The Grayzone’s Max Blumenthal interviews Heinrich Bücker, founder of Berlin’s COOP Antiwar Cafe, about his prosecution at the hands of the German state for publicly denouncing Germany’s military aid to a Ukrainian government that reveres World War II-era Nazi collaborators and incorporates neo-Nazi battalions into its military.
Bücker also discusses that state of the German antiwar movement as it gathers momentum following mass protests after the February 24 first anniversary of the Ukraine proxy war.
Henry Kamens When the scenario is all mapped out, with different and various levels of conflict between the West and Russia, it is easy to conclude that lots of preparation and game theory has gone into the proffered reports by various think tanks, RAND, Atlantic Council, NATO, EU, etc. But include that with the level of diligence, it is highly ironic to see them getting caught by an investigative journalist blowing up Nord Stream, a strategic pipeline for European Energy Security, and then for them to outright deny it.
It is both sad and amusing How America “Took Out” The Nord Stream Pipeline, and got caught red-handed in the act by investigative journalistSeymour Hersh. The New York Times called the action a “mystery,” but in fact the United States executed a covert sea operation that was kept secret—until now—was never that plausible.
Seymour Subterfuge on the Horizon
All of what is unfolding is known US policy, and there is yet more to come. Let us not forget the first Rand Study last year, which got some press, in which the authors investigated how the United States might use its military posture in Europe (specifically, ground forces) as part of a strategy to deter so-called “malign Russian activities”. That report was basically a roadmap which brought us to where we are now in Ukraine and the world, and it is not hard to predict what comes next.
Was it not Daniel Ellsberg who worked for the Rand Corporation during the Vietnam War who gave us, The Pentagon Papers, officially titled, “Report of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Vietnam Task Force”, and which was the final straw that helped to end that lost war for the US and its erstwhile allies. It was a lost cause, even from the beginning where the French were defeated and warned the US not to get involved, and it would only result in quagmire and eventual defeat.
In short, current circumstances are no accident: it is as if the US military has postured itself in such a way as to provoke Russia to escalate, as has been planned since at least 2014, and perhaps even earlier, at the NATO powwow in 2008 that first opened Pandora’s box by trying to expand NATO and encroach directly on Russia’s national security.
Now we have a new understanding of Deterrence and Escalation in Competition with Russia, a document of 295 pages which went into chilling detail that can be best described as How-to-isolate-and “Provoke” Russia with a joke bag of dirty tricks. Nothing new here, as this has been the policy before and after the Cold War and only better packaged now.
There was also a RAND “study” on the ESCALATION of conflict with RUSSIA up to “nuclear strikes” options – which included something about a “Ukraine” fighting for our “freedom” … (??) Now they don’t know what to do with the situation, as things are not going as planned. It has therefore been decided that it is better to promote fear tactics than seek ways to undo the mess inflicted on Europe and the World by the US.
The West really needs to back down. It won’t though—it will bring us to the edge of total extinction, e.g. the ticking doomsday clock, more akin to a ticking time bomb, and not too far in the future. It is not as if we don’t know the role the US Empire has in “provoking, prolonging and benefiting” from the conflict. It may not only be from a Dr. Strangelove-like event, but it is time to look closer at bio weapons, gains of function, directed evolution, and to revisit the origins and spread of AIDS.
It should be apparent, not only to The Kremlin, that more Western arms for Ukraine will only lead to escalation, and increase the risks of death and destruction for all. In the meantime, we start again with the PR spin, and more Ghost of Kiev-like stories—likely a diversion from the reality on the ground, and how things are not falling into place according to the US and NATO war gamers.
Shifting the Blame
It is so easy to cut loose with recriminations, finger pointing and shifting the blame, as
Caitlin Johnston writes:
“The most common response I get is something along the lines of, “Well if there is a nuclear war it will be Putin’s fault,” as though whose “fault” it is will matter to us while we’re watching the world end, along with the related “Well Russia shouldn’t have invaded then” and “Well Russia should stop threatening to use nukes then.”
People genuinely don’t seem to understand that in the event of a full-scale nuclear war, it will really be the end of everyone—as in the Day After Movie, (1983). The hawks in the US still kind of imagine everyone still being there and shaking their fists at Russia afterward, as they like to sit there “feeling self-righteous and vindicated for correctly saying what a bad, bad man Vladimir Putin is.”
But all that may be the perfect Red Herring, compared to the real threat to humanity, the issue of Pfizer’s reckless research, and bio research under the guise of bio threat reduction, DARPA, undertaken by the US and its strategic partners. “The key to understanding the Pfizer threat is that that there have been no international standards for either the security of such efforts or moral or scientific restriction – nuclear weapons are a joke in comparison.”
Mission Impossible or Mission Accomplished?
Getting back to the blueprints for destabilisation and the distracting attention from the root causes, it is not hard to come to the conclusion that the exit from Afghanistan was treated by the US and NATO as part of the plan to redeploy. Afghanistan was Mission Accomplished, coined by JW Bush Jr, first with Iraq, and then with the latest victim left in worse shape after 20 years of Mission Creep by the allies than when the war started. In other worlds, destroy a country, walk away and declare victory—and the same can happen in Ukraine.
Fast track to now with all the rhetoric of modern battle tanks for Ukraine coming from Germany, the UK and even the US, and German-made tanks being supplied from other NATO countries, suggests they are looking for a PR quick fix, “out of desperation” as the delivery schedule is a day-late-and logistical-dollars short” in support—a nightmare with no end in sight.
Nonetheless, this will prove more a symbolic and token gesture, as if the West was really interested in winning in Ukraine the tanks would have been in place long ago, when they could have balanced the odds on the battlefield a bit more in favour of Kiev. However, they are unlikely to be a game changer.
Not that that would have made any difference, especially considering how US warmongers have protracted the conflict into a slugfest. The refusal to negotiate on the part of Ukraine is based more on the political realities in those countries that pushed Ukraine into this predicament in the first place than any principle of Ukraine’s.
The current doubling-down is only too obvious, with US presidential elections coming up in 2024, with too many political careers and the survival of some parties on the line. It is now wait and see, and let the conflict run its course based on how the votes will be counted, and as the body count increases.
The Real Firefight
The real firefight is in terms of energy policy, and what will be the new world reserve currency – which is related who is holding much of the world’s gold, and whether US hegemony is on its last legs. The unintended blowback from failed intervention is coming from all directions, even Brazil, aside from the places readers of NEO know only too well.
It is not hard to understand that with so many balls in the air, and with too many distractions, they can all crash to the ground at once. But it is likely this one will end like so many other conflicts the US has started and walked away from, leaving a mess in its wake
Now even the British Press is predicting the same scenario, and how others will be left holding the baby, or having to finish the job. It seems that the US really does not have the intention of protecting Europe, or defending it from itself – the mess that the US has made is part of the greater ploys so clearly outlined in various Rand reports.
You can be sure one is likely being commissioned now about how to exit this “proxy war” and save face with honour, and not get slapped with too much mud. The exit strategy is as clear as was it in Afghanistan – get out when things go bad, exit to another part of the world, and start again, Asia.
Asia is looking like greener pastures now. Europe will have to clean up the mess, as predicated in the above linked article: “we simply do not have the military capability to remain so heavily engaged in Europe while ensuring effective defence in Asia. Whatever pleasant reassurances are offered up by American diplomats, the fact is that there will sooner or later be a hard pivot to the Pacific.”
Donald Trump will get the wish he expressed during his term in office, as Europeans will have to shoulder a much greater share of the burden of defending against the potential for Russian attack. This takes us back to Dad’s Army, and the need for an independent European Defence force, as NATO is a paper tiger for all practical purposes, disorganised and not combat ready, especially after sending everything to Ukraine.
Without Turkey, or any hope of American boots on the ground, the paper tiger does not have a very thick skin – more like rice paper, the pun intended. Soon American politicians will be able to sell an honourable defeat by claiming that their departure, and cutting back on the never-ending supply of weapons and materials, has more to do with getting Europe to carry its fair share of the weight—or in addressing the endemic corruption that puts Ukraine on the map.
Let us not forget how the European economy has been subsidised at the expense of American taxpayers, as they were free to direct their funds to their own GDP whilst simultaneously expecting the US to foot their security bill. Meanwhile, they also got cheap energy from Russia, so the free ride is now coming to an abrupt end. As one pundit so well stated, “they can no longer content themselves with getting fat and lazy while the US carries the load.”
Self-inflicted Wound
What is happening in Europe and Ukraine is a self-inflicted wound, a self-made product. Europe should have been more focused on collective regional security and not been so greedy. With a bit of self-interest in mind, this war may never have happened. But now they are going to have to pick up the check, and deal with some very upset voters who want to tack their skins to the barn door.
Europe should go back to what it does best, as Europeans “would rather spend their tax money on welfare/free education/housing migrants/and other fringe benefits” rather than on the military. It should see the brighter side of things, as they are now getting immigrants, albeit costly in the short term, of the right hue, and a religion closer to the dominant European.
This influx will help make up for the demographic crisis Europe is facing, as with any war and refugee flow there can be a silver lining. However the cost is a reverse energy dependence on the US and no return to how it was in the “good old days.”
Fortunately most Europeans are safe, and things are not as bad as in Turkey, and that is now like Ukraine, destruction. The same can be said of the collective West which cannot see or admit openly that their policies are not working, but having just the opposite effect.
Peace with Dishonour
The West would rather attack musicians such as Roger Waters, who gave some interviews and spoke to the UN, much to the dismay of Ukraine and fellow travellers on the proverbial road. The former Pink Floyd band member, like some radical German political parties, is starting to sound as if he has solid feet on the ground in terms of policy and what the future holds.
Former Pink Floyd guys Roger Waters and David Gilmour have taken to fighting over social media. David Gilmour has a Ukrainian daughter-in-law. Last year he released a version of the Ukrainian national anthem under the Pink Floyd name. Roger Waters has been fighting for Palestinian rights, after hearing stories of Zionists raiding and throwing people out of their homes. He claims the Ukrainian civil war started in 2014 when they were ethnically cleansing Ukraine of Russians (plus having Nazis as soldiers, The Azov Battalion).
Waters comes across as anti-Jewish, anti-Ukrainian and pro-Russian to Gilmour. As Dagmar Henn concluded, when The AfD, Alternative for Deutschland, the Hawk, presented a motion for the German government to launch a peace (Dove) initiative, the majority in the chamber declared it to represent The Kremlin in the Bundestag for doing so.
As the RAND papers prove, they have long since reached the point where victory in Ukraine is impossible, and the West must somehow withdraw and save face with honour, which will be hard, even for gullible and vested politicians to swallow.
It is time to study the Vietnam War, the Quiet American, and what hard lessons from there can be applied to Ukraine and to the conflagration in Europe as a whole. Few Americans want to remember Richard Nixon when he spoke of seeking a “victorious peace” in Vietnam, and coined the term “honorable peace” for the first time.
Crucial to Nixon’s plan was the concept of linkage—using the Soviet Union to get the North Vietnamese to negotiate seriously. In this case, perhaps we can use the EU to get the US to do the right thing and negotiate with honourable intentions.
Slovakia needs to make a decision to send MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine, while Poland has officially expressed its readiness to act jointly on the transfer of the jets, Slovak Minister of Defence Jaroslav Nad has said.
“At a meeting of the ministers of defense of EU member states on Wednesday in Sweden, a Polish colleague confirmed that his country would agree with the joint progress of Slovakia and Poland in handing over the redundant MiG-29s of both countries to Ukraine,” Nad wrote on Facebook.
President of Poland Andrzej Duda has announced that Poland is ready to hand over the MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, which the Ukrainian military would be able to immediately use on the battlefield.
The relevant statement was made by President of Poland Andrzej Duda….
“The rest of the MiG-29s that we have in Poland and are now serving in our air force – we are ready to deliver these aircraft and I am sure Ukraine would be ready to use them immediately,” Duda said.
At the same time, Duda mentioned that the training of Ukrainian pilots to operate the F-16 fighter jets is important and quite necessary.
The President of Poland expressed confidence that the Armed Forces of Ukraine will want to be “up to the NATO standard” and, thus, will want to use the F-16 fighter jets.
Statements about the readiness of Poland and Slovakia to transfer MiG-29 aircraft to Ukraine prove that the process has moved on, while Ukraine needs more modern aircraft.
“Supply of aviation systems is good news because it means that the supply of combat aircraft has moved on. Just as the supply of heavy missile systems was launched once, as well as the transfer of tanks to Ukraine,” Yuriy Ihnat, Spokesperson for the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said at a briefing at the Media Center Ukraine–Ukrinform.
***
“Any help with this type of equipment is certainly good news for us as we will be able to strengthen our combat capability,” the spokesperson noted.
Poland has handed over another 10 of the 14 promised Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Defense of Poland Mariusz Błaszczak has said.
“We support Ukraine within the international coalition. In addition to the 14 Polish Leopard tanks, this battalion also includes four tanks from Canada, eight tanks from Norway, and six from Spain,” the minister said at a briefing on Thursday, the European Pravda publication has reported.
According to Błaszczak, he is negotiating with his Spanish counterpart Margarita Robles Fernández to provide Ukraine with “maybe four more” tanks.
He also said that training of Ukrainian troops on Leopard 2 tanks was completed in Poland.
Ukrainian military personnel have completed training on Leopard 2 tanks in Poland. All Polish tanks of this type, which Warsaw intended to send to Kyiv (14 units), are already in Ukraine.
Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister…emphasized that Poland did everything possible to form a full battalion of Leopard 2 A4 tanks.
“In this way, we support Ukraine within the international coalition. In addition to 14 Polish Leopard 2 tanks, this battalion also includes 8 tanks each from Canada and Norway, as well as 6 tanks from Spain,” Blaszczak said.
He did not rule out that after his conversation with Spanish Minister of Defence Margarita Robles, Spain might transfer four additional Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
As reported, Poland sent nearly 250 T-72 tanks to Ukraine. In addition to 14 Leopard 2 tanks, Warsaw intends to transfer 60 more modernized T-72 and PT-91 tanks to Ukraine.
Kawsachun News Several countries have rejected the politicized use of the UN Human Rights Council and the weaponization of human rights against Nicaragua, following the release of a hostile UN expert report.
A speakers list which included DPRK, Venezuela, Belarus, Cuba, Iran, Russia, Eritrea, Syria, and China voiced opposition to the methods of the expert group and the use of unverified findings to call for additional unilateral coercive measures.
The 300-page report (Spanish version) is based on false accounts and allegations and is demonstrably and egregiously selective in its presentation of evidence since the group systematically excluded a large quantity of local sources, including major Nicaraguan news channels which published highly relevant material and reports on specific incidents during the period in question (2018).
International condemnation of the UN expert report during Tuesday’s Human Rights Council meeting can be watched here and a rough transcript can be read below.
DPRK
The DPRK delegation has looked at the report presented before us as a dangerous trend of interference in the internal affairs of a foreign state based on unreliable and credible sources in the case of the U.N. human rights mechanism. It is obviously selective and politically motivated approach and it proves itself that it is another attempt to manipulate the Human Rights Council in its own political interest.
The main goal of this process is aimed at the demonizing a legitimate sovereign state. It is absolutely unacceptable. We continue to oppose and reject any practice in attempt of selectively targeting of a sovereign state and political interference in the internal affairs under the pretext of human rights. We note with appreciation the measures taken by the government of Nicaragua to strengthen its judicial and electrical system and its laws as it centers on the dignity and protection of human rights of Nicaraguans and safeguards peace.
We urge HRC or HRCR to encourage genuine dialog and cooperation with the state, carry out work based on its mandate in an objective and impartial manner, and to stand against politicization, selectivity and double standards over human rights. I thank you.
Venezuela
Just last Friday, the Council held a forced dialog against Nicaragua on the basis of an interventionist resolution that has nothing to do with true protection, promotion of human rights.
Now it is time to look at a report from the new mechanism to bully Nicaragua, fabricated by that resolution. Just to give an example, it questions and suggest changes of its national electoral system. This is a gross violation of sovereignty and of the respect due to noninterference in the internal effects affairs of states. The backdrop to this new offensive was the indisputable results of its municipal elections held in full peace and harmony and a civic celebration with full participation by the people.
Keeping Nicaragua on the agenda of this council is part of a plan orchestrated in order to try to justify the imposition of the illegal, inhuman and unilateral coercive measures against Nicaragua by which are true crimes against humanity. The Government of Venezuela reaffirms its full support to the brotherly people of Nicaragua and its government and will continue firmly to oppose politicization, selectivity and double standards in the work of this Council.
Belarus
The report presented to the Council today and the activity of the mechanism established without the agreement or the interests of Nicaragua are not an instrument for dialog and cooperation and human rights. They merely create additional tension and confrontation, as the authors of the report were not able to overcome their bias and are not attempting to present an objective picture of the situation.
Moreover, they appear to deliberately discord the processes in the country in order to reach unfounded recommendations and conclusions for further exacerbating the situation. This approach does not facilitate the seeking of new opportunities to restore trust and cooperation and leave the situation in a stalemate. The Human Rights Council should stop misusing country topics, the only purpose of which is to provide to exert further pressure on states which select their own path for development.
Cuba
Cuba is opposed and will continue to oppose the resolution that gave rise to this dialog, which shows politicization, selectivity and double standards that prevail in this Council. We must understand that only through dialog, mutual respect and constructive cooperation can we contribute to the promotion and protection of human rights in all countries. President, we reiterate our unflagging support to the Sandinista government and the people of Nicaragua who continue to work tirelessly for sustainable development, peace, justice, well-being and social emancipation.
Cuba : «We reiterate our strong opposition to politicization (..) and unlawful use of the bodies and mechanisms of the United Nations to manipulate the internal situation in Nicaragua, destabilize this democratically elected government, and damage its international image.» pic.twitter.com/Capzz5zS8Y
As we said last week, truly acting for human rights means demanding the immediate cancellation of the unilateral coercive measures against Nicaragua and other countries of the South, whose effects are an obstacle to the full enjoyment of human rights of the peoples of the affected countries. We reiterate our strong opposition to politicization, imposition of punitive measures and unlawful use of the bodies and mechanisms of the United Nations to manipulate the internal situation in Nicaragua, destabilize this democratically elected government, and damage its international image.
Iran
Thank you. The Islamic Republic of Iran vehemently opposes the confrontational debate of the Council on developing countries, including on Nicaragua. The offered approach towards Nicaragua, based on the unverified resources, signifies the negligence of relentless efforts undertaken by the government of Nicaragua in overcoming obstacles and challenges, mainly emanating from opposition. Imposition of unilateral coercive measures that hurdle the enjoyment of people of Nicaragua from their fundamental human rights, in particular economic, cultural and social rights.
The effort and pattern of attacking a sovereign nation in the pretext of human rights irreparably damaged function and idea of the Council. We welcome the efforts undertaken by the government of Nicaragua in improving human rights of their people, especially for their achievements in improving the right to health, education and work. The will and the steps taken by the government of Nicaragua in fighting extreme poverty and eradication of illiteracy are something that should be recognized and supported.
Russia
The Russian Federation has consistently advocated for an objective and non-politicized work within the Human Rights Council. We do not support maintaining the group mandate of the group of experts on Nicaragua. Their report is replete with accusatory rhetoric, and the alleged authenticity of evidence is based on vague phrases such as “There are reasonable grounds to believe..” the authors disregard the adverse effect of unlawful sanctions introduced by the U.S., the UK and their satellites against Nicaragua.
Russia : «After the failed attempted coup in 2018, organized and sponsored from abroad, the collective West is continuing its anti-Nicaragua campaign and the Human Rights Council demonstratively is disregarding the achievements of the lawful government of Nicaragua.» pic.twitter.com/dk9t69Zzwf
Moreover, we are astonished to see the recommendations of the expert to extend sanctions to organizations and individuals. Such declarations fully discredit this mechanism, which is already calling for the use of sanctions as a tool to coerce sovereign states and impose borrowed values on them. Critical attacks against Managua are to a large extent due to Washington, London and aims, as well as those of their satellites, to reshape this country in their own interest as it conducts its independent policy after the failed attempted coup in 2018.
Organized and sponsored from abroad, the collective West is continuing its anti-Nicaragua campaign and the Human Rights Council demonstratively is disregarding the achievements of the lawful government of Nicaragua. The poverty level has fallen by 24 degrees (percent), extreme poverty by 14% and we call upon the (..) to refrain from such politicized attempts.
Eritrea
Eritrea respects the right of developing countries to independently determine their own future and destiny.
We demand that the Council stops the recycling of reports of disparate societies who have decided to take their future into their own hands. We have always advocated that all parties conduct constructive dialog on human rights issues on the basis of equality and mutual respect and with the ultimate objective of safeguarding human rights and fundamental freedoms. Contrary to that, we are witnessing these days, the increasing tendency to establish counterproductive special mandates leading to confrontation and division among member states on the vision on how best could the Council deliver its lofty objectives.
The fact that this Council considers the same issue in Nicaragua, in the in this very same session by itself testifies to the lack of sincerity and objectivity to serving human rights. And we call on the Council to cooperate fully and to understand each other.
Syria
We reiterate our rejection of mandates against countries on political basis and unlawful interference in the internal affairs of a state.. (inaudible, simultaneous interpretation feeds got mixed up)
China
China respects Nicaragua’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, respect its people’s right to independently determine their own future and destiny, and restlessly opposes external forces interfering in its internal affairs under the pretext of democracy and human rights. The UCM’s imposed by certain countries on Nicaragua, a manifestation of power, politics and coercive diplomacy, seriously hindering economic and social development of the country, and gravely violating the human rights of its people.
Such measures should thus be lifted immediately. The Council should observe the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, adhere to the principles of objectivity and inclusive activity, actively conduct constructive dialog and provide no stage for harmonic and domina acts, confrontation and pressuring. The International Committee issued with the consent of the government and its people, do more things that contribute to economic development and improvement of people’s livelihood in a bid to truly advance human rights course in Nicaragua.
Wie wird in verschiedenen europäischen Ländern über den Ukrainekrieg, Waffenlieferungen und mögliche Friedensverhandlungen debattiert? Die Ukraine ist die Ukraine und Frankreich ist Frankreich – so in etwa könnte die Kurzfassung lauten. Denn: Vom westlichen Rand des Kontinents betrachtet ist Osteuropa doch ziemlich weit weg.
Aus französischer Sicht verteidigt sich die Ukraine gegen eine imperialistische Aggression und verdient daher jede Unterstützung. Und also hilft Frankreich, liefert Waffen, Cesar-Raketen und Geld, unilateral und im Verbund von EU und Nato. Frankreich schickt außerdem Soldaten nach Rumänien in die Nähe der Kampfzone. Denn Frankreich ist einerseits ganz prinzipiell davon überzeugt, dass Russland den Krieg nicht gewinnen darf, wie andererseits auch davon, dass es am Ende Verhandlungen zwischen der Ukraine und Russland wird geben müssen. Und davon abgesehen haben die Menschen andere Probleme.
Nur in den allerersten Kriegstagen hat es sehr kurz eine öffentliche Debatte darüber gegeben, ob die Aussage von Präsident Macron, die Nato dürfe unter keinen Umständen Kriegspartei werden, eventuell „unverantwortlich“ gewesen sei. Das war aber keine inhaltliche Frage, problematisiert wurde ausschließlich, ob der Präsident mit diesem Satz Putin zu viel Einsicht in strategische Pläne geliefert und ihm so die Angst vor einem atomaren Gegenschlag der Nato genommen habe. Sonst ist der Krieg ein Thema für Empathie mit der geschundenen Bevölkerung, aber nicht für Streit im sonst so diskussionsfreudigen Frankreich.
Marron probiert Napoleons Hut an Es wäre schön, sich daran zu erinnern, wie Napoleon den Krieg mit Russland begann, wie das russische Militär nach dem Sieg über die Champs Elysees marschierte.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and other House Republicans are planning to visit the J6 prisoners in jail. Greene has said that she has received reports of abuse. To her credit, Greene has visited these prisoners before now. Not nearly enough elected Republicans have visited these prisoners or involved themselves in their defense. Better late than…
Andreína Chávez Alava The women from Caracas’ Antímano Parish have trained themselves to build homes for their families as part of Venezuela’s Great Housing Mission, created by Hugo Chávez in 2011. (Andreína Chávez Alava / Venezuelanalysis)
In Caracas, an army of self-trained women are working to build their own homes while they transform the reality around them.
Commodified housing, shantytowns, evictions and homelessness are worldwide realities and no matter how hard corporate media tries to ignore it, this is one of the most glaring horrors of capitalism.
In contrast, Venezuela’s Great Housing Mission (GMVV) has built over 4,4 million houses for working-class families since 2011, after revolutionary leader Hugo Chávez declared access to land and adequate housing to be human rights and the foundation for a dignified life.
The goal is to reach 5 million homes by 2024.
Furthermore, the program often provides social infrastructure such as schools, subsidized food markets, and recreational and green spaces while houses are handed over equipped with basic household appliances. As a result, extreme structural poverty in Venezuela went from 10,8% in 1998 to 4,3% in 2018, according to the last available report published by the National Statistics Institute (INE).
The GMVV’s reach hinges on popular power with over 70% of the constructions reportedly self-managed by communities, with financial and logistical support from government institutions. This helps to significantly reduce costs.
To understand its success despite an ongoing economic crisis under crippling US sanctions, we visited a women-led construction project that has become a staple of the social program and an example of grassroots feminism. The AVV Jorge Rodríguez Housing Assembly began construction in 2017 but suffered several setbacks following the imposition of US sanctions. (Andreína Chávez Alava / Venezuelanalysis)
Building the future
The beautiful Antímano Parish in southwestern Caracas has an army of self-trained women working year-round to build homes for their families and transform the reality around them. Their story began almost 12 years ago when they gathered for the first time to create the AVV Housing Assembly (“Asociación Viviendo Venezolano”) Jorge Rodríguez Padre.
The entire project took off because of women’s leadership. Ayari Rojas and Ycedia Bodeo, both mothers and main spokespeople of the project, began this journey in 2012 and were responsible for bringing together the 96 families that will benefit from the self-managed endeavor.
“We are here because of President Hugo Chávez. Although the Great Housing Mission was created to provide homes for the families affected by the heavy rains of 2010-2011, Chávez realized the need to speed up the housing revolution and he instructed us to organize for that purpose. So we did,” Rojas explained to us.
For the Antímano women, the task ahead was clear. “First we began holding meetings to discuss the participatory character of our project,” continued Bodeo —“and we started training in architectural building design, measurements, ergonomic systems and everything related to pre-construction work.”
In 2015, they located a beautiful area with breathtaking mountain views in the El Algodonal neighborhood, which had been abandoned by its owner with tons of metal scrap waste. “We are not invaders as some have called us, we did everything legally,” Bodeo said, reminding us that right-wing factions have always opposed land being used for the benefit of the people, not capital.
Obtaining the collective land title was their first popular victory but construction work proved to be far more difficult in a besieged country. This phase began in 2017 after cleaning up the terrain, training some more, and outlining the project: twin six-floor buildings, each with 48 apartments of 66 or 76 square meters (two or three bedrooms depending on each family’s requirements).
“It has been five years of self-construction efforts while living under constant attack, from induced food shortages, which meant spending hours looking for products, to national blackouts and a pandemic but the worse aggression has been the unilateral coercive measures from Washington,” recalled Rojas.
Since 2017, the US blockade has hampered every sector of the Venezuelan economy, especially the oil industry, which created many obstacles for the government to finance social programs, among them the Great Housing Mission, resulting in delays and long pauses in delivering construction materials.
Rojas is certain that without this imperial aggression, which has hit women the hardest, their homes would have been completed a long time ago. Nonetheless, they continued advancing by relying on solidarity. “We contacted other housing assemblies nearby and began exchanging construction materials, such as cement for pipes, according to every organization’s needs. Popular power at its best!”
Now one of the apartment buildings is set to be inaugurated this year and is expected to be a national celebration. “This goes beyond building homes for our families,” —emphasized Claudia Tisoy, a 44-year-old mother and self-trained plumber — “we are also building the future of our country, with women leading the way. This is what the socialist horizon is all about.” Women take a lunch break before continuing construction work. Meals are prepared by their own community using products supplied by each of the 96 families. (Andreína Chávez Alava / Venezuelanalysis)
A women’s revolution
It is unusual to see women doing construction work but it is even more unusual to see an army of them. This is what we found in the El Algodonal neighborhood. From the moment you set foot inside the building complex, women greet you while performing a variety of tasks, ranging from concreting to wheeling materials, carpentry, plumbing, and more.
And it’s not that men are missing, but 80 percent of the people who lifted these walls were women, 76 to be precise, with each of the 96 families providing one person for construction work. Not only that, but they also trained themselves in everything.
“None of us knew anything about construction! Mixing cement and laying bricks? No way!” Yusgleidys Ruiz told us laughing as she recalled their beginnings. “Truth is,” she continued, “most women here are housewives who wanted dignified houses for their children so we learned by doing and we have become warriors in the process.”
Ruiz explained that the key to their success has been their ethic and commitment. They are divided into groups that have weekly 24-hour working shifts, for construction during the day and guarding the area during the night, which allows them to keep the project active year-round.
For Ursulina Guaramato, the experience has turned her into a construction rod expert as she proudly admits. “I’m guilty of all that,” she said smiling and pointing to the steel connections that stretch out from some unfinished pillars on the highest floors of the building.
Similarly, Andreína Sanmartín is referred to by her working companions as the indisputable winch machine specialist, a title she has proudly accepted. “I’m happy because I’ve learned so much about construction and the best part is that I did it while building a home for my family, to give them a better quality of life, a dignified life, like Chávez used to say.”
For their part, the men, most of them self-trained builders as well, agreed that it has been an honor to work among women and learn alongside them about the power of grassroots organization.
“We make all our decisions as an assembly, where everyone has a voice, so this experience has also been about learning how to build popular power and how it can lead to real change. When I have grandchildren I will them the story about the women who constructed all this, not just the buildings but a community,” said Carlos Villanoel.
Antonio Rodríguez, a self-trained carpenter, chipped in to add that women’s leadership made this housing project possible “which is why our main motto is: When a woman advances, no man retreats!” Decisions are taken collectively in weekly assemblies where every family representative voices their opinion. (Andreína Chávez Alava / Venezuelanalysis)
Community and self-sustainability
With their homes close to being finished, the men and women from the Jorge Rodríguez Padre Housing Assembly want to become the guarantors of Venezuela’s Great Housing Mission continuation by helping other self-managed housing constructions kick off.
They are not selling snake oil either. They have been certified by architects and engineers who have inspected the site and some of the women, including leaders Ycedia Bodeo and Ayari Rojas, have even earned credentials in their respective areas of specialization.
“Passing our knowledge will help more women empower themselves, build their homes and transform their lives for the better. Before Chávez, women were invisible, even the heroines that fought for our country’s freedom. It is time to unleash the heroines that we carry in our blood!” expressed Bodeo.
Another future plan is developing urban agriculture following Chávez’s command that popular power organizations should be self-sufficient and own the means of production. With Venezuela under constant imperialist aggression, these self-managed production endeavors have sprouted across the country, although mostly in rural communes.
The idea is for the 96 Antímano families to become partly self-sustainable over time, harvesting the land that will feed future generations. And they have 2,000 square meters of land for that purpose with a socio-productive unit already running which uses a nutrient-rich and toxic-free compost made by themselves through vermiculture.
“We have a large area for agriculture and we have seen some very good results growing vegetables and legumes as well as fruit plants such as soursop, guava, avocado, papaya, banana, lemon, orange, passion fruit, and pumpkin. We also have a few pigs, ducks and rabbits,” Rojas detailed.
She recalled that during the worst times of the economic crisis, these harvests helped their families survive and they even gave away plenty of food to nearby communities.
However, because this is also a self-learning process, it hasn’t always been a success story and they need more equipment to make it truly sustainable. “When the rain runs out, our production also dries up, this is why we need an irrigation system and to form ourselves more extensively in urban agriculture,” emphasized Rojas.
According to the popular leader, several government institutions have already pledged to provide all the necessary inputs for the community to fulfill their mission.
“We feel very optimistic about our future projects. The men, and especially the women, are ready to continue building a strong community and a brighter future,” she concluded.
: «We reiterate our strong opposition to politicization (..) and unlawful use of the bodies and mechanisms of the United Nations to manipulate the internal situation in Nicaragua, destabilize this democratically elected government, and damage its international image.» 
: «After the failed attempted coup in 2018, organized and sponsored from abroad, the collective West is continuing its anti-Nicaragua campaign and the Human Rights Council demonstratively is disregarding the achievements of the lawful government of Nicaragua.» 
Der Friedensstifter 