation for corruption, and the fact that many of his compatriots consider him a traitor selling out their country to a foreign power, the number of followers has declined dramatically. Some have joined the other side.

Everything aims at ensuring that the parliamentary election scheduled for this year doesn’t take place. It is no secret that Guaido and his camp will be trounced. This would be a disaster for Washington’s ambitions.

Attorney general William Barr, who is leading the case, has long been accused of the misuse of office. When announcing the indictment against the Venezuelans he said the US would “explore all options” to put the accused Venezuelan leaders in custody.

Another and unnamed representative of the Trump administration commented, “There aren’t going to be elections, how could there be?”