Influence through cultural, political, and economic means during the evolution from authoritarian rule to democratic governance
Heck, if I held a gun to your head and demanded all your cash, that'd be no good, pal – that's aggravated robbery. Swindle you into handing over your dough by luring you into a pyramid scheme? That's still robbery, but at least the trauma's under wraps. One method is a flashy, blunt instrument, the other a smooth-talking con artist, but they're both larceny with a twisted purpose.
Now, if we're talking global politics, that's just another name for power plays. Let's take US imperialism extracting regime changes and resources from other countries, for example. That's like comparing the "gun to your head" method (hard power) to the sweet-talk persuasion (soft power) to achieve the same goal. Both methods – brutality and manipulation – serve the same unscrupulous end game.
The terms "hard power" and "soft power" were first coined in the 90s by Joseph S. Nye Jr, former US Assistant Secretary of Defense. He's still kickin' and spittin' out advice about stick-and-carrot policies, stressing that "In the short run, swords are mightier than words, but in the long run, words guide swords." He's got a smirk on his face, but he's pretty dang accurate, those wealthy old geezers.
Nye explains that hard power is kickstarted with military intervention, coercive diplomacy, and economic sanctions. Soft power, on the other hand, is wielded by spreading culture, political values, and utilizing "civil society" initiatives – like funding non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and media outlets, but I'll get to that later.
So, what do you think happened in Venezuela? Well, it was a smorgasbord of both hard and soft power utilized to bring this nation to heel. In recent times, they've tossed the "gun to your head" at Venezuela by imposing oppressive economic sanctions, mainly on the oil industry, and diplomatic efforts to isolate the country. You might think this sanction dance had no effect, but you'd be wrong.
The sanctions waltz suffocated Venezuela's economy and its people, resulting in catastrophic shortages of essential goods like food, medicine, and fuel. Despite the diplomatic isolation, the "self-proclaimed interim government" led by Juan Guaidó couldn't overcome the obstacles and fizzled out, but they still managed to walk away with around $50 million from frozen Venezuelan state funds, all approved by the US Treasury Department. Isn't that a kick in the teeth?
Military intervention? Haven't quite seen that yet, but there have been some close calls, like in 2019 when they tried to orchestrate a humanitarian mission (which was just a cover for intervention) using a deceptive convoy and the 2020 mercenary incursion known as "Operation Gideon."
Though military intervention hasn't been the main tool in Venezuela just yet, they've found it easier to sneak soft power tactics under the radar. One method is using NGOs – organizations disguised as human rights initiatives but promoting US interests and implementing right-wing repression tactics.
This year alone, the US approved a whopping $54 million for "democratic actors, human rights advocates, and other civil society organizations," primarily in Latin America to help with the influx of refugees fleeing Venezuela's humanitarian crisis. These NGOs have had a direct hand in funding anti-government propaganda and spreading narratives that condemn Venezuela's economic crisis as being a direct result of failed socialist policies, insinuating that foreign intervention and a "democratic transition" are needed.
What are some examples of these NGOs doing damage? Well, take PROVEA for instance – a longtime NGO that spreads propaganda about human rights abuses in Venezuela. PROVEA's annual reports are widely quoted by mainstream media, denouncing President Maduro's leadership as unfair and violent. Not to mention, they're also funded by international institutions like the Open Society and Ford Foundation.
Another case is Control Ciudadano, whose president was recently arrested for alleged involvement in a terrorist plot. This organization has been linked to the US Agency for International Development (USAID) since 2017 and is known for revealing information about national security matters, which has been rather detrimental to Venezuela's stability.
To battle these soft power dirty tricks, Venezuela's National Assembly is moving to pass a bill that will regulate and inspect NGOs to prevent further political manipulation under the guise of help from Western imperialism.
They've also been funding anti-government media outlets, like El Pitazo, Efecto Cocuyo, and Caraota Digital. In 2021, it was revealed that the UK government provided funds to these Venezuelan outlets as part of a "democracy-promotion" program. Isn't that quite a lovely name for propaganda?
These soft power tactics have been stretching (and breaking) the bonds between the US and Venezuela for over two decades. And it's not just Venezuela – these poisonous power plays have influenced countless countries around the globe. It's a sneaky game, no doubt, but if we uncover these tricks, we can cut off their insidious tendrils.
- The absurdity of stealing money at gunpoint is no different from tricking someone into handing over their cash through a pyramid scheme – both are forms of robbery, albeit with different methods.
- In the realm of global politics, power plays are just another name for imperialism.
- US imperialism often employs both hard power (military intervention, coercive diplomacy, economic sanctions) and soft power (culture, political values, civil society initiatives) to achieve its goals.
- The terms 'hard power' and 'soft power' were coined by Joseph S. Nye Jr, former US Assistant Secretary of Defense, in the 1990s.
- Nye maintains that while swords may be mightier than words in the short term, over the long run, words guide swords.
- The use of economic sanctions and diplomatic efforts to isolate a country, as seen in Venezuela, is an example of hard power.
- The sanctions imposed on Venezuela's economy led to catastrophic shortages of essential goods, causing significant suffering for its people.
- Despite diplomatic isolation, certain factions in Venezuela managed to misappropriate around $50 million from frozen state funds, with US approval.
- Military intervention has not been the primary tool used in Venezuela, but there have been attempts, such as the 2019 humanitarian mission disguised as intervention and the 2020 mercenary incursion called "Operation Gideon."
- Soft power tactics, like funding NGOs and media outlets, have proven to be more covert and easier to implement in countries like Venezuela.
- US-funded NGOs, such as PROVEA and Control Ciudadano, have been accused of spreading propaganda and promoting US interests while disguising themselves as human rights initiatives.
- To combat these manipulative tactics, Venezuela's National Assembly is proposing a bill to regulate and inspect NGOs to prevent political manipulation.
- Funding anti-government media outlets, such as El Pitazo, Efecto Cocuyo, and Caraota Digital, is another example of how soft power is used to influence countries like Venezuela.
- The use of soft power tactics like these has been a significant factor in the strained relationships between the US and Venezuela for over two decades, and these underhanded power plays can be seen affecting countries around the world.
