Venezuela: The US Should Work with Machado on a Transition

Ian Vásquez The capture and removal of dictator Nicolás Maduro was a cause for celebration by all those who have hoped for an end to the tyranny that has made Venezuela one of the least free countries in the world. But the professionalism with which the military operation was planned and executed stands in contrast to the way its aftermath has been handled, with conflicting messaging from the administration that has left many surprised or disillusioned and raises more questions than it answers. , Trump or other administration officials have said that the operation was to remove an indicted narco-terrorist and not the beginning of a nation-building exercise; that the U.S.

is “running” Venezuela and that military occupation is an option; that the U.S. will oversee economic recuperation and t