US Should Plot a Roadmap to Freedom for Venezuela, Not Just Oil
The US raid on Venezuela that led to the capture of former dictator Nicolás Maduro has left many wondering who is actually running the country. The answer is still the same: a group of crooks who have been in power since 1999.
President Donald Trump claims to be running Venezuela, posting a picture of himself on social media calling himself "Acting President" and describing Delcy Rodriguez, his former vice-president, as a "terrific person" who will follow his commands. However, Rodriguez is still under pressure from the US naval blockade that could cripple Venezuela's vital oil exports.
While Maduro has released dozens of political prisoners since his capture, more than 800 remain in detention according to human rights groups. Rodriguez has vowed to increase oil shipments to the US and continues to refer to her former boss as the "legitimate" president of Venezuela.
What's disturbing is that despite Trump's claims, little has changed for Venezuelans. The regime remains in control, with powerful officials like Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Defense Minister Padrino Lopez still holding key positions. The "colectivos" paramilitary squads continue to patrol the streets, detaining those who have posted anti-Maduro statements online.
Trump's approach is short-sighted and may even perpetuate a bloody dictatorship and scare off foreign investors. He should be promoting democracy, not just oil exports.
A roadmap for Venezuela's restoration of democracy would include steps like restoring press freedom, voting rights for the more than 8 million Venezuelans living abroad, and free elections. This would require a thoughtful approach that takes into account the complexities of Venezuelan politics and society.
Former US Ambassador to Venezuela Charles Shapiro suggests appointing a group of neutral notables to negotiate a roadmap toward restoring basic freedoms and setting the stage for free elections. These individuals could include university presidents, bishops, or other respected community leaders.
It's time for the Trump administration to stop making promises it can't keep and start plotting a real roadmap for Venezuela's freedom. Anything less would be a dereliction of its duty to promote democracy and human rights in the region.
The US raid on Venezuela that led to the capture of former dictator Nicolás Maduro has left many wondering who is actually running the country. The answer is still the same: a group of crooks who have been in power since 1999.
President Donald Trump claims to be running Venezuela, posting a picture of himself on social media calling himself "Acting President" and describing Delcy Rodriguez, his former vice-president, as a "terrific person" who will follow his commands. However, Rodriguez is still under pressure from the US naval blockade that could cripple Venezuela's vital oil exports.
While Maduro has released dozens of political prisoners since his capture, more than 800 remain in detention according to human rights groups. Rodriguez has vowed to increase oil shipments to the US and continues to refer to her former boss as the "legitimate" president of Venezuela.
What's disturbing is that despite Trump's claims, little has changed for Venezuelans. The regime remains in control, with powerful officials like Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Defense Minister Padrino Lopez still holding key positions. The "colectivos" paramilitary squads continue to patrol the streets, detaining those who have posted anti-Maduro statements online.
Trump's approach is short-sighted and may even perpetuate a bloody dictatorship and scare off foreign investors. He should be promoting democracy, not just oil exports.
A roadmap for Venezuela's restoration of democracy would include steps like restoring press freedom, voting rights for the more than 8 million Venezuelans living abroad, and free elections. This would require a thoughtful approach that takes into account the complexities of Venezuelan politics and society.
Former US Ambassador to Venezuela Charles Shapiro suggests appointing a group of neutral notables to negotiate a roadmap toward restoring basic freedoms and setting the stage for free elections. These individuals could include university presidents, bishops, or other respected community leaders.
It's time for the Trump administration to stop making promises it can't keep and start plotting a real roadmap for Venezuela's freedom. Anything less would be a dereliction of its duty to promote democracy and human rights in the region.
come on, Trump, if you wanna be serious about helping Venezuela, stop playing games and give us a real plan. Like, we know oil exports are important, but democracy is more important than getting your hands on some cheap oil 
. Maduro might have been caught, but he's still got the whole regime thing going on, and as long as they're in power, not much is gonna change for the little guy 
. I mean, come on, 800+ people still locked up? what a joke 
. give us some real leadership, Trump, not this oil-for-democracy nonsense 
so trump is trying to act like he's in charge of venezuela now? newsflash, dude: you're not even close. all these "promises" he's making are just empty words to get some brownie points with his base. what about actually doing something to help the people of venezuela instead of just tweeting about it? 
I was saying, Trump thinks he's got everything under control but it seems like nothing's changed for Venezuelans really 
. And then some expert says that if Trump wants to promote democracy, he needs to give the people a say in free elections and stuff like that 
. It sounds right, but it's not gonna be easy because of all the complexities with Venezuela's politics and society... 
I remember when we were talking about how the "colectivos" are still out there detaining people who speak out against Maduro 
. Trump needs to think this through before he makes any moves 
. Trump's "acting president" move is just a joke, right? I mean, who needs an acting anything when you've got a regime that's been rigged since 1999? Maduro might be gone, but the crooks are still running the show 
.
. The only thing they're getting is propaganda from Maduro's crew. It's time for some real change, not just oil exports 
.
. A roadmap for Venezuela's freedom? Yeah, that sounds like a great idea 
. Let's get to work on that! 