The VA Podcast, EP #8: The Decommodification of Housing in Venezuela

The Great Housing Mission is one of the flagships of the Bolivarian Revolution. Since 2011 it has provided over 4M houses for low-income families and looks to reach 5M by 2025.

Listen: https://patreon.com/posts/66452175

The Trump administration openly considered a military invasion of Venezuela, going so far as to discuss the plot with opposition figures, former US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper revealed in his recently released memoir.

Esper, who served as secretary of defense from July 2019 to November 2020, wrote in his book, A Sacred Oath, of meetings at the White House on February 5, 2020 between White House officials, including former US President Donald Trump, and Venezuelan opposition figures Juan Guaidó, Julio Borges and Carlos Vecchio.

https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/15530

In this podcast episode, we go over the struggle to decommodify housing under the Bolivarian Revolution.

Listen to the full episode here: http://venezuelanalysis.com/audio/15531

Although Chevron has been the most enthusiastic lobbyist for sanctions relief, the oil giant is not the only corporation gearing for a possible comeback to Venezuela.

An anonymous source told Bloomberg that the alleged relaxation of restrictions against Venezuela’s oil sector would include allowing European oil companies “to divert Venezuelan oil bound for China to Europe” in a move to address scarce oil supplies and skyrocketing fuel costs.

https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/15532

VA columnist Reinaldo Iturriza explains why he thinks the Bolivarian Process needs to "return" to Chávez.

https://venezuelanalysis.com/politics-commons/15533

Venezuela's ambassador to the United Nations Samuel Moncada urged the immediate elimination of illegal US sanctions imposed against 1/3 of Humanity, including the Venezuelan people, in order to address rising food insecurity worldwide.

Watch all the videos here: instagram.com/p/Cd4Fd3rMjgX/

The Venezuelan government launched a new app-based initiative to address deteriorated public services that will facilitate a more direct means of communication between the citizenry and the government.

President Nicolás Maduro said the aim was to break with the bureaucracy that often serves to delay a quick resolution, adding that issues related to water, education, and healthcare would be given priority. Centers throughout the country are tasked with filtering reports and directing them to the relevant state or local institution.

https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/15534

🇻🇪 Aló Presidente stands today as a must-watch to advance the struggle against the imperialist media war and to understand the Bolivarian Process from the voices of Hugo Chávez and the Venezuelan people.

In this video, we remember the iconic program's debut on #23May, 1999.

VA columnist Jessica Dos Santos argues that, despite a tilted playing field, Chavista media should do better in the battle of ideas.

https://venezuelanalysis.com/tales-resistance/15535

According to Reuters, the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is weighing issuing a license by June 1 with some of the conditions Chevron had during 2020, which allowed certain drilling, processing or shipping operations involving Venezuelan oil.

However, with sanctions relief far from materializing, Venezuela has continued expanding cooperation with Iran.

The state National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company (NIORDC) has reportedly signed a €110 million deal ($116 million) with PDVSA to bring the 146,000 bpd El Palito refinery in Carabobo state to full capacity.

According to Reuters, Iranian state firms are also negotiating a contract to restore the Amuay and Cardón refineries which form the 955,000 bpd-capacity Paraguaná Refining Complex in Falcón state, the largest in the hemisphere.

https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/15537

The Brazilian Landless Workers Movement [MST, for its initials in Portuguese] is a powerful campesino organization that struggles for radical land reform. The organization has a long internationalist tradition, and sends solidarity brigades to accompany campesino movements around the world. In Venezuela, the MST’s brigade has been important in assisting the Caribbean country’s communal and campesino movements.

Here we talk with Messilene Gorete, an MST leader now based in Venezuela, about the organization’s work here.

https://venezuelanalysis.com/interviews/15536

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro pledged more support for popular power organizations and their productive efforts.

“I have ordered (Industry Minister) Hipólito Abreu to transfer everything that’s possible, including factories, so they can become communal productive experiences,” he said. Maduro likewise instructed Economy Vice Minister Tareck El Aissami to draw up a pilot scheme to “industrialize” urban barrios.

https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/15538

On Friday, regional leaders gathered at the XXI Summit of the Bolivarian Alliance for the People of Our America - Peoples' Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP) to condemn “the discriminatory treatment at the so-called Summit of the Americas,” to be held on June 6-10 in Los Angeles.

The ALBA countries likewise blasted the Biden administration’s attempt “to maintain the region divided according to its hegemonic interests.”

With the IX Summit of the Americas shaping up to be a political setback for Washington, US lawmakers have also expressed their concern for the White House’s plan to leave certain countries out. On May 26, a group of 12 House Democrats led by Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY), Jim McGovern (D-MA), and Barbara Lee (D-CA) requested Biden to choose a "policy of engagement" instead of "isolation."

https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/15539

The Activist News Network, hosted by Ryan Napoli, offers news, history and analysis on a wide range of topics focusing primarily on Liberation movements, current and historical activism, Revolutionary Pan-Africanism, Internationalism, and the importance of centering the freeing of all political prisoners.

This episode features Venezuelanalysis writer and social media editor Andreína Chávez Alava, who talks about the history and impact of US sanctions, the upcoming Summit of the Americas and the Colombian presidential elections.

https://venezuelanalysis.com/video/15540

United Socialist Party (PSUV) Deputy Diosdado Cabello cited a recent attempted eviction of campesino families on alleged orders of an opposition mayor as an example of the justice system failing. A parliamentary commission is currently investigating the case.

“We want justice to work and not just favor the powerful or those who wield money or influence,” Cabello added.

https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/15541

Industrias del Orinoco, C.A. (Indorca) is a factory without bosses in the industrial city of Puerto Ordaz in Bolívar state, the home of Venezuela’s basic industries. Indorca’s workers carried out a heroic three-year struggle to gain control of the factory after the former owner brought it to a halt. Since 2015, when Venezuela’s Ministry of Labor extended a mandate giving the workers control over Indorca, the enterprise has been democratically managed by the women and men who produce here day in and day out.

In Part I of this two-part interview, the workers of Indorca tell us about their fight to keep the former bosses from dismantling the factory and regaining control of the plant.

https://venezuelanalysis.com/interviews/15542

The US government has reportedly greenlighted two companies to ship Venezuelan oil to Europe as soon as next month.

According to anonymous sources consulted by Reuters on Sunday, the Biden administration has sent letters to Italy's Eni and Spain’s Repsol stating that Washington would “not object” if the energy firms resumed oil-for-debt swap deals with Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA in order to send crude cargoes to Europe.

For its part, President Nicolás Maduro reaffirmed that while these light measures were welcomed Caracas would continue to demand “the lifting of all the cruel and criminal sanctions” levied against the country’s economic sectors.

https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/15543

VA columnist Sergio Rodríguez breaks down the timid and tenuous openings from the Biden administration towards Venezuela.

"In recent times, the US-backed sector has been left out of Venezuela's political playing field after failing in its attempts to violently overthrow the Maduro government, despite counting on financial, military, political and diplomatic support from the US and Colombia.

In this context, it seems that Washington is betting on offering tenuous sanctions relief in exchange for its puppets obtaining some space in the country's political scenario."

https://venezuelanalysis.com/around-world-60-days/15544

In this episode, the team at Venezuelanalysis answers questions submitted by readers and followers. From questions about Venezuela’s relations with its neighbors to the future of the struggle against US imperialism, it’s everything you always wanted to know about Venezuela.

Listen here: https://venezuelanalysis.com/audio/15545

The Summit of the Americas is off to an inauspicious start after several of the region’s leaders followed through on their commitment to skip the event over US President Joe Biden’s decision to exclude Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro called the US-hosted event a “total failure” and said that Argentine President Alberto Fernández would represent the voice of Venezuela at the summit.

https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/15546

Industrias del Orinoco, C.A. (Indorca) is a factory without bosses in the industrial city of Puerto Ordaz in Bolívar state, the home of Venezuela’s basic industries. Indorca workers carried out a heroic three-year struggle to gain control of the factory after the former owner brought it to a halt. Since 2015, the enterprise has been democratically managed by the women and men who produce here day in and day out.

In Part II, we learn about the obstacles that worker-run factories face in a capitalist society and about Indorcas’ collective education projects.

https://venezuelanalysis.com/interviews/15547