Thread: American coup in Venezuela

'Conflict or submission' in Venezuela power struggle

Juan Guaido's popularity is increasing but China and Russia are helping to keep the socialist leader Nicolas Maduro in power.
By Stuart Ramsay, chief correspondent, in Venezuela

Tuesday 5 March 2019 22:07, UK

Grinning from cheek to cheek and standing on a stage in front of tens of thousands of supporters, Juan Guaido reached into a pocket and brandished his Venezuelan passport with a flourish.

"You were worried about my passport? Here is my passport, it's safe!" he said, as the crowd roared their approval.

A couple of hours earlier he had walked through passport control at Simon Bolivar airport like any other traveller arriving on a commercial flight to the capital Caracas, he emerged to screams of delight from supporters in the arrival hall.

The question asked by many here is simple - why wasn't he arrested?

At the airport a number of European diplomats and the United States Charge d'affairs had come to "observe" Guaido's return.

When asked what they were "observing" one confirmed they were there to ensure that the "constitutional requirements" around Guaido were not broken.

Basically, as speaker of the national assembly here, Juan Guaido is immune from prosecution unless a whole set of supreme court hearings and decisions are passed removing his immunity.

It's rumoured here, and trust me there are many rumours, that the supreme court couldn't actually get enough judges to a meeting to have a quorum to pass the issuing of an arrest warrant for Guaido.

True or not, there doesn't appear to be an arrest warrant anyone knows about and, even if there was, the diplomats were there to witness the arrest and would report immediately to their respective governments.

The United States has already warned of a "significant response" to any detention of Guaido.

But regardless of arrest warrants or anything else it is worth remembering that he had left the country in secret despite a court ruling forbidding foreign travel.

He had flown around South American countries drumming up more support from international leaders and he continues to call for the removal of Nicolas Maduro and the collective mutiny of the security services here.

In Venezuela that gets you banged up for sure.

But he wasn't.

The immigration authorities did nothing and stamped his passport, local police officers were seen clapping Guaido's arrival and the feared national guard, one of Maduro's three hardline enforcing forces, didn't intervene at all.

Is this significant?

Well it could be a sign that the authority of the government is diminishing, the growing popularity of Guaido is persuading law officers to just leave it to someone else to take the flak or that the security apparatus is slowly rupturing.

Certainly more military personnel on the border with Colombia have deserted.

Around 600 have crossed over so far.

Guaido is definitely very popular and that is growing: a recent poll here showed he would win 70% of votes if free elections were held.

So it could be all of the above.

A political adviser and doctor of political sciences here agreed to speak to me on condition of anonymity to explain the opposition's own analysis of what is going on.

In essence there are two points of view.

First, the most optimistic, is that there is what they call a "progressive breakdown" in the government.

The international pressure and, much more importantly, US-targeted sanctions, are slowly but surely crippling the Maduro regime hierarchy.

"We don't know all the judges, the generals, the ministers and what they get up to, but the United States does," she told me.

"The sanctions will be hitting them hard because the US knows where the money is, who they deal with, who they are related to. They can make life very difficult," she added.

Certainly the United States favours sanctions and it's a tried and tested weapon around the world.

But attempting to undermine the foundations of a system in the belief that the whole system will fall down either takes a long time or won't work.

The second, and considerably less optimistic, view is that the government IS feeling pressure from the international community and is attempting to avoid a major confrontation by arresting Guaido and locking him up, but that is because they don't actually fear him at all.

He is a nuisance and the rallies are annoying but nothing has changed.

"It could be a sign of weakness but it probably isn't," the adviser continued.

"The government knows its resources and its strengths and they know how to use it to stay in power.

"Chavez was a master at it. There were always problems but he dealt with them. These people know what they are doing," she said.

While much of the international community is supporting Juan Guaido, Russia and China are not.

They are supporting Maduro, and even if they don't give him all the money he would like, they are extending a credit line that can easily keep him operating for now.

Their advisers, I would suspect, are telling him to weather the storm.

It has worked in Syria if one needs an example.

So how does this move on?

At the current rate it is stalemate.

More rallies, thousands on the street - so what?

With the military on board Maduro is safe.

Some of the opposition believe that the demonstrations must target military institutions and must inevitably turn violent; basically they are arguing there is no revolution without blood.

I don't think the opposition is there yet.

But as a senior member put it to me: "It's conflict or submission."

https://news.sky.com/story/its-conflict-or-submission-in-venezuela-power-struggle-11656153

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Juan Guaido's popularity is increasing amongst the globalist elite, but China and Russia are helping to keep the socialist leader Nicolas Maduro in power.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Grinning from cheek to cheek and standing on a stage in front of tens of thousands of supporters, Juan Guaido reached into a pocket and brandished his US dollars given to him by his warmongering Americunt masters.

FTFY.

Originally Posted by The Shining Light

FTFY.

You're probably right. And if he buys food with it they'll love him even more.

Where are the invasion pics, Klong dyke?

what the hell is goner happen this weekend,guaido had already organized a protest rally for SAT. now since his trips abroad and he is back on home soil,MADURO has called for his supporters to do the same this Saturday.surely this is goner be WAR.

Originally Posted by OhOh

If you encounter a roadblock, turn around and get to a safe area.

Somewhat similar as to what the Thais do.

Originally Posted by headhunter

what the hell is goner happen this weekend,guaido had already organized a protest rally for SAT. now since his trips abroad and he is back on home soil,MADURO has called for his supporters to do the same this Saturday.surely this is goner be WAR.

That's a cunning plan. Chavismo can take pictures of Guiado's supporters and claim they're his.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

That's a cunning plan. Chavismo can take pictures of Guiado's supporters and claim they're his.

and vice versa....

CARACAS, Venezuela — Much of Venezuela remained engulfed by darkness early Friday amid one of the largest power outages in years, a problem President Nicolas Maduro's government quickly blamed on "sabotage" at a hydroelectric dam.


The blackout hit 22 of 23 states, according to the Associated Press. It struck the capital Caracas, which until now has been spared the worst of a collapse in the nation's grid, at the peak of rush hour.


Venezuela's socialist government blasted the outage as an "electrical war" directed by the United States.

Blackouts are frequent in Venezuela, where the economy is collapsing under hyperinflation, with chronic shortages of food and medicine and a mass emigration of more than 3 million citizens.


Critics say corruption and under investment have left the country's power grid unable to function, while Maduro says the problems are intentionally created by political adversaries.

Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez said right-wing extremists intent on causing pandemonium in Venezuela and taking orders from Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio were behind the blackout, although he offered no proof.

State-owned electricity operator Corpoelec blamed the outage on act of "sabotage" at the Guri Dam, one of the world's largest hydroelectric stations and the cornerstone of Venezuela's electrical grid. Rodriguez described it as a "cyber" attack intended to derail the whole system. He said electricity in Venezuela's eastern region had been restored within two hours.

Thousands of commuters flooded into the streets because subway service was stopped. A snarl of cars jammed the streets amid confusion generated by blackened stoplights. Others had to walk long distances to get home.

"The person responsible for this is named Nicolas Maduro," said Pedro Fernandez, 44, a systems engineer in the Altamira neighborhood of Caracas, on his way by foot to the other side of town. "This is just the tip of the iceberg given all the things we're suffering."

The outage comes as Venezuela is in the throes of a political struggle between Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaidó, the head of congress who declared himself the nation's rightful president in January and is recognized by the United States and about 50 nations.
Guaidó took to Twitter to blast Maduro for the outage.

"How do you tell a mom who needs to cook, an ill person who depends on a machine, a worker who should be laboring that we are in a powerful country without electricity?" he wrote.

Venezuela's electrical system was once the envy of Latin America but it has fallen into a state of disrepair after years of poor maintenance and mismanagement. High-ranking officials have been accused in U.S. court proceedings of looting government money earmarked for the electrical system.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/...rkness-n980841

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

..... a "cyber" attack intended to derail the whole system.

No doubt you will claim the US got the appropriate court order?

Originally Posted by foobar

No doubt you will claim the US got the appropriate court order?

So it's likely that an ageing Venezuelan electical system that has a history of breaking down because Chavismo's cronies have been stealing the cash meant for maintenance has been the victim of a "cyber attack", is it?

You are high on the list of forum idiots.

American F-22s strafing Miraflores Palace? Got any pics? Any links? No?

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

has been the victim of a "cyber attack"

Pretty sure the "Cyber attack" code will be littered with русский and 中文 calls/links.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

So it's likely

You do know the phrase nowadays is "highly likely", please keep up.

Originally Posted by OhOh

Pretty sure the "Cyber attack" code will be littered with русский and 中文 calls/links.

Pretty sure there is no cyberattack at all and it's just broken down like everything else in Venezuela.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

So it's likely that an ageing Venezuelan electical system that has a history of breaking down because Chavismo's cronies have been stealing the cash meant for maintenance has been the victim of a "cyber attack", is it?

The US also has a history of sabotage and launching cyber attacks on energy assets within countries that don't bow down and submit to their international protection racket ...so your notion of "likely" is incredibly skewed.

But hey, all ok in your book as long as the US filed the appropriate court order right?

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

You are high on the list of forum idiots.

If by "idiot" you mean I know how to spell "electrical" then yes, guilty as charged.

Originally Posted by foobar

The US also has a history of sabotage and launching cyber attacks on energy assets within countries that don't bow down and submit to their international protection racket ...so your notion of "likely" is incredibly skewed.

Please list this lengthy history.

I'm all ears.

If by "idiot" you mean I know how to spell "electrical" then yes, guilty as charged.

No, by idiot I mean a simpleton who hasn't got a fucking clue.

^Oh noes, the ol babies being tossed out of incubators...
----

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Please list this lengthy history.

I'm all ears.

So by adding the word "lengthy" it means you admit the US does have a previous history of launching cyber attacks on countries that don't bow down to their international protection racket?

Originally Posted by foobar

^Oh noes, the ol babies being tossed out of incubators...
----


So by adding the word "lengthy" it means you admit the US does have a previous history of launching cyber attacks on countries that don't bow down to their international protection racket?

I'm going to give you a little lesson, you stupid boy. When you can't answer, just admit that you're wrong.

There is one, and only one, ICS attack that has American fingerprints: Stuxnet. Which was used to blow up Iran's nuclear centrifuges.

Now, as for the rest, take a wild fucking guess who came up with those and who has been hit by them, you stupid, stupid little boy.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

an ageing Venezuelan electical system that has a history of breaking down because

So, why not to allow the self-proclaimed wonder-president who would surely know how to exchange a burned fuse...
And Westinghouse will surely help...

American tanks rollin' yet?

Originally Posted by Texpat

American tanks rollin' yet?

They've ran out of fuel..

Originally Posted by lom

They've ran out of fuel..

And it's too dark to see where they're going.