“The ends justify the means.” The vulgar maxim is based on a conceptual inconsistency: the split between the two elements. Everything happens as if abominable means could produce virtuous ends. The US imperial operation in Venezuela shatters this illusion.
The means qualify the ends. Violation of international laws, through military intervention against a sovereign nation, does not lead to democracy. He opted for Delcy Rodríguez – that is, for the Maduro regime without Maduro – because the ideal tool for imposing a protectorate is a demoralized and submissive dictatorship. The calculation calls for the marginalization of María Corina Machado and Edmundo González, the victorious candidate in the rigged 2024 elections.
The military power of a foreign power is not a viable means of realizing Venezuelans’ hopes for a return to democracy. The USA, which did not recognize Maduro’s spurious victory, has now established a pact with his vice president. In the summary of Charles Shapiro, former American ambassador in Caracas: “They preferred stability to democracy. The thugs are still there.”
In Trump’s plans, an indefinite democratic transition appears as a nebulous promise, in an unpredictable future. A government chosen by the people would have to satisfy voters, unlike a dictatorship. The annulment of national sovereignty implies the rejection of popular sovereignty.
“This is not a change of regime, but a demand for a change in the regime’s behavior,” explained Mike Johnson, the Republican who leads the Chamber. The puppet regime must place Venezuela in the US geopolitical and economic orbit, through an exclusive oil agreement and by breaking alliances with China, Iran and Cuba. From him, however, the USA does not demand the full validity of public and political freedoms.
“I’m in charge,” Trump boasted. However, a scenario of instability emerges. The regime announced the release of some of the 806 political prisoners. Tomorrow or the day after, Corina Machado will demand security guarantees from Delcy Rodríguez to return to Venezuela. If repression eases, the puppet incarnation of Chavismo will face waves of popular demonstrations. Otherwise, the White House becomes a partner in discretion, too high a price for Republicans.
“There is no external agent in the Venezuelan government”, proclaimed Delcy Rodríguez, in the face of general disbelief. Maduro’s henchman oversaw Chavismo’s murderous political police and engineered the recent transition from misery socialism to mafia capitalism. Therefore, he identified in her the perfect “agent” to perform the role of puppet. The means always qualify the ends.
Brazil accumulates diplomatic failures on the Venezuelan issue. In the past, Lula operated as an electoral campaigner for Maduro, celebrating Chavista “democracy”. Faced with the 2024 electoral fraud, he refused to endorse Maduro’s spurious victory, but he also did not recognize González’s triumph, condemning himself to irrelevance.
Our diplomacy – “proud and active”, according to Celso Amorim – will only regain credibility through the demand for the restoration of popular sovereignty in the neighboring country, via free elections. Venezuela’s freedom, a virtuous end, depends on the choice of appropriate means.
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