US attack on Venezuela. “An action that took place in consultation with the regime's people”
Who rules Venezuela now?
The position of Nicolas Maduro, captured [wraz z żoną] and taken to a New York detention center, was already occupied by the current vice president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez. – She has already been sworn in as president and, according to the constitution, she has the authority to hold this position for 90 days – says Dr. Joanna Gocłowska-Bolek, a Latin Americanist from the University of Warsaw, to Onet. At the same time, it reminds us that Delcy Rodriguez is even more committed to Chavismo than Maduro.
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Who is the current president of Venezuela?
What are the charges against Maduro?
What did Trump do in the context of Maduro?
Why didn't Trump invite Machado to the transition process?
— This is a person deeply entangled in various networks of connections between the authorities and the world of drug business. Rodriguez is a member of the regime, next to her are ministers who are also the architects of the dictatorship that has plunged Venezuela into a political and economic crisis for 25 years, she adds.
— Trump's statements indicate that he would like to see some form of cooperation with this government, composed of people from the regime, but under the control of the United States. It seems that earlier, even before Maduro's capture, Delcy Rodriguez or people close to her had agreed on perhaps exactly such a scenario with the Donald Trump administration. It is possible that one day we will learn the behind-the-scenes of a US military operation. However, everything indicates that this was an action carried out in consultation with the regime's people, as evidenced by, among others, “how easy it was for the Americans to get into Maduro's heavily guarded residence in Caracas and how virtually no military forces responded to the presence of American forces,” he continues.
Delcy RodriguezPAP/EPA/MIGUEL GUTIERREZ
“Trump needed a show”
According to the expert, the US military operation in Venezuela was “excellently planned and carried out.” — We know that Maduro promised Trump that he would give him management of the oil industry. He gave him all these fruits on a plate. This wasn't enough for Trump. He wanted Maduro gone. He needed some scalp. With his support dwindling, Trump needed to put on a show. And this show was this spectacular action that resembles a Hollywood movie – he says.
— To some extent, Venezuela's transformation has just begun. This is the first step. Now a lot will depend on the next hours and days, on behind-the-scenes conversations and arrangements. Some members of the regime may be removed from power, but some will probably participate in this process, he adds.
“This is Trump's biggest mistake”
In the opinion of the Latin American scholar from the University of Warsaw, Donald Trump's biggest mistake is not inviting Maria Corina Machado, the Venezuelan leader of the democratic opposition, who was last year's Nobel Peace Prize winner, to the process of Venezuela's transformation.
Maria Corina Machado – winner of the Nobel Peace PrizeJimmy Villalta/VWPics/Associated Press/East News/East News
— This is Trump's biggest mistake. It was Machado who managed to unite the opposition and lead to the elections, in which Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia won [reżim Maduro nie uznał wyborów z lipca 2024 r. i nie oddał władzy]. They should be at the center of the new order. However, Trump admitted that he had not spoken to the Venezuelan opposition leader at all. He also stated that Machado does not enjoy sufficient support and respect from Venezuela to become its leader. I think two factors contributed to this. After talks with his advisers, Trump concluded that Machado was unable to force Venezuelan troops to allow the opposition to take power in the country. But Trump's hurt pride that Machado received the Nobel Peace Prize was also significant, emphasizes Gocłowska-Bolek.
– This is something that worries me the most, because the process of democratic and economic transformation should primarily involve the Venezuelans who voted for Maduro's departure and are demanding a return to democracy, the opportunity to live in dignity in their country and the return of eight million Venezuelans who have fled the crisis and political harassment over the last decade, he adds.
According to the expert, the changes in Venezuela may take many years. — Nothing will happen tomorrow or in two days. Putting it back together will be a multi-year process. Everything indicates that Trump will want to inject a lot of American capital there and have Venezuela's economic reconstruction under control – I hear.
What's next for Nicolas Maduro?
— Nicolas Maduro will be tried by the American justice system and will probably spend many years in a local prison. The charges against him concern primarily drug business and the creation of a drug state, says the expert.
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