Extraordinary Threat: The U.S. Empire, the Media, and Twenty Years of Coup Attempts in Venezuela

This book offers a long-overdue correction of the historical record on the diplomatic and political relationships between the U.S. empire and the state of Venezuela. Long a target for hawkish and red-baiting politicians and pundits, Venezuela has served American interests as a rhetorical and political punching bag, providing an external 'threat' for them to point to and target for sanctions, continuing Cold War era policy towards left-leaning nations in the U.S. 'sphere of influence.' Authors Justin Podur and Joe Emersberger argue that the true threat in this lopsided relationship is the one posed to the people of Venezuela by the ever-tightening sanctions regime that makes necessities like food, medicine, and fuel unaffordable, and the repeated coup attempts undertaken by U.S.-backed forces. Extraordinary Threat reexamines the stories Americans tell about their neighbor to the south, and asks for honesty and empathy for the Venezuelan people.