Venezuelan opponent María Corina Machado “offered” Thursday to American President Donald Trump the medal she received when she won the Nobel Peace Prize in the hope of getting back into the saddle politically.
Updated yesterday at
What you need to know
- US President Donald Trump met Venezuelan opponent María Corina Machado at the White House on Thursday.
- The meeting came nearly two weeks after Washington announced its willingness to work with former Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez rather than Ms.me Machado to replace President Nicolás Maduro.
- Analysts believe the meeting was intended in part to suggest that the White House is concerned with establishing longer-term democratic rule in the country.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt, however, indicated on the sidelines of the meeting, held in private, that the head of state remained convinced that the 58-year-old woman does not have the support required in the Latin American country to take the helm.
“His opinion on this subject has not changed,” she noted, echoing the criticisms made by Donald Trump towards Mr.me Machado in the wake of the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on January 3.
The American administration also reiterated that the United States intended to maintain control over Venezuela by working closely with former Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez and was not considering an election in the near future.
PHOTO LEONARDO FERNANDEZ VILORIA, REUTERS
The interim president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez
President Trump praised Ms.’s actions on Wednesday following a telephone exchange.me Rodríguez, who is trying to satisfy the American president’s demands regarding the exploitation of the country’s oil resources without alienating the most radical members of the regime.
Professor Alan McPherson, a specialist in Latin American history at Temple University, believes that the meeting with Mme Machado may have been organized at the behest of Secretary of State Marco Rubio to sell the idea that the United States is concerned with fostering democracy in Venezuela.
Long-term strategy
It could also be, notes the expert, an opportunity to satisfy the ego of Donald Trump, who reacted angrily last fall to the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Mr.me Machado.
The politician indicated last week that she wanted to give him the prize to thank him for his role in Venezuela, prompting a warning from the committee responsible for the prize about the impossibility of an official transfer of this recognition.
PHOTO ANNABELLE GORDON, REUTERS
Venezuelan opponent María Corina Machado at the White House on Thursday
She said Thursday that the medal offering was intended to highlight the US president’s “unique commitment” to the freedom of Venezuelans. In the evening, the Head of State welcomed the “magnificent gesture” of the Venezuelan opponent on her Truth Social platform.
John Polga-Hecimovich, a Latin America specialist at the United States Naval Academy, also believes that Marco Rubio wanted the meeting to send the message that the administration intends to promote democracy in the long term.
Donald Trump, he said, perhaps saw the event more as a “magnanimous” gesture towards Mr.me Machado after criticizing and politically marginalizing her.
SCREENSHOT TRUTH SOCIAL
The Venezuelan opponent, notes the analyst, for her part follows a long-term strategy and sought to signal to the American president that she is not going to disappear.
She also wanted to send the message to her supporters “that she is still influential enough to obtain a meeting with the American president and that they should not abandon her,” notes Mr. Polga-Hecimovich.
Targeting oil
The pressure exerted by the American administration to force the cooperation of Mme Rodriguez, including the threat of a new military operation and the maintenance of a strict oil embargo, seem to be producing results for the moment, but will quickly show their limits, thinks Mr. McPherson.
PHOTO ELIZABETH FRANTZ, REUTERS
A woman waves a Venezuelan flag during a rally outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Thursday
“We are going to start to see bigger and bigger flaws within the Venezuelan regime,” notes the professor, who expects hardliners to turn their backs on American aims on oil.
Planned investments in this sector also risk being hampered by the lack of security in the country. CNN reported this week that Washington is considering calling on private security firms like those used after the invasion of Iraq in 2003 to meet the demands of American oil companies.
“It’s a real treasure hunt that is coming for security companies,” notes Mr. McPherson, who is not surprised to see the United States raise its voice regarding the annexation of Greenland in the wake of the operation carried out in Venezuela.
Donald Trump tends to see any victory as an indication that he must push even further. If there is no firm resistance, it is certain that this will continue.
Alan McPherson, specialist in Latin American history at Temple University
The threats of strikes against Iran also testify to the president’s feeling of “omnipotence”, notes Mr. McPherson, who says he is convinced that Donald Trump will seek to present the episode as a “victory” even if the Iranian regime has ignored his threats by killing thousands of demonstrators.
Mr. Polga-Hecimovich believes the administration’s apparent willingness Thursday to back down from possible strikes against the Islamic regime reflects the Israeli government’s reservations about their potential effectiveness rather than considerations about the protest movement.
“Donald Trump’s goal is not to promote democracy in Iran, but to help Israel and encourage American investment in the region,” notes Mr. McPherson.
