The risk of a catastrophic US intervention in Venezuela is real

[KingKhanWC]

War would bring untold suffering to the country and a vanishingly small likelihood of the change Venezuela needs

By declaring himself Venezuela’s president on Wednesday, Juan Guaidó has brought Venezuela to the edge of catastrophe. The hitherto unknown opposition leader’s actions, which appear to be closely coordinated with if not directed by the US, have set in motion a perilous chain of events.

The US recognized Guaidó as president minutes after his declaration. A number of Latin American nations, most with conservative governments backed by the US, have also done so. The growing list includes Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Costa Rica, and Paraguay. Canada and the Organization of American States have also recognized Guaidó. The European Union has reportedly considered such a step, but for now has instead issued a call for new elections.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has responded to these actions by breaking relations with the US and ordering US diplomats to leave the country within 72 hours. Guaidó, in turn, told US and other diplomats to stay, a message also put forward by Republican US senator Marco Rubio, a leading opponent of Maduro. The Trump administration is ignoring Maduro’s order, which a senior official called “meaningless.” Another senior Trump official has declared, “All options are on the table,” reiterating a message Trump himself has put forward since 2017.

What happens next is anyone’s guess. But a US invasion feels like a real possibility.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jan/24/risk-catastrophic-us-intervention-venezuela



Will we see another nation invaded and looted based on lies because they have the black gold?

 

[JaDed]

Who knows religion, oil ,political views happens all the time.

Posters that support conquests of previous 'Empires' shouldn't really mock American hypocrisy.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Who knows religion, oil ,political views happens all the time.

Posters that support conquests of previous 'Empires' shouldn't really mock American hypocrisy.

You are welcome to call me out instead of saying 'posters'. Please explain which empires I have supported and therefore shouldn't call out American imperialism?

I guess as long as it's not India, you are ok with nations being attacked for their resources?

 

[JaDed]

You are welcome to call me out instead of saying 'posters'. Please explain which empires I have supported and therefore shouldn't call out American imperialism?

I guess as long as it's not India, you are ok with nations being attacked for their resources?

No it's not ok, I have spoken on every thread about what happened to Libya(my birth country) and how Western nations esp USA we're responsibile for everything,so please don't give me a lecture on that.

Are you saying you don't support the Mughals/Islamic empires that we're present in Asia?

 

[KingKhanWC]

No it's not ok, I have spoken on every thread about what happened to Libya(my birth country) and how Western nations esp USA we're responsibile for everything,so please don't give me a lecture on that.

Are you saying you don't support the Mughals/Islamic empires that we're present in Asia?

How long ago was this?

 

[JaDed]

How long ago was this?

How can I recall the date of your posts boss?You can clear the picture even now..

 

[troodon]

Big Empires have messed with world many many times before. USA is no different.

USA wants to bring democracy to the world. We are all seeing the light of Democracy and we should all be thankful for it.

 

[KingKhanWC]

How can I recall the date of your posts boss?You can clear the picture even now..

You can start a new thread and I will be happy to post. Dont divert the topic

 

[SpiritOf1903]

Who knows religion, oil ,political views happens all the time.

Posters that support conquests of previous 'Empires' shouldn't really mock American hypocrisy.

I agree.. Ultimately empires are a result of force over weaker foes. Whether for better or worse.

 

[Angrez Pakistani]

No it's not ok, I have spoken on every thread about what happened to Libya(my birth country) and how Western nations esp USA we're responsibile for everything,so please don't give me a lecture on that.

Are you saying you don't support the Mughals/Islamic empires that we're present in Asia?

Interesting.

 

[Robert]

Will we see another nation invaded and looted based on lies because they have the black gold?

Is the new regime playing nice with Uncle Sam? If so then no.

 

[Robert]

USA wants to bring democracy to the world. We are all seeing the light of Democracy and we should all be thankful for it.

Also overthrowing democracy when it suits.

 

[Majid Khan]

I wonder sometimes, is it coincidental there is always political unrest in countries which are oil rich ?

 

[Robert]

I wonder sometimes, is it coincidental there is always political unrest in countries which are oil rich ?

Of course hostile powers will seek to provoke unrest before going for the oil-grab, but if these nations were democracies with respect for human rights in the first place, they would be hard to destabilise.

 

[IMMY69]

Of course hostile powers will seek to provoke unrest before going for the oil-grab, but if these nations were democracies with respect for human rights in the first place, they would be hard to destabilise.

This has always been my belief.

 

[Gabbar Singh]

A war would bring catastrophe and suffering to the country? Other than crackpot conspiracy theorists no one is talking about war or a US invasion.

As for catastrophe and suffering well Venezuelans have already been living with that.

Venezuela: All you need to know about the crisis in seven charts

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-46999668

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Of course hostile powers will seek to provoke unrest before going for the oil-grab, but if these nations were democracies with respect for human rights in the first place, they would be hard to destabilise.

I don't really know much about Venezuala or the current regime, other than it is socialist and apparently mismanaged it's resources due to idealistic policies. Possibly suffered due to sanctions imposed by the US as well no doubt. How evil is the current regime, why is it that they have not been able to work with the US and the Americans are now championing a 35yr old alternative candidate?

 

[Markhor]

The problem is John Bolton. This guy is a lunatic neocon who supports war against Iran and of course notably backed regime change in Iraq.

He is aggressively looking to support far right movements in Latin America - see his support for Brazil's Bolsonaro.

 

[Saeed]

Its already catastrophic and will only get worse. People are starving and fighting over a piece of bread.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Is the new regime playing nice with Uncle Sam? If so then no.

Its the same party as Chavez who was against Uncle Sam. They want their puppet in charge of the oil rich nation and have been terrorising the country since then.

The UK is now holding it's gold valued over $1.2 billion supporting Uncle Sam. Not sure why the UK has to back the Yanks all the time. Poodle and Blair comes to mind again.

 

[sjahmed23]

Don't think trump will wage a war on any country unless there is a direct provocation (NoKo). Americans in general are tired of war and less concerned about what happens in the world. What is seen as the biggest threat is the border for republicans (thanks to fox news) and climate change for democrats.

Besides, oil is overrated and quickly becoming obsolete.

 

[Slog]

US should do the right thing and intervene through back channels.

Every Venezuelan I know does not recognise Maduro and wants there to be change.

Linking this to oil is not only ignorant but lazy. Venezuelan oil is not easily extractable and requires insanely expensive exploration and drilling capex which no one will put in with the current environment. Also, The US is the biggest oil producer in the world and is not reliant as much anymore on foreign oil

 

[Pakistanian]

US should do the right thing and intervene through back channels.

Every Venezuelan I know does not recognise Maduro and wants there to be change.

Linking this to oil is not only ignorant but lazy. Venezuelan oil is not easily extractable and requires insanely expensive exploration and drilling capex which no one will put in with the current environment. Also, The US is the biggest oil producer in the world and is not reliant as much anymore on foreign oil

I know one Venezuelan guy and he doesn't like Maduro either but you need to realize that the Venezuelans in America are a small sample size and is obviously biased by the people leaving Venezuela/Preferring America. You shouldn't base the conditions of a country and popular opinion with what the diaspora believes. The Cuban and Iranian diasporas are good examples of the huge difference in their views and those of their compatriots back home.

 

[shortbread]

US always had Venezuela in it's sights, the issue is Maduro has been an absolute disaster and simply made it a lot easier for the Americans.

Why not, despite being an oil rich nation Maduro has steered his country towards absolute poverty so no reason to sympathise.

Also China has used Venezuela's desperation to start buying strategic interests, the US will have none of it happening in their geographical sphere of influence. A coup will lead to massive write downs of Chinese investments, which will bring a lot of cheer for US International policy makers.

Finally this is win-win for rest of the world. A new Venezuelan government with good western relations will see sanctions removed and have their oil exports in full swing. This helps cap crude prices and help with one of Trump's biggest agendas, weaken the Opec cartel. US is now the worlds largest oil producer, having Venezuela on its side means they will dictate oil prices, which is good for the whole world.

 

[cric_man]

Of course hostile powers will seek to provoke unrest before going for the oil-grab, but if these nations were democracies with respect for human rights in the first place, they would be hard to destabilise.

Iran was the only stable democracy albeit a bit socialist. It was over thrown via a joint coup orchestrated by the US & UK that installed their puppet Reza Shah Pehalvi.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

US always had Venezuela in it's sights, the issue is Maduro has been an absolute disaster and simply made it a lot easier for the Americans.

Why not, despite being an oil rich nation Maduro has steered his country towards absolute poverty so no reason to sympathise.

Also China has used Venezuela's desperation to start buying strategic interests, the US will have none of it happening in their geographical sphere of influence. A coup will lead to massive write downs of Chinese investments, which will bring a lot of cheer for US International policy makers.

Finally this is win-win for rest of the world. A new Venezuelan government with good western relations will see sanctions removed and have their oil exports in full swing. This helps cap crude prices and help with one of Trump's biggest agendas, weaken the Opec cartel. US is now the worlds largest oil producer, having Venezuela on its side means they will dictate oil prices, which is good for the whole world.

Out of interest, what continent isn't in the US geographical sphere of influence?

 

[KingKhanWC]

US should do the right thing and intervene through back channels.

Every Venezuelan I know does not recognise Maduro and wants there to be change.

Linking this to oil is not only ignorant but lazy. Venezuelan oil is not easily extractable and requires insanely expensive exploration and drilling capex which no one will put in with the current environment. Also, The US is the biggest oil producer in the world and is not reliant as much anymore on foreign oil

lol. You spoke to a few in the US and call others lazy.

Many who moved to the US came as political refugees as the Cubans did under Castro, it's obvious those will hate the socialst government.

Maduro won the elections, fact. IK won the elections and PMLN, PPP and others said they were rigged. Should the US also intervene?

Even if they were rigged, who are the US to get involved in other peoples lands? Please explain in detail.

 

[Gilly]

Venezuela is in trouble through its policies, it is going downhill fast. Everyone can sit on the deck blaming the US and no doubt by the end of the week it will all be Trumps fault.

 

[slipcatch]

Venezuela is in trouble through its policies, it is going downhill fast. Everyone can sit on the deck blaming the US and no doubt by the end of the week it will all be Trumps fault.

Trump’s fault?

He is good for only conning gullible Caucasian Americans.

Trump is too dumb to dictate foreign policies.

 

[Amirforpresident]

lol. You spoke to a few in the US and call others lazy.

Many who moved to the US came as political refugees as the Cubans did under Castro, it's obvious those will hate the socialst government.

Maduro won the elections, fact. IK won the elections and PMLN, PPP and others said they were rigged. Should the US also intervene?

Even if they were rigged, who are the US to get involved in other peoples lands? Please explain in detail.

This is what gets my blood boiling everytime.

 

[Angrez Pakistani]

Its something for the Venezuelans and ONLY Venezuelans to figure out. US intervention is only going to cause further divisions among the Venezuelans. It can also potentially cause exploitation of the locals by the Americans in both long term and short term future.

 

[Mages]

US hits Venezuela's state-owned oil company with sanctions.

The United States has imposed sweeping sanctions on Venezuela's state-owned oil firm, in a move aimed at pressuring President Nicolas Maduro to cede power to the opposition in the crisis-hit South American country.
The measures on Petroleos De Venezuela SA (PDVSA) are expected to block $7bn in assets and result in $11bn of lost export revenue over the next year, National Security Adviser John Bolton told reporters at the White House on Monday.

The sanctions stop PDVSA from collecting the proceeds of oil exported to US customers, while also freezing assets of PDVSA's units, including Citgo, its US-based subsidiary.

Washington's toughest financial punishment so far against Venezuela's government came in coordination with Juan Guaido, the self-proclaimed interim president who issued his own statement said he was taking "orderly control of our republic's assets abroad" to prevent a departing Maduro from trying "to empty the coffers".

Continue reading at :
http://https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/hits-venezuela-state-owned-oil-company-sanctions-190128223840770.html

 

[shortbread]

Out of interest, what continent isn't in the US geographical sphere of influence?

True, Lol. But the topic is particularly sensitive when it comes to South America. Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua have been in the sights of American right wing leadership for long.

The issue with present day Venezuela is that Maduro's leadership has been an absolute disaster. The only saving grace is that he has put close allies within the Army ranks and they hold a lot of power in Venezuela today. Corruption and crime within the Venezuelan army goes unpunished, it's the price Maduro has to pay in order to avoid a coup.

But for how long? There is only so much faith patriotism can buy, When people are starving, jobless and watch their kids struggling as well they will switch sides. The longer Maduro tries to cling onto power, the worse his inevitable fall will be.

 

[Suleiman]

Lol the country is already in the dumps with common folk having to eat out of trash, with common food items prices being hyper inflated because of a ruthless dictator. Sounds like a familiar script, but it's not the US's fault that is the case.

If US does nothing then the rest of the world will cry how they are ready to intervene in Middle East but not help someone closer to home.

Sigh... that's what happens when you're the greatest country in the world..

 

[Mages]

Hezbollah’s Backing of Maduro May Shine Light on Links With Venezuela

Hezbollah’s explicit support for Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro could be the first step in confirming links between the South American nation’s government, the terrorist organization and organized crime groups.

Hezbollah’s backing comes amid one of the country’s worst political crises in history.

“Everyone knows that the US objective is not to defend democracy and freedom, according to Washington, but to appropriate the resources of the country and punish all states that oppose US hegemony,” Hezbollah said in a January 24 press release transmitted by the satellite television station Al Manar from Lebanon’s capital Beirut.

In addition to the press release, Hezbollah’s support for Maduro was also evident through a January 25 visit that the leader of the terrorist group’s “Loyalty to the Resistance” parliamentary block, Mohammad Raad, had with Venezuela Ambassador to Libya Jesús González González.

SEE ALSO: Venezuela Criminal Structures Bolster Maduro in Second Term

“We came to express our solidarity with the Venezuelan people and their free will, and to condemn US interference in their affairs,” Raad said.

Hezbollah’s support for Maduro comes amid an international debate about the embattled leader’s alleged usurpation of the presidency and the acknowledgement of National Assembly President Juan Guaidó as interim president with the goal of creating a transitional government and having free and fair elections. The United States recently designated Hezbollah as a top transnational organized crime threat.

On the other hand, authorities in the United States and Israel recently exposed an alleged connection between Hezbollah and the Maduro administration. The link involves supposed negotiations of illegal food imports from the government’s Local Storage and Production Committees (Comités Locales de Abastecimiento y Producción – CLAP). Colombian businessman Alex Saab, Maduro’s partner in this business, is a key player in this relationship.
InSight Crime Analysis

Hezbollah has manifested its relationship with the Maduro regime at a time when the entire international community has its eyes fixed on Venezuela amid the deterioration of the country’s democracy, the complex humanitarian crisis unfolding there, and the fear that the South American nation is becoming an axis of organized crime in the region.

But it is worth noting that claims about the presence of terrorist groups such as Hezbollah in Latin America have long made the rounds, without any “smoking gun” ever having been found.

Simon Fraser University Research Associate Benoît Gomis told InSight Crime in 2017 that the “threats posed by these groups has often been inflated, typically for political reasons, and how this has at times distracted from more pressing security concerns.”

This is not simply a matter of diplomatic support, as has been shown by other countries with a dubious democratic reputation — such as Turkey, Cuba or Russia — and allies of those who have ruled Venezuela for the past 20 years. Hezbollah has allegedly found a source of financing for its terrorist activities in the populist governments of Latin America, with Venezuela at the head. From there the organization has made links with criminal groups such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia – FARC) guerrillas, as well as the Sinaloa Cartel and Zetas in Mexico.

However, reports that Hezbollah is mining gold in Venezuela to finance its own operations have so far remained unconfirmed. Certainly, the Maduro regime has made a lucrative side-business out of exporting Venezuelan gold to countries and groups that are ideologically opposed to the US.

Unofficial reports based on intelligence information have alleged the involvement of Venezuela’s former interior minister, who controlled the country’s migration office, former vice president Tareck El Aissami, and other top Venezuelan government officials. These allegations pointed to Hezbollah’s deepening presence in Venezuela, which has never been shown before, and its activities with governmental agencies in the country, as was made clear by a CNN en Español investigation on the questionable delivery of Venezuelan passports to members of extremist organizations in the Middle East.

SEE ALSO: Islamic Terror Groups, LatAm Crime in ‘Marriage of Convenience’: Report

But what is Hezbollah doing in Venezuela? ABC in Spain journalist Emili Blasco has provided some possible clues based on investigations conducted by US authorities. These investigations suggest that the terrorist group has found a safe haven in Venezuela for other criminal activities, such as drug trafficking and money laundering, specifically from Margarita Island just north of the mainland in the Caribbean Sea.

Hezbollah may also have had some alleged involvement in training armed groups that supported the late President Hugo Chávez and now Maduro. Venezuela’s so-called “colectivos” — armed parapolice organizations linked to the Chávez governments — could have received training from Hezbollah, police sources told InSight Crime. The colectivos have also recently closed ranks with Maduro in his effort to stay in power and prevent a change in the country’s political leadership.

https://www.insightcrime.org/news/analysis/does-hezbollah-backing-maduro-confirm-venezuela-terrorist-links/

 

[Pakistanian]

Venezuela is in trouble through its policies, it is going downhill fast. Everyone can sit on the deck blaming the US and no doubt by the end of the week it will all be Trumps fault.

No, it's cause we sanctioned them into starvation.

 

[Pakistanian]

Lol the country is already in the dumps with common folk having to eat out of trash, with common food items prices being hyper inflated because of a ruthless dictator. Sounds like a familiar script, but it's not the US's fault that is the case.

If US does nothing then the rest of the world will cry how they are ready to intervene in Middle East but not help someone closer to home.

Sigh... that's what happens when you're the greatest country in the world..

This is such an ill informed comment. They're starving because we sanctioned them. It's called sabotage.

Chris Cuomo explains it perfectly @ 1:35

 

[Robert]

No, it's cause we sanctioned them into starvation.

How can ‘we’ have done that to one of the most oil-rich states on Earth? How do sanctions explain the collapse of the Venezuelan oil industry? A million refugees *prior* to the imposition of sanctions, and universal condemnation of Chavez by the South American governments?

 

[KingKhanWC]

How can ‘we’ have done that to one of the most oil-rich states on Earth? How do sanctions explain the collapse of the Venezuelan oil industry? A million refugees *prior* to the imposition of sanctions, and universal condemnation of Chavez by the South American governments?

The Yanks have been meddling in the oil rich nation for a very long time.

How can anyone support an opposition leader who never stood for election but claimed to be President? Nothing but a puppet on a string.

 

[Mages]

Venezuela crisis: Juan Guaidó backed by Lima Group

A group of Latin American countries and Canada has urged the Venezuelan military to support opposition leader Juan Guaidó as interim president.
In a statement, 11 of the 14 members of the Lima Group called for a change of power without the use of force and the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid.
Mr Guaidó has declared himself interim president and won support from major powers including the US.
President Nicolás Maduro says he is the legitimate leader of Venezuela.
Mr Maduro, who has the backing of a number of countries including China and Russia, earlier warned that the country's deepening political crisis could spark civil war.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-47126434

 

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Exclusive: The U.S. is communicating directly with Venezuela’s military, urging them to abandon Nicolas Maduro, sources say. Opposition leader Juan Guaido has courted members of the military with promises of amnesty and preferential legal treatment <a href="https://t.co/5UyrfvdO2M">https://t.co/5UyrfvdO2M</a> <a href="https://t.co/f5yn4Mmy7n">pic.twitter.com/f5yn4Mmy7n</a></p>— Reuters Politics (@ReutersPolitics) <a href="https://twitter.com/ReutersPolitics/status/1093992320721141760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BREAKING?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BREAKING</a> Opposition leader Juan Guaido refuses to rule out US intervention in Venezuela if necessary <a href="https://t.co/fSUwqyhIM9">pic.twitter.com/fSUwqyhIM9</a></p>— AFP news agency (@AFP) <a href="https://twitter.com/AFP/status/1093987847240069120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Gilly]

How can anyone support an opposition leader who never stood for election but claimed to be President? Nothing but a puppet on a string.

Canada

 

[Zeeraq]

Venezuela's Guaidó accused of coup attempt by government

Venezuelan authorities say they are putting down a small coup attempt after opposition leader Juan Guaidó announced he was in the "final phase" of ending President Nicolás Maduro's rule.

He appeared in a video with uniformed men, saying he had military support.

Mr Guaidó, who declared himself interim president in January, called for more members of the military to help him end Mr Maduro's "usurpation" of power.

The military has generally supported Mr Maduro in the stand-off with Mr Guaidó.

But as resentment has grown following years of hyperinflation, power cuts, food and medicine shortages, Mr Maduro's detractors hope the military will change its allegiance.

So far, they have stood by Mr Maduro - despite dozens of countries, including the US and most of Latin America, recognising Mr Guaidó as Venezuela's rightful leader.

The world is now watching to see if Mr Guaidó's latest bid will be the moment Mr Maduro is toppled from power.

Mr Maduro, however, has emerged saying he still has the full support of the military.

"People of Venezuela, let's take to the streets... to support the end of the usurpation, which is irreversible... The National Armed Forces have taken the correct decision, they have the support of the people of Venezuela, and the backing of our constitution, they are guaranteed to be on the right side of history," he said.

Mr Guaidó, the president of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, has been calling on the military to back him ever since he declared himself interim president.

He argues that President Maduro is a "usurper" because he was re-elected in polls that had been widely disputed.

The video appeared to have been recorded at dawn in or near La Carlota air force base in the capital Caracas.

The most dramatic moment yet

Analysis by BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus

Events in Venezuela are uncertain and unclear but Mr Guaidó has seemingly gambled heavily in his latest bid for power.

The loyalty of the military to President Nicolás Maduro's regime has been the central factor that has kept him in power. Barring a fundamental change in their allegiance or at the very least a significant split in their ranks, no amount of outside diplomatic pressure is going to push Mr Maduro from office.

So are we seeing this split now? Mr Guaidó and his supporters claim parts of the military across the country have backed him, but so far there is little evidence of this.

For Mr Guaidó the stakes are huge. The Venezuelan government says it is putting down a coup attempt. This is perhaps the most dramatic moment yet in Venezuela's current political saga.

Are people joining Mr Guaidó?

Footage recorded by Reuters news agency showed Mr Guaidó and Mr López with dozens of uniformed men on a highway in Caracas.

Many were wearing blue armbands and bandanas to signal their support for Mr Guaidó. The footage showed tear gas being fired at them.

Footage showed supporters of Mr Guaidó throwing stones at the airbase while others waved Venezuelan flags but their actions seemed to lack co-ordination.

Mr López, who leads the Popular Will party of which Mr Guaidó is a member, urged Venezuelans to join them: "All Venezuelans who want freedom should come here, disrupt order, join and encourage our soldiers, join our people. Good morning Venezuela, let's do this together."

His wife told the Guardian's Joe Parkin Daniels that he had been released "to free Venezuela alongside Guaidó".

According to news agency Reuters, Mr Guaidó has now left the bridge. It is unclear where he has gone.

However, he is tweeting, saying that the "streets of Venezuela are filling up with more and more people" and that the "end of the usurpation is irreversible".

How has the government reacted?

The Venezuelan Information Minister, Jorge Rodríguez, responded to the events on Twitter, writing that the government was confronting a small group of "military traitors" who, according to him, were promoting a coup.

Mr Maduro, meanwhile, said he had spoken to the leaders of the armed forces who had "expressed their total loyalty to the People, the Constitution and the Fatherland".

Venezuelan Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino said that military bases were "operating normally" and that the armed forces were "standing firm in defence of the constitution and its legitimate authorities".

In a later tweet, he wrote: "They're cowards!!"

A senior member of the governing socialist party, Diosdado Cabello, called on supporters of President Maduro to take to the streets around the presidential palace to defend Mr Maduro from "the right-wing conspiracy".

"Every one of their actions will have an overwhelming response," he said.

The head of the Venezuelan armed forces' strategic operational command, Admiral Remigio Ceballos, reiterated the military's loyalty to sitting President Maduro, describing Mr Guaidó supporters as a "minuscule group of disoriented and cheated [persons]".
What is the international community saying?

-US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sent a tweet backing Mr Guaidó. "The U.S. Government fully supports the Venezuelan people in their quest for freedom and democracy," he wrote
-White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said US President Donald Trump had been briefed and "we are monitoring the ongoing situation"
-US Senator Marco Rubio, a staunch supporter of Mr Guaidó, urged the military to give their backing to the National Assembly president
-A spokeswoman for the Spanish government warned against "bloodshed" in Venezuela. "Spain is not supporting any military coup," Isabel Celaa said, urging a "peaceful" outcome to the Venezuelan crisis
-Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro - who backs Mr Guaidó - has called an emergency meeting with his defence minister, foreign minister and vice-president to discuss events in Venezuela
-Colombian President Iván Duque called on the Venezuelan army to back Mr Guaidó
-Bolivia's President Evo Morales and Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez have sent messages of support to their ally Mr Maduro, condemning what they called the "coup d'etat" in Venezuela.

What is the latest?

Mr Guaidó appeared in a three-minute video standing alongside another opposition leader, Leopoldo López, who has been under house arrest since being found guilty of inciting violence during anti-government protests in 2014.

Mr López said he had been freed by members of the military who had declared their loyalty to Mr Guaidó.

In the video, which was shared on social media, Mr Guaidó announced he had the support of "brave soldiers" in Caracas.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-48103858

 

[msaaim89]

US puppet Guaido should be arrested. Claiming leadership without contesting an election...

Glad military is not on his side.

 

[Markhor]

Mike Pompeo: We are on the side of democracy in Venezuela.

Also Pompeo: We support Guaido's attempt to provoke a military coup.

 

[Technics 1210]

Its the same party as Chavez who was against Uncle Sam. They want their puppet in charge of the oil rich nation and have been terrorising the country since then.

The UK is now holding it's gold valued over $1.2 billion supporting Uncle Sam. Not sure why the UK has to back the Yanks all the time. Poodle and Blair comes to mind again.

Spot on.

Chavez wants to sell oil in other currencies, and the Petro Dollar is under threat.

The media blames this on Socialism, but the fact is that if Chavez follows the process of Germany post WW1 with a state currency, and not a bankers currency, then Venezuela will prosper, just as Germany did before WW2!

Nothing to do with socialism, but capitalism!

 

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BREAKING: Video shows armored military vehicle slamming into pro-Guaidó protesters amid unrest in Caracas. <a href="https://t.co/QfbZwt8BjK">https://t.co/QfbZwt8BjK</a> <a href="https://t.co/ezSKYJef5c">pic.twitter.com/ezSKYJef5c</a></p>— NBC News (@NBCNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/1123256966963396609?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[MenInG]

Juan Guaidó has appealed for his supporters to take to the streets of Venezuela again on Wednesday, after a day of violent clashes on Tuesday.

President Nicolás Maduro, whom the opposition leader is trying to unseat, remains defiant despite the protests.

In a television address he described Guaidó's supporters as a "small group" whose plan had failed.

Meanwhile, the US administration alleges Mr Maduro had been ready to travel to Cuba to escape the unrest.

"They had an airplane on the tarmac. He was ready to leave this morning [Tuesday], as we understand it. Russians indicated he should stay," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told CNN, without offering evidence.

Senior US officials also claimed three prominent figures in Mr Maduro's government had agreed the president had to go, but later backtracked.

US National Security Advisor John Bolton said those figures allegedly included Defence Secretary Vladimir Padrino - who has since reaffirmed his support and appeared alongside Mr Maduro in his televised address.

Sitting alongside military commanders, Mr Maduro vowed he would be victorious in the face of what he called a coup attempt backed by US imperialism.

He also said events of Tuesday would "not go unpunished".

"[Prosecutors] will launch criminal prosecutions for the serious crimes that have been committed against the constitution, the rule of law and the right to peace," he said in his speech.

Meanwhile, Mr Guaidó has renewed his calls for Venezuelans to take to the streets to complete what he has said is the "final phase" of his effort to oust Mr Maduro.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-48114826

 

[SensiblePakFan]

Its a tried and tested model. The CIA trained Guaido and Haftar. It installed the Shah of Iran. Numerous other instances in Central America, the list is tooo long.

 

[MenInG]

Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro claimed to have defeated what he called a military coup attempt by the opposition leader, Juan Guaidó.

Dozens of National Guardsmen sided with the opposition in clashes on Tuesday that injured more than 100 people.

But in a defiant TV address, President Maduro said Mr Guaidó had failed to turn the military against him.

Mr Guaidó insists that Mr Maduro has lost control of the armed forces, and that a peaceful transition is at hand.

The opposition leader appealed for his supporters to take to the streets of Venezuela again on Wednesday.

Mr Guaidó has been recognised as interim leader of Venezuela by more than 50 countries, including the US, the UK and most in Latin America.

But Mr Maduro, backed by Russia, China and the top of the country's military, has refused to cede leadership to his rival.

What did Mr Maduro say?
In his televised address, flanked by military commanders, Mr Maduro accused protesters of "serious crimes" which he said would "not go unpunished".

Both the president and Mr Guaidó have called on their supporters to take to the streets, setting up more potential violent unrest in a nation already beset by economic crisis, chronic power cuts and widespread food shortages.

Mr Maduro lashed out again at the United States, which he accuses of plotting against him. He dismissed a claim by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that he had a plane ready on the tarmac to take him to Cuba, a staunch supporter of the beleaguered president.

"They had an airplane on the tarmac," Mr Pompeo said. "He was ready to leave this morning [Tuesday], as we understand it. Russians indicated he should stay."

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-48117238

 

[Gabbar Singh]

I said earlier that “Other than crackpot conspiracy theorists no one is talking about war or a US invasion.”.

Well how wrong was I. Although I suppose the “crackpot” bit is correct given that the likes of John Bolton and Trump have since spoken of military intervention in Venezuela. Thought this kind of nonsense would have ended with Reagan but clearly not.

 

[Angrez Pakistani]

Reminds me of this podcast:
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[Slog]

Venezuela is a mess.

I was in the region a month ago and Colombia is facing the brunt of the problems with millions of refugees

About time US does something

 

[Saeed]

Hopefully they will overthrow the Russian puppet Maduro soon.

 

[gazza619]

What a shame.

You look at Venezuela and then you thank God that don’t have such chaos in your country.

 

[msaaim89]

Hopefully they will overthrow the Russian puppet Maduro soon.

Not happening, fortunately he has the support of the population and military.