David Smilde, curator of the blog, is a WOLA Senior Fellow and the Charles A. and Leo M. Favrot Professor of Human Relations at Tulane University. He has lived in or worked on Venezuela since 1992. Professor Smilde has researched Venezuela for the past twenty years. He has taught at the Universidad Central de Venezuela and the Universidad Católica Ándres Bello. From 2010-2012 he was the Chair of the Venezuelan Studies Section of the Latin American Studies Association. He is currently working on a book manuscript called Venezuela’s Transition to Socialism: Politics and Human Rights under Chávez, 2008-2012. He is co-editor of Venezuela's Bolivarian Democracy: Participation, Politics and Culture under Chávez (Duke 2011).
I published a piece on Juan Guaidó’s international trip and the outlook for Venezuela’s opposition push for a return to democracy. The folks at WPR were nice enough to whitelist the link from this blog, so you can access the …
Guaidó needs to demonstrate he still has Trump’s support..For Trump the Venezuela issue is mainly interesting in terms of Florida electoral politics. The current stalemate actually works quite well for those purposes and any change of course might not be worth the risk.
Tuve el gusto de hablar con mi amiga Luz Mely Reyes, directora de Efecto Cocuyo, en su programa de entrevistas llamado ConlaLuz. Tomamos un inventario del primer año desde que Juan Guaidó asumió la presidencia interina, de su gira …
With an increasingly adverse domestic context, Venezuela’s National Assembly (AN) president Juan Guaidó has defied a Supreme Court travel ban and has set out on an international tour to build international support. It is a risky move for Guaidó, as …
The attack on the deputies suggests the government is not going to pull back on its push to take over the National Assembly...a multi-faceted push appears to be underway to consolidate their control.
Venezuela’s political situation decayed even further this week as the Maduro government pushed to seize control of the National Assembly rather than allow National Assembly president Juan Guaidó be elected to a second term.
(See explainers from AP, the …
Atravesando nuestro análisis es la idea de que es normal que un conflicto serio viera iniciativas multiples que surgen y se agotan, siendo reemplazado por nuevos esfuerzos. La clave es que se construyen sobre lo que ya ha ocurrido en lugar de comenzar de nuevo cada vez. Vemos este progreso en los cuatros procesos.
In an electoral year, the Trump Administration has no motivation to alter the current situation. Having a deadlock in Venezuela will help them mobilize the electorate in South Florida and at the same time use Venezuela's governance disaster to stigmatize "socialism." This is the playbook that has served Republican so well for the past half century in Florida and the Venezuela conflict has provided it with new energy. Any kind of military intervention or significant diplomatic push would pose significant risks for Trump and are unattractive options compared to the status-quo.
The Maduro government is trying to nibble away at the majority coalition to prevent Guaidó from getting the 84 votes he needs in the 167 seat legislature. The dominant opposition coalition is doing what it can to keep its majority in tact for the January 5, 2020 re-election of Juan Guaidó as National Assembly president.
Esta mañana hice una entrevista con periodista venezolano Cesar Miguel Rondón, a base de la pregunta y respuesta publicado ayer por el Latin America Advisor. Durante diez minutos hablamos de la unidad y liderazgo de la coalición opositora, …
