Can the US Force Maduro to Step Down? l Inside Story

Venezuela’s economy has been in crisis for years. Hyperinflation is skyrocketing and millions of people have left the country. And the president hasn’t been able to fix it.

Now the US is hitting Nicolas Maduro even harder where it hurts, in a bid to get him out of office. It’s imposed sanctions on Venezuela’s state oil company blocking seven billion dollars in assets and is recognising opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president.

Washington’s called on the military, which is so far standing by Maduro, to accept a peaceful transfer of power… and warned otherwise there could be consequences. How far will Washington go to change the government in Caracas?

Presenter: Richelle Carey | Guests: Jairo A Lugo-Ocando, Director of Executive Education and Graduate Studies at Northwestern University in Qatar; Charles Shapiro, Former US Ambassador to Venezuela; Diego Moya-Ocampos, principal analyst for Country Risk at IHS Markit in the Americas team.

Bolton: We're Taking Venezuela's Oil

Yesterday, Trump's National Security Advisor John Bolton made the US position clear in a FoxNews interview: Washington will overthrow the Venezuelan government and take its oil for the benefit of US companies. This is "regime change" on steroids!

Historian: Venezuela Is “Staging Ground” for US to Re-assert Control over Latin America

While Mexico and Uruguay are calling for dialogue to address the crisis in Venezuela, much of Latin America has sided with the Trump administration by recognizing Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s new leader. We look at what this mean for the broader region with professors Alejandro Velasco and Steve Ellner.

How to Solve the Political Crisis in Venezuela? | Inside Story

After years of turmoil, Venezuela's political crisis has escalated dramatically over the past few days.

The head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly declared himself the interim President after the biggest protests against Nicolás Maduro in two years. The US, Canada and much of Latin America quickly threw their support behind Juan Guaidó.

But Maduro says he's not going anywhere, and has ordered US diplomats to leave the country by Sunday. So what will this mean for Venezuela's deep economic and political crisis?

Presenter: Laura Kyle | Guests: Paul Dobson - Journalist for www.venezuelanalysis.com; Leopoldo Martinez - Former Venezuelan Congressman and President of The Center for Democracy and Development in the Americas; Christopher Sabatini - Executive Director of the Think Tank Global Americans and Editor of the news and opinion website www.latinamericagoesglobal.org/

A Coup in Progress? Trump Moves to Oust Maduro & Install Pro-US Leader in Oil-Rich Venezuela

The Venezuelan government is accusing the United States of staging a coup, after President Trump announced that the U.S. would recognize opposition leader Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s new leader. Trump made the announcement shortly after Guaidó, the new head of Venezuela’s National Assembly, declared himself president during a large opposition protest. The European Union and the Lima Group have joined the U.S. in recognizing opposition leader Juan Guaidó as president. Mexico is the one dissenting nation in the Lima Group to still recognize Maduro. We speak with Miguel Tinker Salas, professor at Pomona College, who says, “This is unprecedented not only in Venezuelan history, but in Latin America.” He is the author of “The Enduring Legacy: Oil, Culture, and Society in Venezuela” and “Venezuela: What Everyone Needs to Know.”

Venezuela: Trump Recognises Opposition Leader as President

THE GUARDIAN: Juan Guaidó, 35, seeks to oust ‘usurper’ Nicolás Maduro / Move is dramatic escalation of crisis in South American country

Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaidó has declared himself interim president, in a dramatic escalation of efforts to force out President Nicolás Maduro who has overseen the country’s slide into authoritarianism and economic ruin.

The move was immediately welcomed by the US, Canadian and a dozen Latin American governments. Donald Trump said he would use the “full weight” of US economic and diplomatic power to push for the restoration of Venezuela’s democracy.

Thousands of protesters clogged the streets of the capital, Caracas, as Guaidó, the head of the opposition-run national assembly, raised his right hand and said: “I swear to assume all the powers of the presidency to secure an end to the usurpation”. » | Joe Parkin Daniels in Bogotá and Mariana Zúñiga in Caracas | Wednesday, January 23, 2019

THE GUARDIAN: Venezuela: who is Juan Guaidó, the man who declared himself president? »

#democracynow : Mark Weisbrot: Trump’s Threats to Invade Venezuela Are Part of US Strategy of Régime Change

The Associated Press is reporting President Trump repeatedly asked senior White House advisers last year about the possibility of a U.S. invasion of Venezuela, in a bid to depose President Nicolás Maduro and his government. Trump reportedly brought up the U.S. invasions of Panama and Grenada in the 1980s. The AP reports Trump’s comment stunned then-National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster and then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who warned military action could backfire. But then, the next day, on August 11, Trump raised the issue publicly. We’re joined by Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research and president of Just Foreign Policy.

Embarrassing Defeat for the US in Its Efforts to Expel Venezuela from the Organization of American States (OAS)

At the OAS nineteen member states voted in favor, four against and eleven abstained when the US tried to have Venezuela sanctioned. US will not hesitate to bear tremendous pressure on member countries to get its way in Latin America. We speak to CEPR's Mark Weisbrot about the vote and how it came about

Kim Jong-un's Ticking Time Bomb

Wilkerson: Trump Has No Business Threatening Venezuela

As President Trump claims he won't rule out military force in Venezuela, Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, former Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell, says "we need to keep our dirty hands off Latin America"

Trump Considers Military Action in Venezuela

Venezuela's defence minister says US military intervention in his country would be a 'crazy act'. This was his response after US President Donald Trump warned military action could be used to end the political crisis there. Al Jazeera’s Fintan Monaghan reports.

Is Venezuela on the Verge of Anarchy?

Has Venezuela Reached a Tipping Point? – UpFront

Waves of anti-government protests continue to rock Venezuela as its economic and political crises deepen. Is there a way forward? In this UpFront special, we speak to the secretary general of the Organization of American States, Luis Almagro, about his stance on Venezuela. And in the Arena, we debate whether the Venezuelan government is authoritarian.

Why Venezuela Still Looks Like This? – BBC News

People in Venezuela are continuing to take to the streets in their thousands to protest against the government. The situation is becoming increasingly violent as riot police confront the demonstrators. Over the past month nearly 40 people have been killed. Vladimir Hernandez has spent a day out on the streets of the capital Caracas.

"Maduro Has Turned Venezuela into a Narco State" - Opposition Leader Maria Corina Machado

Maria Corina Machado speaks to France 24 about the escalation of Venezuela's political and economic crisis

Will People Power Force Change in Venezuela? - Inside Story

Is It the End of Socialism in Venezuela? – Inside Story

The World According to Trump, Venezuela Cash Chaos (Part 2)

Venezuela Protests Are Sign That US Wants Our Oil, Says Nicolás Maduro

THE GUARDIAN: In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, Venezuela's president claims the Obama administration is fomenting unrest with the aim of provoking a Ukraine-style 'slow-motion' coup


Read the Guardian article and comment here | Seumas Milne and Jonathan Watts in Caracas | Tuesday, April 08, 2014

Venezuela: Maduro wirft den USA Umsturzpläne vor

Präsident Maduro: Anschuldigungen gegen US-Außenminister Kerry

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Der Ton zwischen Caracas und Washington verschärft sich. Venezuelas linker Staatschef Nicolás Maduro wirft der US-Regierung vor, gezielt seinen Sturz zu betreiben. Nun will er mehr Polizei gegen die regierungsfeindlichen Demonstranten einsetzen.

Caracas - Die Proteste gegen Präsident Nicolás Maduro dauern an. Jetzt will die venezolanische Regierung härter durchgreifen. Der Linksnationalist Maduro kündigte in Caracas eine höhere Polizeipräsenz in der Hauptstadt Caracas, San Cristóbal, dem Ausgangspunkt der Bewegung im Zentrum des Landes, und Valencia im Norden an. Dort waren am Mittwoch drei Menschen an Schussverletzungen gestorben: zwei Zivilisten und ein Nationalgardist. Es gehe darum, die Straßen von Barrikaden und Blockierern zu befreien, sagte der Staatschef. » | ler/AFP/dpa | Samstag, 15. März 2014