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“The Times They Are A'Changin” in Venezuela...or are they? Much has been promised for change in Venezuela following Operation Absolute Resolve—namely a plan of stabilization, recovery, and ultimately a transition to democracy—and the president has already declared victory. In fact, he has gone so far as to tout the “Delcy Option,” which has become shorthand for the removal of an authoritarian leader and transfer of power to an allegedly compliant underling, as a compelling model that can be implemented in Iran and Cuba.
Over the last couple of weeks, however, the United States has given Venezuela far more than it has gotten. Most notably, the United States recognized Delcy Rodriguez’s government as the legitimate governing authorities in Venezuela—the first time we have recognized the Chavista regime since 2019. And yet, rather than earning that designation, the appointments Rodriguez has been making seem only to embolden regime hardliners, threatening the hard-won success of Absolute Resolve and casting doubt on the effectiveness of the “Delcy Option” itself.
The first concerning appointment was the announcement in mid-March that Vladimir Padrino Lopez, Venezuela's Minister of Defense under Maduro, had been replaced by Gustavo Gonzalez Lopez. Gonzalez Lopez himself is under U.S. and EU sanctions for human rights violations and was the head of Venezuela’s notorious intelligence agency during some of its largest-scale human rights abuses—including when it murdered opposition leader Fernando Alban. Equally as ominous, Gonzalez Lopez is a close ally of Diosdado Cabello, currently indicted in the United States for profiting off the deaths of American citizens. When one thinks of the origin of the insecurity that caused large scale immigration and facilitated the drug trade, Diosdado Cabello is top of the list.
The second change saw the return of Asdrubal Chavez, Hugo Chavez's cousin and one of the central causes for the bankrupting of CITGO, as CITGO’s president. At precisely the moment the United States seeks to use CITGO to ensure the repayment of billions of dollars to U.S.-based creditors, Rodriguez has appointed a staunch defender of expropriation—not very encouraging for American business who may have hoped to expand operations to Venezuela.
Secretary Rubio recently argued that “in order for Venezuela to fulfill its economic potential, it has to have a stable, democratic government.” These appointments are proof of why Rubio’s statement is true. Allowing these appointments to proceed uncontested threatens to hinder the president’s core priorities and make that long-sought stability all the more distant.
-Carrie Filipetti, Executive Director of the Vandenberg Coalition
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