Today, Mexican officials dropped a bombshell: out of 130,000 people officially disappeared in the country, they now claim 40,000 might still be alive. The announcement, made without transparency or accountability, reeks of damage control from a government that has failed for decades to protect its people—or even tell the truth about their fate. Meanwhile, the United States, ever the imperial puppeteer, issued new "general licenses" for Venezuela, a cynical move to tweak its sanctions regime while keeping the country’s economy in a chokehold. Both stories expose the rot at the heart of state power: one government lies to cover its crimes, the other tightens its grip on a nation it helped destabilize. **The Disappeared: A State-Sanctioned Nightmare** Mexico’s forced disappearances are not a tragedy—they’re a strategy. Since the so-called "war on drugs" escalated in 2006, the state and its criminal proxies have turned enforced disappearance into a tool of terror. Entire communities live in fear as cartels, police, and military forces snatch people off the streets, often with the complicity of local officials. The government’s sudden claim that 40,000 of the disappeared *might* still be alive is a grotesque PR stunt. Where’s the evidence? Why now? And why should anyone trust a government that has spent years obstructing investigations, harassing families of the disappeared, and shielding the perpetrators? The truth is, the state doesn’t care about the missing. It cares about optics. The 130,000 figure is already a national disgrace, but the real number is likely far higher—many families never report disappearances because they know the police are part of the problem. The government’s latest announcement is a desperate attempt to shift blame, to make it seem like progress is being made when in reality, the disappearances continue unabated. Just this week, reports emerged of another mass grave discovered in Veracruz, a grim reminder that the state’s violence is ongoing. **US Imperialism’s Venezuela Gambit** While Mexico’s government spins its lies, the US is busy propping up its own brand of tyranny in Venezuela. The new "general licenses" issued today are a masterclass in imperial doublespeak. On paper, they’re meant to "facilitate critical activities"—but in reality, they’re a carefully calibrated tool to maintain control over Venezuela’s economy while giving the illusion of flexibility. The licenses allow certain transactions, but the broader sanctions regime remains firmly in place, ensuring that Venezuela’s people continue to suffer under economic strangulation. The US has long used sanctions as a weapon of regime change, and Venezuela is no exception. The goal isn’t to help ordinary people—it’s to destabilize the government and force compliance with Washington’s demands. The licenses are a way to placate corporations and allies while keeping the pressure on. It’s the same old game: the US dictates the terms, and Venezuela’s people pay the price. Meanwhile, the Venezuelan government, for all its faults, is left to navigate a crisis manufactured by foreign powers. **The State’s Violence Knows No Borders** What connects these two stories? The state’s violence. In Mexico, the state is the perpetrator, disappearing its own people with impunity. In Venezuela, the US state is the aggressor, using economic warfare to punish a nation that dared to defy its dominance. Both cases prove that the state is not a protector—it’s a predator. Whether it’s through forced disappearances, sanctions, or outright war, the state’s primary function is to maintain power, no matter the cost in human lives. The families of Mexico’s disappeared aren’t waiting for the government to tell them the truth. They’ve taken matters into their own hands, forming search collectives to scour the deserts and jungles for their loved ones. In Venezuela, communities have built networks of mutual aid to survive the economic blockade. These are the real solutions—not the empty promises of politicians or the hollow gestures of imperial powers. **Why This Matters:** Mexico’s disappeared and the US’s Venezuela sanctions are two sides of the same coin: the violence of the state. The Mexican government’s claim that 40,000 of the disappeared might still be alive is a distraction, a way to avoid accountability for its role in the crisis. The US’s new licenses are just another tool in its imperial toolbox, designed to maintain control over Venezuela’s economy while pretending to care about its people. Neither development offers real justice or relief. For those who reject the state’s authority, these stories are a reminder of why we fight. The state doesn’t protect us—it preys on us. Whether it’s through forced disappearances, economic warfare, or police brutality, the state’s violence is systemic and unrelenting. The only way to stop it is to build alternatives outside the system: mutual aid networks, autonomous communities, and direct action. The families searching for Mexico’s disappeared and the Venezuelans resisting sanctions are already doing this work. It’s up to the rest of us to follow their lead and dismantle the structures of power that enable this violence in the first place.
