https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/01/24/donald-trump-might-just-man-topple-president-maduro-save-venezuela/
The collapse of Venezuela is one of the greatest human tragedies of our time, all the worse because every part of it was avoidable. Gang violence is now such that, by some estimates, a child is killed there every eight hours. Add the adults, and it’s a violent death every 25 minutes. Mothers sit on rubbish heaps scavenging for food, prices double every month, thousands flee every day. Not so long ago, this was the wealthiest country in Latin America. Most Venezuelans now live on standards comparable to those of Bangladesh or Congo. The rest of the world can only look on in horror.
Donald Trump may not be the most obvious solution to all this, but his actions on Venezuela this week have been decisive, subtle and effective. The problem is Nicolas Maduro, who has taken the radical socialist policies of his mentor, Hugo Chavez, to their destructive conclusion. The nationalisations (at the time hailed as a model by Jeremy Corbyn) led to economic chaos and hyperinflation. Maduro has now rigged elections and violated the constitution, but for the first time he now faces a united and energetic opposition led by Juan Guaidó, whom Trump has just recognised as the “interim” president of Venezuela.
Within an hour of Trump’s announcement, Guaidó was also recognised by Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Colombia, Guatemala, Paraguay and Peru. In Caracas, thousands of protesters gathered to cheer Guaidó on during a mock swearing-in ceremony. A democratic movement to displace Maduro is now underway, with backing across Latin America and Trump offering co-ordination and support. His strategy is to do what he can to bolster Juan Guaidó, the 35-year-old leader of the Venezuela National Assembly, and encourage change to come from within.
Trump started off with sanctions against Venezuela, but has realised that they won’t achieve much – with Maduro using them to blame America for everything that’s going wrong. Intensifying sanctions would only serve to deepen the agony of people who are already dying for want of basic medicines. Asking a third country to mediate (as Norway once did in Colombia) won’t work either. The Vatican tried to play honest broker in Caracas, but gave up once everyone realised that Maduro was playing for time.