Trump regime aims to starve Venezuelans into submission

Under both extremist right wings of the US war party, the incremental Nazification of America may become full-blown in our lifetimes if not strongly challenged by the world community.

The Trump regime exceeds the worst of its predecessors. Based on the trend since the 1980s, whatever leadership succeeds it is likely to be even more contemptuous of world peace, equity and justice.

Abandoning the JCPOA and INF Treaty, waging war on China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, Venezuela, and other nations by other means, entirely discarding the rule of law, fostering destabilization worldwide, substituting brute force for diplomacy, along with its rage for global dominance ups the stakes for possible nuclear war against one or more nations.

In 1992, future secretary of state Madeleine Albright, relatively less hardline than her successors, once asked Joint Chief’s chairman General Colin Powell, “What’s the point of having this superb military you’re always talking about if we can’t use it?”

Perhaps she meant including its super-weapons to accomplish geopolitical objectives unable to be achieved another way.

Trump regime hardliners are waging all-out war by other means on Iran and Venezuela, heading toward a similar policy against China.

Their latest shoe to drop against the Bolivarian Republic occurred Wednesday.

A vessel carrying 25,000 tons of soy cake for Venezuelan food production was illegally seized when passing through the Panama Canal, according Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez.

The ship is “being kept in the Panama Canal due to the criminal blockade imposed by” the Trump regime, she explained, adding, “Venezuela calls on the UN to stop this serious aggression by Donald Trump’s govt against our country, which constitutes a massive violation of the human rights of the entire Venezuelan people, by attempting to impede their right to food.”

US Security Council veto power prevents the body from censuring the Trump regime’s crime against humanity.

US establishment media are either largely or entirely silent about what happened, supporting Trump regime high crimes against sovereign Venezuela and its population based on Big Lies.

Its unlawful seizure (a maritime piracy act) followed Trump’s Tuesday executive order, illegally imposing an embargo on Venezuela, his hostile action constituting a crime against humanity.

Under Article 7 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, “inhumane acts…intentionally causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or to mental or physical health” constitute crimes against humanity.

The US is guilty of these high crimes repeatedly, its criminal class considered hostis humani generis—enemies of mankind. Their high crimes against peace violate the jus gentium—the law of nations.

Time and again with no letup, its actions breach fundamental UN Charter principles, other international laws, and the US Constitution.

The Nuremberg Tribunal established fundamental principles, holding that “[a]ny person who commits an act which constitutes a crime under international law is responsible therefor and liable to punishment…

“Crimes against international law are committed by men, not by abstract entities, and only by punishing individuals who commit [them] can the provisions of international law be enforced.”

The Rome Statute’s Article 25 of the International Criminal Court (ICC) codified this principle, affirming the culpability of persons committing crimes of war and against humanity.

Commanders and their superiors are specifically culpable if they “either knew or, owing to the circumstances at the time, should have known that the forces were committing or about to commit such crimes, [and] failed to take all necessary and reasonable measures within his or her power to prevent or repress their commission or to submit the matter to the competent authorities for investigation and prosecutions.”

Nuremberg established that immunity is null and void, including for heads of state, other top officials, and top commanders.

Genocide, crimes of war and against humanity are so grave that statute of limitation provisions don’t apply.

On Wednesday, China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying denounced the Trump regime’s illegal embargo on Venezuela, calling it “gross interference,” a major breach of international law.

Beijing will continue to maintain cooperative relations with the Bolivarian Republic “no matter how the situation changes,” she stressed.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called Trump regime actions against Venezuela “economic terror… in its customary cowboy manner.”

“These steps have no legal justification from the standpoint of international law and domestic Venezuelan law,” she stressed, adding, “Clearly, the Trump regime miscalculated the level of popular support for the legitimate President and his readiness to defend the genuine independence of his country.”

Its hardliners are enforcing “efforts to aggravate the socioeconomic situation, [including by] brutal indiscriminate restrictions [against] senior citizens, unwell people and children.”

Separately, Moscow vowed to continue “military-technical,” political and economic relations with the Bolivarian Republic, including oil deals regardless of US threats.

The Trump regime is waging war on the Venezuelan economy and people. Blocking a vessel with food for the country shows it wants them starved into submission.

The human toll is of no consequence to US policymakers in pursuit of their aims. Their endless war on humanity at home and abroad threatens everyone everywhere.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. His new book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.” Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.