The absurdities used by the government to justify US imperialist intervention in Venezuela are endless. Government officials, without even blushing, claim that “anyone who disagrees with US actions is siding with the dictator Maduro”. Walking the same path as the representatives of the right-wing ruling party, New Democracy (ND), are figures from other bourgeois, social-democratic forces as well. For example, the former prime minister and former leader of the “left-wing” SYRIZA, Alexis Tsipras, in his statement on Venezuela, did not hesitate to adopt one of the pretexts of US intervention, that of “democracy”, remarking that it “is also being tested in Venezuela”.
And all this at a time when even the “peacemaker” president of the United States, Donald Trump, openly and without pretence makes it clear that the USA is interested in bringing Venezuela’s oil under its control.
These bourgeois Greek parties, which have elevated Saudi Arabia to the status of a strategic ally of the country, dare to speak about democracy. In fact, part of the Greek armed forces is stationed there, operating a Patriot missile battery in the service of Euro-Atlantic plans. In Saudi Arabia, the judicial system is based on Sharia (Islamic law), and punishments include flogging, amputations, and executions. More than 300 people were executed in 2024 —the highest number ever recorded. Women are treated as inferior and subjected to strict restrictions, while life is hell for thousands of migrants, victims of oppression and brutal exploitation. Any criticism of the regime is met with severe penalties, and strict censorship is imposed on what the media are allowed to write or broadcast.
It is a complete farce for all these people to be talking about democracy!
The KKE, which from the very first moment condemned the US imperialist military intervention in Venezuela, has consistently stood by the working class and the people of Venezuela, as well as by the Communist Party of Venezuela, condemning anti-worker and anti-democratic measures taken against them. At the same time, however, the KKE has never judged one or another president, organization, or party according to the criteria used by the imperialists. NATO, the EU, and capitalist power in general —along with its mechanisms— operate on one set of criteria, while the KKE operates on another. As emphasized in the Joint Statement of the Communist and Workers’ Parties on developments in that country —put forward by the Communist Party of Venezuela and co-signed by the KKE along with many other Communist Parties:
“The real objective was never the defence of human rights, nor the supposed fight against drug trafficking, nor the rhetoric of ‘democracy’, all of which serve merely as pretexts. The true aim has been the direct imposition of the geopolitical and economic interests of US imperialism in Venezuela and the region, within the context of the struggle among capitalist powers for control over energy resources, strategic raw materials, trade routes, and markets”.
What failed in Venezuela and why it was targeted by the USA
Since there are also those who, in light of recent developments in Venezuela, once again revive the argument that “socialism failed —this time in Venezuela”, we refer to the extensive interview given late last year by Dimitris Koutsoumbas, GS of the CC of the KKE, to journalist Panos Haritos. Among other things, he was asked whether “the Chávez socialist model failed, or whether alternative proposals are powerless against the mechanisms of control of the global economy”.
In his response, the GS of the CC of the KKE noted:
“The essence lies in the fact that capitalism, like any socio-economic system, has ironclad laws. Even if you rename capitalism ‘21st-century socialism’ and give a few crumbs more to some sections of the workers, you cannot escape its relentless and exploitative nature. Chávez, and even more obviously Maduro after him, may have spoken grand words about ‘revolution’ and ‘socialism’, but since the time of Marx and Lenin, it has been known that revolution requires profound socio-political changes, which never took place in Venezuela. You cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs. Furthermore, since the country and its economy operate on a profit basis, since labour power continues to be a commodity, and since the country is deeply integrated into the global capitalist economy and trapped in a vice of fierce competition among the strongest players, nothing will change no matter how often the word ‘anti-imperialism’ is invoked”.
The GS of the CC of the KKE also addressed the question of “Why is Trump threatening Caracas?” focusing on the targeting of Venezuela and noting the following:
“A look at the recent US National Security Strategy gives us the answer, which lies in the so-called ‘restoration’ of American pre-eminence in the Western Hemisphere. Who has shaken this pre-eminence? Evidence shows that China is rapidly strengthening its commercial footprint, especially in South America. It is now South America’s leading trading partner and second only to the US across Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. Thus, the US Security Strategy also signals a transition for the American continent to an even more dangerous phase of competition for supremacy in the international imperialist system”.