In Episode 205 [16] of the CounterVortex podcast [17], Bill Weinberg looks at the recent re-escalation and (hopefully) denouement of the dispute over Esequibo [18]—an oil-rich territory controlled by Guyana and claimed by Venezuela. Ironically, this claim was first asserted [19] by the conservative, anti-communist Venezuela of the 1960s to help destabilize [20] the anti-imperialist Guyana of Cheddi Jagan [21]. Today, the left-populist but increasingly nationalistic regime of Nicolás Maduro even entertains hubristic claims [22] to sovereignty over Venezuela's other much larger neighbor, Colombia. But this revanchism appears to mask the fact that "revolutionary" Venezuela largely remains a petro-state with a rentier economy, vulnerable to drops in the global oil price [23], even if Chinese corporate exploiters have been replacing [24] gringo ones. With the recent easing of sanctions [25], US giants like Chevron have even returned to Venezuela—while the extractivist model results in indigenous resistance [26]. Contrary to the dogmas of left and right alike, the real root of the Venezuelan crisis is that the country is insufficiently socialist [27].
Listen on SoundCloud [16] or via Patreon [28]
Production by Chris Rywalt [31]
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