Who will be the next long-term head of Venezuela?
Late last night I wrote a draft for this post, and in it I said the following:
Was Maduro’s VP Delcy Rodriguez the mole? Did she cooperate to bring him down? It’s a weird thought and I doubt it’s the case, but it nevertheless occurs to me as a possibility. After all, she knew the US wanted Maduro, and she knew she was next in line, and she knew she’d get points for helping the US bring him down, and she almost certainly had access to information about his movements. Is her reward that they’ll give her a chance to run the country, if she plays ball with the US?
Now I see this:
Delcy Rodriguez has been formally sworn in as new president of Venezuela, amid strong rumors that she cooperated with the CIA to oust Maduro. …
She’s quickly expressed her willingness to cooperate with the United States on the future of Venezuela, in a significant shift in tone following Maduro’s Friday into Saturday morning ‘shock’ abduction by US special forces.
“We consider it a priority to move towards a balanced and respectful relationship between the US and Venezuela,” Rodriguez wrote on Telegram Sunday.
And more than that, her following words convey willingness of Caracas to bend the knee: “We extend an invitation to the US government to work together on a cooperation agenda, aimed at shared development, within the framework of international law, and to strengthen lasting community coexistence,” she stated.
I’m not even going to opine on what I think will happen, because I think it’s way too early.
Here’s Rubio on the subject of what comes next:
And from commenter “TJ,” this seems pretty important, if true:
Apparently, the Venezuelan Constitution has a proviso in the event of unforeseen interruption of top leadership. First, the Vice President now controls their government. Second, he or she must declare an election within 45 days.
When I checked, I found the following, which somewhat resembles it:
Venezuela’s Supreme Court late Saturday ordered Vice President Delcy Rodriguez to become the country’s interim leader, after the United States seized President Nicolas Maduro and whisked him out of the country. …
The judges stopped short of declaring Maduro permanently absent from office, a ruling that requires holding elections within 30 days.
And back in NY, Maduro says he’s innocent, the head of Venezuela, and a prisoner of war. The judge in the case is 92-year-old Alvin Hellerstein, who is an Orthodox Jew and was appointed by Bill Clinton.
We’re watching “an offer which can’t be refused” in operation, it appears.
No actual horses were harmed in this figure.
A family feud between factions of the Venezuelan crime syndicate wouldn’t surprise me. I hope we taped revolvers to the appropriate toilet tanks.
There’s credible reporting that several presidential guards were paid off by the CIA, including one whose daughter needed medical care not available in Venezuela. So it is entirely believable that Delcy Rodriguez flipped before our troops arrived. My reaction is “good for the CIA.”
Might that be the same dame who so charmingly mentioned (in passing) that the whole operation had about it more than a faint whiff of…ZIONISTS?
She’ll make a great prez!
Hit the ground running!!
Until it can be confirmed who controls the military and police, it makes sense to try and work with the existing regime. If Rodriguez can deliver those factions, we will likely work with her until such a time as someone more favorable to a free markets and is willing to tear up any agreements with Iran and China demonstrates control of the military.
This probably is the greatest challenge to success.
Who will be the next long term head of Venezuela?
That’s an easy one. Nicolas Maduro.
You don’t think the Clinton judge and a NYC jury won’t acquit this “poor bus driver” of all charges with Boasberg stepping right after and ordering his repatriation back to Venezuela? Unlike Trump, Maduro has no criminal history so why would these unfounded charges stick?
Shooting around the Presidential Palace in Caracas
Secretary Rubio’s eyes look very tired indeed in that screenshot.
It’s not going to be an easy transition is my guess. An entire apparatus of criminal enterprise will have to be demolished, and the criminals displaced and hopefully taken to justice.
When you think about it, Trump might have just given a huge distracting bone to the intelligence community by saying to them ‘look we’re going into a cleanup phase now and it’s your responsibility to make sure the mop-up gets completed. I wanna know every single back room operation going on in South America that involves Maduro and any other country down there.’
Elections in a couple of months would be great, but the formerly elected leader – is she a babe in the woods, or is she savvy and tough enough to take on this challenge? I would think it’s going to take years of quiet, but energetic and enabled support from the Yanquis. That isn’t usually very popular down there.
Chuck, I just read a report it was a commercial style drone being flown and had nothing to do with the military. Venezuela’s military just overreacted. No coup, although it wouldn’t surprise me if there aren’t clashes between factions in the military at some point.
Wondered where the “soup” would get the weapons.
How solid are the intel and the military now that the boss man is gone? Generals, maybe. Captains? Orders to move out….crap, the trucks have no fuel.
Richard Aubrey
How solid are the intel and the military now that the boss man is gone? Generals, maybe. Captains? Orders to move out….crap, the trucks have no fuel.
The Cubans run intel. Their boss man is in Cuba. They will not go gentle into that good night.
For years the military has been pocketing bribe money from the drug gangs. They will not go gentle into the good night, as they want the drug money to keep going.
I have read that the top military brass pockets the drug money, with very little trickling down to the lower ranks. In support of that, I have also read that enlisted men have trouble getting enough food to eat. (Source: Venezuelan blogs, from years ago. ) If that is the case, taking down the top brass might result in a compliant military.
It’s gonna get “interesting”, though…as the rot isn’t just infecting Latin America.
“Network Of Left-Wing Nonprofits Raced To Counter Trump’s Narrative Of Maduro Raid”—
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/network-left-wing-nonprofits-raced-counter-trumps-narrative-maduro-raid
“Growing List Of Democratic Billionaire Kings & Queens Funnel Millions Into Terror-Tied Nonprofits”—
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/growing-list-democratic-billionaire-kings-queens-funnel-millions-terror-tied-nonprofit
Still lots of work to do and garbage to clean up…especially in N. America.
+ Bonus (Bari Weiss has her work cut out for her):
“Catherine Herridge Reveals How CBS Stonewalled Hunter Biden Laptop Story, Seized Her Files”—
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/catherine-herridge-reveals-how-cbs-stonewalled-hunter-biden-laptop-story-seized-her-files
Tom Cotton said on Fox News (Sean Hannity) that the oil income is what the Maduro regime has been using to pay the military and other “muscle.” That has now dried up because of our sanctions. The regime must play ball with the U.S. government unless the Iranians or Chinese can replace that lost income.
I feel a bit more certain that we can get cooperation from the regime because of that. However, the ball is now in China/Iran/Russia’s court. We have to wait and see what happens.
If Trump and his cabinet can pull this off, it will be a huge step forward in ridding this hemisphere of a lot of problems.
Chuck:
Having lived through an invasion and coup attempt (unsuccessful), I would say that video clip/sound track is not of two sides shooting at each other. It sounds more like people celebrating by shooting into the air, or maybe just trying to keep heads down on the other side of a barrier.
I have read somewhere that Maduro’s government distributed truckloads of military weapons to the civilian population. If that is indeed true, it could be random people celebrating.
So, having been repeatedly cucked by Putin, our brave President is going gung-ho on Venezuela and… Greenland.
Move along, nothing to see here.
Good essay and a sober reminder from Walter Russell Mead.
https://archive.fo/pk1Pl
I don’t yet know who Trump wants, but I’m pretty sure he will be the one deciding, unless he merely decides on some specific process. Like elections in 45 or 30 days.