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NO COUP NO WAR HANDS OFF VENEZUELA

Marxist Theory · 2019-01-23

Core Argument

The central thesis is that the events of January 2019 in Venezuela — Juan Guaidó's self-proclamation as "president in charge" — constitute a coordinated imperialist coup attempt by the United States, not a democratic uprising. The article argues that this operation, led by the Trump administration and supported by right-wing Latin American governments and European powers, aims to smash the Bolivarian Revolution, seize Venezuela's oil wealth, and intimidate the Cuban Revolution. The IMT insists that there is no legitimate "neither, nor" position: socialists must oppose the coup unconditionally while simultaneously criticising the Maduro government's vacillations and its pursuit of compromise with the very class forces backing the coup.

Theoretical Grounding

The analysis is rooted in the Leninist theory of imperialism as the highest stage of capitalism, where state power is deployed to secure raw materials, markets, and strategic advantage for monopoly capital. The article draws on the Marxist tradition of exposing the hypocrisy of "democracy" and "humanitarian" justifications for imperialist intervention — explicitly comparing the Venezuelan case to the lies about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and the bombing of Libya. The argument also reflects Trotsky's theory of permanent revolution in its insistence that the Venezuelan workers and peasants cannot rely on a "progressive" wing of the bourgeoisie or a compromised bureaucracy, but must instead take independent revolutionary action. The call to expropriate imperialist companies and the oligarchy, and to place production under workers' and peasants' control, is a classical Marxist transitional demand.

Conjunctural Relevance

The article is written in the immediate aftermath of Guaidó's 23 January 2019 declaration, which was recognised by Trump, Brazil's Bolsonaro, Colombia's Duque, Argentina's Macri, and the OAS's Almagro, followed by 19 EU countries. The US imposed sanctions on PDVSA, seized $7 billion in Venezuelan assets, and pressured the Bank of England to withhold $1.2 billion in gold reserves. The appointment of Elliot Abrams — a figure notorious for organising Contra funding and backing Central American death squads — as US point man for Venezuela is presented as definitive proof of the operation's counter-revolutionary character. The article situates this within a 20-year campaign of US aggression against the Bolivarian Revolution, including the 2002 coup, paramilitary infiltrations, and assassination attempts. Guaidó's announced programme of privatisation, mass layoffs, and destruction of social programmes is identified as an open programme of social and economic reaction.

Where the Argument Continues

The article leaves open the question of how the Venezuelan working class can independently organise to resist both the coup and the Maduro government's conciliatory strategy. The IMT's call to strengthen and arm the militias, arrest Guaidó, and close the National Assembly is a political demand, not a detailed programme for revolutionary organisation. The argument continues in subsequent IDOM articles analysing the evolution of the Venezuelan crisis, the role of the PSUV bureaucracy, and the Hands Off Venezuela campaign's efforts to build solidarity in the labour and youth movements internationally. Broader Marxist texts on the state, the united front, and the mechanics of imperialist intervention — particularly Lenin's Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism and Trotsky's The Permanent Revolution — provide the theoretical framework for understanding the conjuncture.

Connections

  • Lenin, Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism — for the theory of imperialist rivalry and the drive to control raw materials.
  • Trotsky, The Permanent Revolution — for the analysis of how backward bourgeoisies cannot complete democratic tasks and the necessity of working-class leadership.
  • IMT, Venezuela: The Revolution Betrayed? — for a deeper analysis of the PSUV bureaucracy's role.
  • IMT, Hands Off Venezuela! The Struggle Continues — for updates on the campaign and subsequent developments.
  • Against the Stream episodes on Latin America — for ongoing discussion of the regional balance of forces and the Cuban Revolution's defence.

Key Quotes

  1. "These acts of blatant imperialist aggression are being carried out under the cover of 'democracy' and 'humanitarian aid'. Let us be clear, imperialism lied about its reasons for invading Iraq ('weapons of mass destruction'), lied about the bombing of Libya and has always attempted to find a justification for imperialist aggression."

  2. "The coup has three main aims. One is to smash the Bolivarian Revolution, an aim which Washington has pursued by different means for 20 years. Secondly, this would allow US imperialism to get control of Venezuela's oil and mineral wealth. Finally, this would also serve as a lesson to the workers and peasants throughout the continent and particularly as a clear threat to the Cuban Revolution."

  3. "Guaidó has already announced his programme: the privatisation of nationalised companies (electricity, steel, telecommunications, cement, etc) and the expropriated landed estates; the 'opening up' of the oil industry to foreign multinationals on very favourable terms; mass layoffs of public sector workers; the destruction of all social programmes; privatisation of health care and education; a 'balanced budget'… This is an open programme of reaction on the social and economic fields."

  4. "All socialists, anti-imperialists and consistent democrats have a duty to oppose this coup with all our might. There is no room for vacillation. It is not possible to adopt a 'neither, nor' position in the face of a blatant imperialist aggression."

  5. "This situation has been aggravated by the vacillations of Maduro and the PSUV bureaucracy and their constant attempts to seek a compromise with imperialism and the Venezuelan ruling class. The continuation of that policy today would have disastrous consequences."

  6. "Multinational companies from the countries involved in the coup should be expropriated. The properties of those oligarchs involved in the coup should be expropriated. The landed estates should be handed over to the peasants. These properties should be put under workers' and peasants' control as the basis for a democratic plan of production to address the present crisis and meet the urgent needs of the Venezuelan masses."