President Donald Trump had announced that he supports Guaido, citing Maduro's corrupt election as reason for his decision. He has also urged other countries to follow suit in supporting Guaido as the legitimate president of Venezuela. Trump had stated that he is prepared to punish Maduro through actions such as placing oil sanctions.
Questions:
1. How much do you think the US will be able to impact the situation in Venezuela? Which country has the greatest influences on how things will turn out?
2. Should the US continue to interfere in the political climate in Venezuela?
3. Who do you think deserves to be President of Venezuela? Are you sympathetic to either side, or none?
I think the US has a relatively large ability to impact Venezuela, because US support for a government can come with aid and military support. Other influential countries will be south American neighbors to Venezuela (most of who have supported Guaido). I think the US should use its vast influence in Venezuela to support a more democratic government able to serve the Venezuelan people better and bring more support to the region, however they should do it with support form the greater South American community. I think that at least in the short term Guaido should be president because Venezuela needs change to alleviate its terrible economic situation, and Guaido will be a more popular leader able to change Venezuelan policies to better support sustainability, especially because Maduro had led Venezuela's economy poorly by being overly reliant on oil profits.
ReplyDeleteThe situation in Venezuela is so dismal I doubt many there will notice a difference, though the economic price to pay will now be even worse. I'm not sure which other countries are at play here, but Venezuela seems to be defeating itself more than anyone else. I think in the name of what is just, as long as the US does not get physically involved, it is fine to recognize one elected official over another as the leader of a country if the current leader won through foul play, and if the people of the country in question are in favor of the current leader being deposed or replaced. Since I'm not very well informed, I'm not too sure who I want to be president, but I'm certain that whoever the people choose should be the leader.
ReplyDeleteI think the recognition of Guaido is a step in the right direction for Venezuela. Under Maduro's leadership the country has spiraled into a dire economic and humanitarian crisis, with each Venezuelan losing an average of 15 pounds. Clearly Maduro won by foul play, and the people no longer see him as a representative of their best interests. Guaido has great support from the people, with civilians flooding the streets of Caracas to show support for him. I think if the US were to ally with this new president, it would greatly benefit the Venezuelan people because they would receive humanitarian aid that is greatly needed.
ReplyDeleteI think US recognition is only the first step in the US's plan to send aid to Venezuela. If Maduro and his military attempt to take over, the US is able to defend Guaido to protect the legitimate head of state of an important ally, not as an intrusion on domestic politics.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the US should intrude much in Venezuela except for dire humanitarian reasons Helping other countries is a very delicate task. In some cultures, it is insulting. There are lots of social aspects to consider, and it is all too easy to leave a bad impression. What's the point in helping someone who doesn't like your help?
The U.S. may be able to have an impact on repairing the Venezuelan government, but it will take a long time to fully repair the damaged infrastructure and government. It all depends on getting a stable leader who has a solid vision for Venezuela. Without having a trustworthy and honest leader, Venezuela is likely to suffer even more and have continued economic hardships. In order for Venezuela to succeed in the long term, they need to stabilize their economy and create a more diversified system while also reducing entitlements. I find it ridiculous that the quality of life in Venezuela is as low as it has become. It's sad and a lot of it is a result in lack of diversification and mismanagement. I support Guaido as long as he's willing to do what's necessary to help Venezuela prosper in the long-term.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Albert that the US should limit its intervention in Venezuela. While recognizing the consequences of Maduro's terrible economic management, such as the lack of food and living security, I think the US must also respect its own ideals of freedom and democracy by encouraging free elections abroad, where the people can elect their own leader(s). However, in the meanwhile, I personally believe that it is more important to focus on the humanitarian crisis and recognize the situation in Venezuela, rather than be distracted by the petty and bellicose rhetoric/actions coming from the White House.
ReplyDeleteThe US has tremendous power to influence the situation in Venenzuela but I believe that US intervention is unnecessary. The people are choosing and supporting the direction they want and the US should have no say in which side is right. Some people may support intervention because of the effect on oil prices due to the situation and the possible oil embargos. In my opinion, Guaido deserves to be president because he is a person who is now leading the demnostrations against Maduro and he is someone who was chosen from a large group of others, unlike Maduro.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the US has the ability and power to intervene in Venezuela. It is also important to realize that by choosing one side over the other, the U.S has a
ReplyDeleteI think that the USA has taken a step in the right direction by supporting Guaido, as Maduro is clearly unfit for the role of president. Not only did he drive the resource rich country into ruin, but he also rigged the reelection, despite public protest against him. I am glad to see the Venezuelan people take a stand against Maduro, and fully support their actions.
ReplyDeleteI can't say for certain how much the US will be able to impact the situation in Venezuela, but regarding the question of how much the US should try to interfere in the political climate in Venezuela I believe the US should limit their interference or not interfere at all. US interference in the politics of foreigns countries is not something new, but past examples have not necessarily demonstrated optimal results. For example, war in Middle Eastern countries such as Syria continue today partly due to US intervention. US has a history of interfering with the political climates of foreign countries for national interests. I personally believe that the US should limit its interference in Venezuela as a precaution against fueling turmoil in the country.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the US has a lot of potential to have influence in Venezula. Right now the quality of life in Venezuela is horrible from their economic decisions to the amount of food that is left. Maduro has done a poor job in leading and taking care of his people, and I feel that a change is necessary. Mauro has a lot of control of Venezuela and has some of his loyal supporters still within and this would make it difficult for the US to overthrow him. However in my opinion the change is necessary as we have seen the poor job Maduro has done and some sort of change is needed in order for the country of Venezuela to get back on track.
ReplyDeleteBeing the world leader, the US has substantial capability to influence the political situation in Venezuela due to the sanctions, aid, military threats it could enforce on Manduro's government. I believe the US should have a right to intervene, especially when democracy and equality are at stake. While I do not think Maduro has a right to be the President of Venezuela due to not only the corrupt election system but also the fact that organized crime has virtually skyrocketed since Maduro took office, I believe that rather than supporting the opposition leader, the US should step in to facilitate a fair election so that the people can decide who they want as President. After all, perhaps the people may be in support of another candidate other than Guaido. If the US were to go against the Venezuelan people's will, then its intervention efforts geared towards promoting democracy would be contradictory and virtually worthless and hypocritical.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that we should interfere yet because we should allowed them to deal with it first. Even though we are very influential, support and aid any country in need, we should always be careful. There is only how far you can go before there is not enough aid to spread around. Yes, it is not great to have ties to such a corruptive president, but we need to make sure that Venezuelan supports of Guaido can handle Maduro. We should not always come to call for help when we have pressing issues in our own nation too.
ReplyDeleteI think the US will be able to impact the situation in Venezuela by ruining their economy as limiting sanctions will lead to inflation of their economy and distrust from the nation's citizens. At the moment, the US is not completely interfering with the political climate in Venezuela as claims by Trump are just threats that have a small chance if at all from being put through. The way in which Maduro was elected was still democratic and Maduro has no control the status of his opponents, so although his election may seem controversial, instances such as this one still occur is many democratic nations.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the US have the ability to heavily influence the current situation in Venezuela. Given their current dire economic situation, I think the recognition of Guaido as President could be one of the first steps in alleviating the many problems that the country faces under Maduro. I do think that there is a chance of a Maduro military takeover if this does happen, so the United States has to be ready for that. Aside of that, electing the popular Guaido can promote a more democratic government in Venezuela as well as help the crumbling economy.
ReplyDeleteThe US has tremendous influence on Venezuelan politics, considering both historical evidence as well as the current situation there. Since Venezuela is currently in a state of turmoil and also in economic catastrophe, the US can very likely implement policies / deals that will get them what they want. Given the current situation, it may be beneficial if the US intervenes, but the US also should not take advantage of this power and interfere (in a manipulative manner) in other nations' ordeals like they did in many instances during the Cold War.
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