Signs of Trouble from Venezuela's Regime Could Be Subtle at First

"Turmoil in Minneapolis and the unprecedented friction within NATO over President Trump's effort to secure control over Greenland have, predictably, displaced headlines about Venezuela in much of the daily press. But there have been at least a number of important statements from the U.S. and one disturbing statement, reportedly, by Venezuela's interim president since the U.S. apprehended Maduro and his wife."

"On January 20 th, in a press conference, President Trump said he was considering a role for Venezuela's democratic opposition leader, Nobel laureate Maria Corina Machado. This was a very encouraging statement. The opposition has the support of the vast majority of Venezuelans. As has been widely reported and well documented, they won the July 24 national election by an enormous margin despite regime efforts to undermine their campaign."

Turmoil in Minneapolis and NATO friction over Greenland displaced headlines about Venezuela. President Trump said on January 20 he was considering a role for opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. The opposition won the July 24 national election by an enormous margin despite regime efforts to undermine their campaign. Maria Corina Machado is pro-American, pro-private sector, and open to foreign direct investment. The interim regime led by Delcy Rodriguez held on through intimidation after the July vote. The U.S. apprehended Maduro and his wife. Rodriguez moved quickly to squelch public expressions of relief and signaled continued authoritarian consolidation.

Read at The Cipher Brief