In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States government has put its tremendous resources towards heightening aggression against its perceived adversaries — notably, Venezuela. The US has long set out to undermine the Bolivarian Revolution — even now, despite international calls to put aside political disputes in this time of rising death counts, unemployment, and famine.

This US-led hybrid war uses a wide range of techniques. Recent efforts in the case of Venezuela include allegations that President Nicolás Maduro and other leaders of his government are guilty of narcotrafficking (though this claim has no evidence, and in fact contradicts reports from the US’ very own Drug Enforcement Administration); a foiled military invasion; the leveraging of international institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to deny aid needed to combat the coronavirus; and heightened sanctions. On paper, the unilateral US sanctions say that medical supplies are exempt. But this — like much of the US narrative to ‘protect’ democracy — is an illusion; the sanctions have prevented Venezuela, Iran, Cuba, and o thers from buying medical supplies in the midst of the pandemic.