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Venezuelan protests peter out as Maduro hangs on; U.S. and Russia squabble

By Luc Cohen and Angus Berwick

 

An opposition supporter runs with a tear gas canister during a rally against the government of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro and to commemorate May Day in Caracas Venezuela, May 1, 2019. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino

 

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelans heeded opposition leader Juan Guaido's call to take to the streets on Wednesday in a bid to force President Nicolas Maduro from power, but there was little sign of any concrete effects on what increasingly looked like a political stalemate.

 

The standoff increased tensions between the United States and Russia, who accused each other of interference in the OPEC-member nation's affairs, however.

 

Guaido had called for the "largest march" in Venezuela's history and said on Twitter that "millions of Venezuelans" were in the streets in "this final phase" of his move to oust Maduro.

 

But by late afternoon, many of the protesters in the capital Caracas were drifting home.

 

Despite Guaido's calls for the military to support him, the armed forces leadership has so far remained loyal to Maduro, who has been in power since 2013.

 

The Venezuelan opposition has often staged huge street protests against Maduro but has failed to dislodge him despite a deep economic recession and hyperinflation. Guaido faces a challenge to keep up the momentum.

 

Under a scorching sun early on Wednesday, supporters banged drums and carried Venezuelan flags and banners proclaiming "freedom." Some protesters in Caracas, their faces covered in shirts, threw projectiles from an overpass at National Guard officers below, who responded by firing tear gas canisters.

 

"If the regime thought we had reached maximum pressure, they cannot even imagine," Guaido told thousands of cheering supporters. "We have to remain in the streets."

 

Some supporters are frustrated that nothing has changed more than three months after Guaido, head of the opposition-run National Assembly, invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency, arguing that Maduro's 2018 re-election was illegitimate.

 

Guaido is recognized as Venezuela's legitimate head of state by the United States, Europe and others, while Maduro is backed by countries including Russia, China, and Cuba.

 

U.S.-RUSSIA FRICTION

The fault lines are increasingly putting Venezuela at the heart of global geopolitical tensions.

 

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has imposed sanctions on the Maduro government and refused to rule out military intervention, although it says it prefers a peaceful transition.

 

"Military action is possible. If that's what's required, that's what the United States will do," U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox Business Network.

 

The Pentagon appeared to downplay any active preparations to directly intervene in Venezuela, but acknowledged detailed contingency planning.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Pompeo by phone on Wednesday that further "aggressive steps" in Venezuela would have grave consequences, Russia's Foreign Ministry said.

 

In turn, the United States has accused Moscow of interfering in the South American country, an ally of Russia since the time of Maduro's predecessor and mentor, the late President Hugo Chavez.

 

Pompeo said on Tuesday that Maduro had recently been prepared to leave Venezuela but changed his plan after Russia intervened. A spokeswoman for Russia's foreign ministry denied that.

 

White House national security adviser John Bolton, a foreign policy hawk, said Moscow's involvement was not welcome.

 

"This is our hemisphere," he told reporters outside the White House. "It's not where the Russians ought to be interfering. This is a mistake on their part. It's not going to lead to an improvement of relations."

 

TEST FOR GUAIDO

Maduro retains control of state institutions and the loyalty of the armed forces, frustrating Guaido's bid to assume the day-to-day functions of government, which he says would be a prelude to calling new elections.

 

Seeking to appeal to Maduro's traditional base among the working class, Guaido said on Wednesday he would consider a proposal from public workers to call for a series of stoppages leading up to a general strike.

 

Carlos Alberto, a 70-year-old small-business owner, draped in a Venezuelan flag at the Caracas protest, said: "We are tired of this regime, that has brutally impoverished us. My children and almost all my family have already left Venezuela. ... We know that if it's not today, it will be tomorrow, because this has to end."

 

Venezuelan living standards have declined even further in the first several months of the year, with blackouts and water shortages adding to hyperinflation and chronic shortages of food and medicine that have prompted millions to emigrate.

 

Triple the usual daily number of Venezuelans fled across the border to Brazil on Tuesday, Brazilian government data showed.

 

Maduro, who says Guaido is a puppet of the United States seeking to orchestrate a coup, called a march of his own supporters on Wednesday.

 

"We have been confronting different types of aggression and attempted coups never before seen in our history," he said on Tuesday.

 

Several thousand Maduro supporters, wearing red shirts, headed toward the Miraflores presidential palace.

 

Educator Mercedes Martinez called Guaido a "lapdog" and said: "The empire wants to smother us, cut off our head and colonize us. ... The people of Venezuela are defending Venezuela."

 

(Reporting by Luc Cohen, Deisy Buitrago, and Angus Berwick; Additional reporting by Mariela Nava in Maracaibo, Paul Day in Spain, Roberta Rampton, Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Doina Chiacu and Makini Brice in Washington, Eduardo Simoes in Sao Paulo and Vladimir Soldatkin in Moscow; Writing by Alistair Bell and Rosalba O'Brien; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Sonya Hepinstall)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-05-02

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[Pedrogaz]

The sad fact that the US cannot get through their thick skulls is that Maduro, unpopular as he is, is much more popular than any US installed puppet. 

Illegal US sanctions have caused the economic mess that Venezuela is in. You cannot just sanction governments that you don't like. We are supposed to have rules and at least the appearance of fair play in the world relations, but we have neither in this case, or sadly in the case of Syria, Iraq, Libya, and Afghanistan, where millions have had their life's wrecked or been killed by illegal intervention by the US and its vassals.

[helpisgood]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

White House national security adviser John Bolton, a foreign policy hawk, said Moscow's involvement was not welcome.

 

"This is our hemisphere," he told reporters outside the White House. "It's not where the Russians ought to be interfering. This is a mistake on their part. It's not going to lead to an improvement of relations." [Bold added.]

 

Well, maybe one can justly say that the Russians, or any other foreign power, should not get involved in this mess in Venezuela.  

 

However, it might help if Bolton was more consistent:

 

"U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton said on Friday it would be helpful if Russia got out of Ukraine’s Crimea and eastern Ukraine...."

 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-russia-bolton/trump-adviser-says-russia-should-get-out-of-crimea-and-eastern-ukraine-idUSKCN1N01TF

 

I am not an apologist for the Russians, but Ukraine and Crimea has been much more a part of Russian history than Venezuela has been for the USA despite what former Pres. Monroe and former Sec. of State J. Q. Adams may have announced many years ago.  

 

I think Bolton needs to rely on a better argument than the Monroe Doctrine. 

 

[Jingthing]

How is this for a doctrine?
Venezuela is a failed state.
Maduro is to blame.
The vast majority of their people want Maduro gone.
The vast majority of Latin American neighbor nations want Maduro gone.
Yes it is their business.
Maduro:s failed state is destabilizing the entire region.
Is this worth going to war over?
Depends who you ask.

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[Tug]

A sad day for Venezuela and Latin America 

[Berkshire]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Maduro, who says Guaido is a puppet of the United States seeking to orchestrate a coup, called a march of his own supporters on Wednesday.

This is the problem when the US decided to intervene in such a vocal fashion.  The Venezuelans may hate Maduro, but they hate outsiders telling them what to do even more.  If Maduro manages to stay in power, I feel sorry for Guaido.  He may end up in prison...or worse. 

[Jingthing]

This is the problem when the US decided to intervene in such a vocal fashion.  The Venezuelans may hate Maduro, but they hate outsiders telling them what to do even more.  If Maduro manages to stay in power, I feel sorry for Guaido.  He may end up in prison...or worse. 

I disagree. Many of the Venezuelans want the US military in there already.

 

 

The Yankee imperialism thing is just Maduro propaganda to deflect the blame for the failed state away from himself.

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[Berkshire]

4 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

I disagree. Many of the Venezuelans want the US military in there already.

 

 

The Yankee imperialism thing is just Maduro propaganda to deflect the blame for the failed state away from himself.

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You want US military intervention?  And if the Russians (not to mention the Chinese) decide to do the same?  It'll be a total mess. 

[Berkshire]

15 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

I disagree. Many of the Venezuelans want the US military in there already.

 

 

The Yankee imperialism thing is just Maduro propaganda to deflect the blame for the failed state away from himself.

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By the way, I'm not saying I agree with Maduro.  But we shouldn't have given him this argument in the first place.  If he only had his performance in office to argue with, he'd have nothing.  By because we (i.e., Trump, Pence, etc.) opened our big mouth, it provides Maduro a huge propaganda weapon...on a silver platter.  And just like Trump supporters, Maduro supporters will believe anything he says. 

[Jingthing]

You want US military intervention?  And if the Russians (not to mention the Chinese) decide to do the same?  It'll be a total mess. 

I only said many Venezuelans do in response to your post. They're getting impatient. I want Maduro to step down peacefully. Do you reckon he ever will?

The Cuban military is already in there supporting the dictator. The Russians are in there as well doing who knows what. It's already a proxy war.

 

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[Jingthing]

By the way, I'm not saying I agree with Maduro.  But we shouldn't have given him this argument in the first place.  If he only had his performance in office to argue with, he'd have nothing.  By because we (i.e., Trump, Pence, etc.) opened our big mouth, it provides Maduro a huge propaganda weapon...on a silver platter.  And just like Trump supporters, Maduro supporters will believe anything he says. 

Again I think you're wrong. If you've actually been following this you would know that the Venezuelans think help from the US is ultimately their main hope of toppling the dictator. Hopefully military intervention not needed but there are other measures. I think one reason the Russians are so far succeeding in humiliating Washington is they don't believe the USA ever would actually go in there. They're probably right. Paper tiger. If the Russians actually thought the US might actually go in then there would be a greater chance of a peaceful Maduro exit. A bit of contradiction.

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[Guest Jerry787]

actually lopez and guaido run for protection after a mickey mouse less them 200o people failed tentantive coup d'etat, maduro not even need to send his army out, the people, normal people make trumps puppets run away so scared that they pissed on their pants and seek refuge in brazil and chilean embassies....

maybe trump advisers noticed that gauido puppet trained in europe CIA operated school.... is not the obama of south america....

another oil grabbing tentative failed.... 

 

[Srikcir]

11 hours ago, webfact said:

"This is our hemisphere,"

Well, except when it comes to accepting migrants seeking asylum, then its every country for itself.

[Jingthing]

Putin poking the USA in the eye.

So what else is new?

An interesting analysis as to why.

 

Quote

Why is Russia clashing with the United States over Venezuela?

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/05/01/why-is-russia-clashing-with-united-states-over-venezuela/

[Jingthing]

1 minute ago, Srikcir said:

Well, except when it comes to accepting migrants seeking asylum, then its every country for itself.

Funny you mention refugees. Do you think the millions of Venezuelan refugees in South America want murderous kleptocratic dictator Maduro to stay in power? 

 

Quote

The Venezuela Crisis Could Produce More Refugees than Syria.

 

https://www.newsweek.com/venezuela-crisis-maduro-refugees-colombia-rubio-menendez-1303396

[Baerboxer]

11 hours ago, Pedrogaz said:

The sad fact that the US cannot get through their thick skulls is that Maduro, unpopular as he is, is much more popular than any US installed puppet. 

Illegal US sanctions have caused the economic mess that Venezuela is in. You cannot just sanction governments that you don't like. We are supposed to have rules and at least the appearance of fair play in the world relations, but we have neither in this case, or sadly in the case of Syria, Iraq, Libya, and Afghanistan, where millions have had their life's wrecked or been killed by illegal intervention by the US and its vassals.

 

What is illegal about US sanctions?

 

Now when an unpopular president is challenged by a democratically elected parliament, and reacts by establishing a new "assembly" of his appointed friends to overrule parliament - that's plainly illegal.

Edited May 2, 2019 by Baerboxer

[Baerboxer]

7 hours ago, Berkshire said:

You want US military intervention?  And if the Russians (not to mention the Chinese) decide to do the same?  It'll be a total mess. 

 

China won't do anything militarily - not their style. Russia, need to protect it's gold mining activities. Putin would be nervous that close to US but, gold is gold.