The escalation of tension between the US and Venezuela continues, after American troops and vehicles landed in Puerto Rico on Friday (5), as part of ongoing operations in the Caribbean. In an interview with CNNprofessor and doctor in International Law Priscila Caneparo warned that if Nicolás Maduro leaves power in Venezuela, it will be necessary to carefully plan a transitional government to avoid a political vacuum that could destabilize not only the country, but the entire region.
According to the expert, in the current scenario, the possibility of Maduro abandoning the Venezuelan regime is real due to factors that have consolidated in recent years. “Maduro has lost a lot of the support he had in South America, especially in relation to Brazil. We need to remember that Brazil did not even recognize the results of the last elections in Venezuela.”
Caneparo also recalled that there are countries willing to offer asylum and amnesty to Maduro and his family, such as Cuba, Russia and Qatar. However, he highlighted that the Venezuelan leader has expectations that the United States will meet so that he can leave power safely.
Risks of regional instability
According to the professor, a power vacuum in South America represents a serious problem, especially related to drug trafficking and militias. “Very serious social upheavals can occur, as we have already seen, which will lead to instability that will not be reversed in the coming decades,” he warned.
The expert also questions who would lead this transition process. “Will it be planned by the political wing of Venezuela that opposes Maduro, by one (especially those bordering Venezuela), or by the United States?”
For Caneparo, an intervention led by the United States would be problematic, as it would indicate a new phase of North American influence in Latin America. “This influence does not come with the sovereignty of other States in mind, it comes precisely with meeting the interests of MAGA, the interests of the United States itself”, he analyzed.
The professor concluded that the focal point should be to ensure that a possible transitional regime does not worsen Venezuela’s situation in terms of
