U.S. Pulls Family Members of Embassy Personnel Out of Deteriorating Venezuelaby John Hayward28 Jul 2017255 The United States ordered the family members of employees at the embassy in Venezuela to leave the country Thursday and gave embassy personnel themselves the option to leave if they wish, as a vote that could either wipe out the last vestiges of democracy or unleash a full-blown civil war rapidly approaches.
Reuters notes that deaths are now being reported on a daily basis from the streets of Venezuela, opposition leaders are threatening to barricade the streets, and international airlines are beginning to suspend flights into the country due to security concerns.
The government has banned protests until after President Nicolás Maduro’s attempt to take over the constitutional assembly is resolved on Sunday, which increases the odds of violent confrontations on the streets. Indeed, opposition leaders are openly calling for demonstrations that would violate the government’s decree.
On the other hand, the general strike called for this week does not appear to have been embraced as robustly as the opposition hoped, possibly because Venezuelans are starving and terrified that what remains of their national economy will collapse. This may portend a less explosive reaction to the Constituent Assembly vote on Sunday than many observers feared.
Maduro held a rally in Caracas on Thursday in which he denounced “Emperor Donald Trump” for threatening sanctions if the Sunday vote proceeds as scheduled.
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http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2017/07/28/u-s-pulls-family-members-embassy-personnel-deteriorating-venezuela/
