By Daniel Nardini
We have all seen the demonstrations in the streets against the recent election process in Venezuela. Venezuelans, angry that dictator Nicolas Maduro has stolen yet another election, has driven several million Venezuelans to the point of extreme desperation that many are ready to lay down their lives to get rid of his dictatorship. So far, the military, the police and the collectivos as they are called (those who support Maduro) have remained loyal to Maduro, and despite all of the demonstrations, the riots in the streets, and the massive disruptions to society, Maduro and his cronies remain firmly in power. Besides the frequent demonstrations, the only other way that Venezuelans can try to get rid of Maduro is by trying an armed insurrection. Again this is easier said than done because Maduro has already considered this possibility, and he is using the army to crush any insurrection. One other important thing to consider; Maduro is supported by Cuba, Russia, China and Iran. There are Cuban, Russian, Chinese and Iranian advisors in Venezuela, and there is an estimated 13,000 Cuban troops and agents in the country guarding Maduro and his cronies. The Cubans owe their allegiance to the Communist Party of Cuba, and since the Communist Party of Cuba sees a reason to keep Maduro alive and in power then they will do so.
But what about the rest of South America? What is happening in Venezuela is also negatively impacting so many countries in South America. Chief among them are Colombia and Brazil; Venezuela’s neighbors. In Colombia alone, there are an estimated 3 million Venezuelan refugees, of which 2.4 million are under a Colombian temporary protected status. In Peru, there are 800,000 Venezuelan refugees. In Brazil, there are 300,000 Venezuelan refugees. The only reason there are not more is because of the type of border region that exists between Venezuela and Brazil. The area is very remote, is virtually uninhabited, and very dangerous to cross. There are deep valleys, inaccessible jungles, dangerous mountain terrain, prairie, and indigenous tribes that do not like people crossing their lands. Given these circumstances, it is amazing that any Venezuelans make it into Brazil at all. So far, there has already been an estimated 9 million Venezuelans who have left their country, and with the situation in the country getting worse (although it is unimaginable how this is possible), it is most certain that far more Venezuelans will find themselves as refugees. It does not seem that the Venezuelan government is doing much to stem this flow of refugees. If anything, the Venezuelan government probably welcomes it; less people to feed and less people to demonstrate against it. One other important negative aspect of what the Venezuelan government is doing is illegal drug running. The Venezuelan government is guilty of major drug trafficking to earn untold billions of dollars to keep Maduro in power. This is truly bad for all of South America as well as the United States and Mexico.
Given all of this, why hasn’t the governments of South America tried to find a way to get rid of Maduro? Maduro is proving to be a security threat because of the illegal drug trafficking network running through all of South America, and the Venezuelan refugee crisis which is undermining the economies of so many South American countries. With many countries in South America trying to help their own people, this just makes things only the more worse for them. Despite what negative impacts Venezuela is having on the rest of South America, the rest of South America is doing little to nothing to deal with Venezuela. There is no diplomatic strategy to do harm to the Maduro regime, and certainly there is no coordinated effort on the part of any South American government to bring in a military solution against Maduro. All of this is happening in South America’s backyard, and it will only get worse. It should be very clear that Maduro will not leave under any voluntary circumstances, and armed uprisings in Venezuela are questionable. Maduro has had no problem killing tens of thousands of Venezuelans, and he would have no problem killing millions of them. He is the Saddam Hussein of South America, and it is also possible he might just try to invade a neighboring country like Guyana. Nothing is beyond the capability of a dictator, unless he is stopped. So what will South America do about Venezuela?
Venezuela: South America’s Dilemma
By Daniel Nardini
But what about the rest of South America? What is happening in Venezuela is also negatively impacting so many countries in South America. Chief among them are Colombia and Brazil; Venezuela’s neighbors. In Colombia alone, there are an estimated 3 million Venezuelan refugees, of which 2.4 million are under a Colombian temporary protected status. In Peru, there are 800,000 Venezuelan refugees. In Brazil, there are 300,000 Venezuelan refugees. The only reason there are not more is because of the type of border region that exists between Venezuela and Brazil. The area is very remote, is virtually uninhabited, and very dangerous to cross. There are deep valleys, inaccessible jungles, dangerous mountain terrain, prairie, and indigenous tribes that do not like people crossing their lands. Given these circumstances, it is amazing that any Venezuelans make it into Brazil at all. So far, there has already been an estimated 9 million Venezuelans who have left their country, and with the situation in the country getting worse (although it is unimaginable how this is possible), it is most certain that far more Venezuelans will find themselves as refugees. It does not seem that the Venezuelan government is doing much to stem this flow of refugees. If anything, the Venezuelan government probably welcomes it; less people to feed and less people to demonstrate against it. One other important negative aspect of what the Venezuelan government is doing is illegal drug running. The Venezuelan government is guilty of major drug trafficking to earn untold billions of dollars to keep Maduro in power. This is truly bad for all of South America as well as the United States and Mexico.
Given all of this, why hasn’t the governments of South America tried to find a way to get rid of Maduro? Maduro is proving to be a security threat because of the illegal drug trafficking network running through all of South America, and the Venezuelan refugee crisis which is undermining the economies of so many South American countries. With many countries in South America trying to help their own people, this just makes things only the more worse for them. Despite what negative impacts Venezuela is having on the rest of South America, the rest of South America is doing little to nothing to deal with Venezuela. There is no diplomatic strategy to do harm to the Maduro regime, and certainly there is no coordinated effort on the part of any South American government to bring in a military solution against Maduro. All of this is happening in South America’s backyard, and it will only get worse. It should be very clear that Maduro will not leave under any voluntary circumstances, and armed uprisings in Venezuela are questionable. Maduro has had no problem killing tens of thousands of Venezuelans, and he would have no problem killing millions of them. He is the Saddam Hussein of South America, and it is also possible he might just try to invade a neighboring country like Guyana. Nothing is beyond the capability of a dictator, unless he is stopped. So what will South America do about Venezuela?