The Invasion of Venezuela

[Innula Zenovka]

This Venezuelan doesn't - and the sentiment is actually fairly widespread among other Venezuelans I know.

She -- or her proxy, rather, after Maduro banned her from standing -- did win the presidential elections in 2024 by a massive majority, at least according to most international observers. I'm fully prepared to believe that this was a vote against Maduro and his regime rather than a positive vote for her right-wing policies, but doesn't it give her some democratic legitimacy? Or should she just bow out gracefully and accept that Maduro's former VP and the rest of his regime will carry on pretty much as before at home, with Trump and Rubio running the country's oil exports and disbursing the proceeds?

I don't know anything about Venezuela except what my friend there tells me, so I ask because I don't know. For what it's worth, he's no great fan of hers, either, but still less is he a fan of the regime that's been left in place. And, of course, he's none too happy about the way the 2024 election was rigged and his vote ignored.

ETA

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[Innula Zenovka]

Welcome to Trumplezuela!

A country like the world has never seen before

davidaaronovitch.substack.com

 

[Sid]

No man can tame a tiger into a kitten by stroking it. - President Roosevelt.

If the world treats Trump like he is an emperor, he will act like one.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

No man can tame a tiger into a kitten by stroking it. - President Roosevelt.

If the world treats Trump like he is an emperor, he will act like one.

I don't know that Trump is a tiger, though. He's a petulant narcissist, without boundaries or inhibitions, and unfortunately, thanks to US voters, the Cheeto Caligula does have pretty much imperial powers, at least for the time being, and the rest of us have to live with it.

While some people -- US local and national politicians, judges, media organisations and protest movements can, and should, stand up to him, as can foreign governments and intergovernmental organisations, not everyone is able to do that, particularly if they're trying to persuade him to do something.

Defying him and provoking a tantrum may be the most principled and satisfying course of action but it may not always be the most successful one.

 

[Sid]

I don't know that Trump is a tiger, though.

To me he comes across as a full blown predator, like a tiger.
Not the brightest bulb, but aggressive, hard to read and basically unpredictable.

 

[Veritable Quandry]

A tiger with brain damage is still a tiger. And like any wounded animal is more dangerous because of it.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Exchanging gold with Donni...

 

[Innula Zenovka]

While I doubt there's a single "real reason" for many major events, this is certainly an interesting analysis of what may well have been one consideration

The Real Reason Why the US Overthrew Venezuela

And why it all started in China in November 2025

kasperbenjamin.substack.com

 

[Innula Zenovka]

They're discussing Venezuela at Davos: Venezuela has 'the stability of the cemetery"

Ricardo Hausmann, director of Harvard’s growth lab, says the country is experiencing the “ultimate case of whiplash”.

He says the extraction of Nicolás Maduro by the US (along with his wife Cilia Flores) was received as fantastic news.

He says a criminal organisation had taken over a country, and that “Alibabi and the 40 thieves are now Alibiba and the 38 thieves”.

 

[Free]

Cemeteries are a pretty stable business where I come from. Though customer retention tends to drop off over time...

 

[Katheryne Helendale]

Cemeteries are a pretty stable business where I come from. Though customer retention tends to drop off over time...

I mean, people are just dying to get in.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Reuters:
Rubio cites Venezuela progress, says US not planning more use of force
Exclusive: US intelligence raises doubts about Venezuela leader's cooperation

 

[Cindy Claveau]

I am still --- STILL -- waiting on this cockamamie buncha hooligans to explain their reasons for kidnapping the leader of another state. A reason, preferably, that includes a credible reference to international law.

The only reason there isn't more outcry is because Maduro is not a guy you want to keep around.