MARCHING TOWARDS WAR : Venezuela & Colombia /Larry Johnson & Lt Col Daniel Davis

Daniel Davis Deep Dive Merch: Etsy store

Russia’s 1990s collapse caused huge human suffering (life expectancy for men fell ~63 → 56), suicides, and long-lasting social trauma; many Russians remember the West’s role as exploitative.

Putin is portrayed as having stopped oligarchs from enriching themselves at the expense of ordinary Russians; this helps explain domestic support and why sanctions are unlikely to force a major policy shift.

Sanctions are compared to long-standing U.S. sanctions on Cuba and Iran — argued to be ineffective at toppling regimes or changing strategic behavior.

The speaker criticizes U.S. foreign policy as zero-sum and hypocritical, arguing the U.S. rarely pursues positive-sum solutions and often acts contrary to its professed values.

BRICS is described as appealing to countries wanting win-win outcomes rather than U.S.-style hegemony.

On Venezuela: recent U.S. rhetoric and moves are characterized as open threats of regime change (assassination, coup, or forcing Maduro out), likely motivated by control over oil rather than an honest narcotics threat.

The speaker disputes U.S. claims about Venezuelan drug trafficking: operationally implausible (e.g., small “cigarette boats” can’t make the trip to Florida without massive refueling), and some footage may be staged or AI-manipulated to justify action.

Allegation that the CIA has used or manufactured narratives (e.g., linking certain groups to major trafficking) to justify covert operations and regime-change plans against Maduro; the speaker calls those actions illegal and shameful.

Historical anecdotes/examples: U.S. investigations into money-laundering and corporate corruption (e.g., Philip Morris using Venezuelan banks and Russian accounts) are used to show the complexity and hypocrisy around “drug/crime” narratives.

Colombia: relations have soured under leftist President Petro; ideological opposition from the U.S. and frictions over drug-policy cooperation were noted.

Counter-narcotics history: earlier U.S. programs (Kingpin strategy, DEA operations) had mixed results — taking out cartel leaders often fragmented networks rather than eliminating trafficking.

Broad critique: U.S. leaders across administrations have used lethal force extrajudicially (“we’ve got a bunch of murderers as national leaders”), and U.S. policy often mixes dubious intelligence, military power, and economic motives.