Venezuela in Washington's Crosshairs, Ep. 2: “Geopolitics & Double Standards – Caracas to Gaza

This episode was the second in our timely 3-part series "Venezuela in Washington’s Crosshairs: Breaking the Information Blockade," which is co-hosted by Just World Ed's Helena Cobban and Roger Harris of Task Force on the Americas. The series is presented by these two organizations and co-sponsored by the U.S. Peace Council, Code Pink, Veterans for Peace, and the Nicaragua Solidarity Coalition.

This episode featured:

• Jesús Rodríguez-Espinosa, the Editor of the Orinoco Tribune and a former Venezuelan diplomat; 
• Richard Falk, professor of international law and former UN special rapporteur for Palestine (also, a board member of Just World Ed); and
• Corinna Mullin, a leaders in the US Peace Council and the Anti-imperialist Scholars Collective.

Mr. Rodríguez Espinoza spoke with us from Venezuela and described the widespread networks of Bolivárian solidarity that provide resilience for Venezuelan society under the onslaught from U.S. imperialism. He stressed that internal cohesion and international partnerships remained key. He addressed sanctions and framed them as part of a wider strategy to weaken the state and society. 

Dr. Mullin focused on sanctions as collective punishment. She linked them to shortages, economic harm, and media narratives that obscure their impact and challenged the legal basis used to justify these measures. 

Professor  Falk placed Venezuela’s case within international law. He reflected on sovereignty, coercive measures, and the need to hear the perspective of those targeted by power politics. He welcomed analysis rooted in lived experience rather than external narratives. 

The speakers and moderators engaged in a broad conversation on these issues before the webinar closed with a call to confront the information blockade and to ground debate in law, facts, and solidarity.