Yesterday, Venezuelan Opposition Leader Declares Himself Interim President. President Trump Agreed in a Tweet.
The citizens of Venezuela have suffered for too long at the hands of the illegitimate Maduro regime. Today, I have officially recognized the President of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Juan Guaido, as the Interim President of Venezuela. https://t.co/WItWPiG9jK
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 23, 2019
10 nations do not recognize the Venezuelan government
Unfortunately, Venezuela’s Military Backs Maduro.
Venezuela’s military on Thursday threw its support behind embattled President Nicolás Maduro on Thursday, a day after the head of the country’s national assembly declared himself legitimate leader and was recognized by the U.S. and most Latin American nations.
Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino, flanked by the heads of the country’s armed forces, said the military would oppose any effort to remove Mr. Maduro, who began a second, six-year term this month after elections last year that were widely regarded as a sham. Mr. Padrino ended his speech with shouts of “Chavez vive,” a reference to the late socialist strongman Hugo Chávez.
During Mr. Chavez’s time in power, he politicized the military, making sure promotions were contingent on loyalty to him and “Bolivarian” socialist ideology.
In 2008, Mr. Chavez made the military adopt the Cuban-derived motto “Patria, Socialismo o Muerte, Venceremos!” or “Fatherland, Socialism or Death, we will triumph!” That same year, the military was renamed the National Bolivarian Armed Force, making clear ideological identification.
The Venezuelan military is also thoroughly penetrated by Cuba’s crack intelligence services, military officials said. Those who might revolt against Mr. Maduro face a pervasive intelligence unit, overseen by Cuban military advisers, which has snuffed out numerous plots, current and former officers said. “It’s very hard to organize a coup in Venezuela,” said Harold Trinkunas, a Venezuela expert at Stanford University. The military is “divided, corrupt, compromised and closely watched.”
Guns Matter
“The guys who have the guns matter. That’s what being a de facto leader means,” said James Bosworth, head of a Latin America risk-consulting company called Hxagon.
“The point at which the people with guns who can’t feed their families outnumber people with guns who can feed their families—that’s a tipping point,” Mr. Bosworth said.
Mike “Mish” Shedlock
So the US solution as usual, is to set fire to the whole country and create as massive wave of refugees north to the border, destroy the countries ability to produce oil, that competes with the totally insane us oil fraking idiocy, only surpassed by the even more climate crime of Canada’s ridiculous tar sand greed.
All this while complaining that Russia meddled with us elections while claiming that they liberated Libya and destroyed the country.
Why bother saving the planet from climate change, so that the psychopathic elites on both sides can count their millions and billions.
Notice that there is never an attempt to bomb places like Davos, but always a dumb terror attack at a bus stop or train station where the poorest workers are.
It is clear that Trump soon will get an invitation to Dallas, and the next president will be a D Female.
Why is the US so interested in Venezuela all of sudden?
12/13/2018 Two of Russia’s most modern, nuclear-capable bombers landed in Venezuela.
Somewhat comical for the US to step in as arbiter. Half the population and the entire free press consider Trump to be a usurper. The county of LA has more registered voters than it has citizens!!! Have any of these people ever heard of looking in the mirror?
You only read part of the news, the US is late to the party since most S. American countries already reject the authority of Maduro. The continent (I am from Ecuador) has turned decidedly anti-socialism after they’ve seen what it did to what used to be the best country in the continent. And no, that doesn’t come from any news sources here but by reading the comments of friends I have in Ecuador.
No matter how revolting Venezuelans find Maduro, patriotic Venezuelans will consider US support for any other candidate to be sufficient reason to reject that candidate. US intervention will be counter-productive.
Anyways, Americans would be better off fixing their own political system and the drastic democratic deficiecies. Perhaps they could start with getting the electoral process up to snuff, say, on the level of many countries in Africa and the Middle East, which in contrast to the USA, do meet the standards of international observers.
See gun control works, ask any dictator. Govt has killed about 250 million of their own citizens in the 20th century, more than all the wars combined. Makes you wonder why all the socialist left wing democrats are such ardent supporters of gun control
Trump should send troops to capture or eliminate Maduro if he refuses to surrender after first telling Venezuelan military that they will be getting a rain of missiles in their military bases if they attack US forces and telling Venezuelan military that they will be OK and get some US produced steaks soon if they stay in their bases and refuse orders from Maduro’s gang of incompetent socialist generals and stay out of it or side with the Venezuelan people.
Putin is Maduro supporter so by capturing or eliminating Maduro Trump would also finish the Democrats lunacy of inventing some collusion between Trump and Putin in their fever dreams.
“Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.”
— Mao Tse Tung
Elections widely regarded as sham? Seriously?! Maduro and his stacked supreme court did not allow anyone in the opposition to run, hence he ‘won’ by default. It was definitely as sham election, as he was the only person running for all intents and purposes.
“It was definitely as sham election…”
Do you live in Venezuela? Or did you hear it on MSM or somewhere else?
It could be that a majority of Venezuelans voted for socialism because they hate the rich or US or just want a handout. Such things do happen.
Maybe it’s like other “Democratic and Popular” countries where the voting ballot paper has one name.
Sometimes there is another line where you fill in any name you like.
Exactly!
Family from Ecuador, and the plight of Venezuela has turned many of them away from Socialism. Some of my small town friends from Ecuador sound like Trump supporters in their comments about Venezuela refugees in Ecuador.
The news about only Maduro basically running unopposed did not come from the US MSM, but from other sources. If you bother to read what he did with the ‘Constituent Assembly’ you’d know how much of a sham it has been for years. That election was not whether there should be a new Assembly, but who should be in that assembly.
Maduro was elected back in 2013. It’s possible Venezuelans are turning away from socialism as Brazil seems to be. But Bolsinaro came after Trump and appears to be trying to copy him.
Are you serious? Did you miss the 2018 Venezuelan snap elections?
Yes. I did miss the snap elections, whenever they were. I have been primarily occupied with the evil doings of ‘our’ government in Syria: arming head-chopping, organ-stealing, baby-cooking jihadists to take out Syria’s ELECTED government. So pardon me if I am skeptical whenever anyone calls an election in a foreign country a sham.
So we already established that you missed a big story last year, but somehow you are now trying to sound as if you know the whole story in Syria? I’d say you need to get better sources. FYI, had a cousin in Ecuador post today against Maduro, to stop the pain of the Venezuelan people.
Good grief. Maduro took over the courts, banned opponents, and the country is in hyperinflation and starving – what about that don’t you accept?
Was shocked to find a facebook post from a friend in Palmar, Ecuador (6000 pop) calling for the ouster of Maduro.
Before Maduro there was Chavez. Venezuelans elected him after Cabello who took over from Delcy Rodriguez.
All these Venezuelan politicians are socialists in practice if not in name. All have been accused of one form of corruption or another. Yet Venezuelans keep electing socialists because they are socialists.
There is plenty of socialism (and corruption) in the US, too.
How much Beijeng payin those officers,I’m sure their swiss accts got alot fatter.
WOW! Those are pretty fancy uniforms for guys that get paid $3.00 a day.
I think you are confusing the Generals whose very life (and family) rely on them answering the question of “Whom do you support?” the correct way vs the “people with the real guns in the streets” as in the privates/NCOs and junior officers.