Is this the end game for Bolivarian Socialism in Venezuela

I agree with these tweets by Bernie Sanders:

"The Maduro government has waged a violent crackdown on Venezuelan civil society, violated the constitution by dissolving the National Assembly and was re-elected last year in an election many observers said was fraudulent. The economy is a disaster and millions are migrating.
The United States should support the rule of law, fair elections and self-determination for the Venezuelan people. We must condemn the use of violence against unarmed protesters and the suppression of dissent.
But we must learn the lessons of the past and not be in the business of regime change or supporting coups—as we have in Chile, Guatemala, Brazil & the DR. The US has a long history of inappropriately intervening in Latin American nations; we must not go down that road again".

He received some criticism by extremists.
I don't understand why any American can back the Maduro dictatorship.

And I don't get why anybody could be in favor of an armed US intervention,.

Because in today's world, if nothing external intervenes, the outcome will be determined by a coin toss.

Not that I'm in favor of tipping the scale with anything other than my words or internal decisions, I say let the chips fall where they may.

In view of the misery inflicted on the Venezuelan people by the authoritarian, corrupt, incompetent and grossly ineffective architects of the "Bolivarian" revolution, I believe it is a more than a little premature to trot out the largely exaggerated "inappropriate" (whatever that means) interventions of the United States Interventions in South American politics. While a case cam be made for the predatory US interventions in Mexico, the others listed all yielded better outcomes for the people of Chile & Brazil . The Central American Republics are a different issue - all socially divided, corrupt and ineffective. Though the main issues in each are internal and the responsibility of local elites, both Mexico and the United States have contributed to the disorder there, though often with good intentions.

With respect to Venezuela the United States has indeed supported the rule of law, fair elections and self-determination for the Venezuelan people, and has done so despite the evident hostility of a tyrannical Venezuelan government that has engaged in actions directly threatening to the United States - though generally with the same incompetence that that done so much harm to the Venezuelan people.

The Chavez/Maduro regime has had the foresight to include senior military officers in the corruption, expropriation of property, criminal drug smuggling and related actions of the government. As a result it currently appears that the Venezuelan military will continue to support the hapless tyranny there. In addition there is the factor of the Cuban intelligence and police presence in Venezuela. Cuba depends economically on the large subsidies it gets from the Bolivarian government and is now intervening in Venezuelan affairs in a very direct way - though no one has addressed that. What may result from all this is as yet unclear, however, a very bloody uprising is a real possibility.

In these circumstances it seems appropriate for those who would trot out the litany of previous, peaceful US interventions in Chile & Brazil, to address just what should be the threshold for intervention in Venezuela.

I agree completely. My son preferred the response of Jeremy Corbyn, who called and congratulated Maduro. I thought he took it too far.

I agree. I posted the same information on my thread.

Venezuela is an economic basket case. Solving the hyperinflation issue alone will be an enormous task, which, in view of the collapse of the domestic economy and the flight of the business owners and skilled employees of manufacturing and service companies expropriated by the socialist government, will require the quick infusion of enormous capital -- from where???? The Bolivarian regime has exhausted nearly all of the liquid assets of the country in futile efforts to sustain their socialist paradise, and cover their own asses..

The management and technical competence of PDVSTA has collapsed under the corrupt rule of party functionaries, and more recently under military officers beholden to Maduro. Most other domestic companies have collapsed by direct government management or by their inability to import needed raw materials and/or the absurd price controls that made production economically impossible. Rebuilding both will be a challenging task that will likely take years to accomplish.

My impression is that our government sees Maduro as vulnerable, and to avoid civil war and bloodshed is using the orchestrated mass international recognition of the National Assembly leader as interim President, accompanied by sanctions to hasten Maduro's departure. Whether this will succeed or not is as yet unclear.

I frankly hope we take no additional actions either in the needed regime change or the recovery that may follow. We didn't dig this hole and we shouldn't try to fill it.

News reports this morning describe the defection of a senior Venezuelan Air Force General, Yanez Rodriguez, who has circulated a video announcing his support for an " imminent return to Democracy' and recognition of the interim President Juan Guido, the current elected head of the National Assembly, now marginalized by President Maduro. Rodriguez is also reported to have confirmed that Maduro has two aircraft positioned to take him out of the country ( either a long trip to Iran or a short one to Cuba) .

This may be a telling indicator of the end for Maduro, however the defection of an equivalent Army commander in direct command of troops, if it occurs, would be an even stronger one.

When will Americans learn that, in Spanish speaking countries, people have two last names, and are usually known for their FIRST last name?
So, it’s General Yañez, not Rodríguez.
Just at it is dictator Maduro, not Moro. Fidel Castro, not Ruz. Hugo Chávez, not Frías.

It’s not that complicated, is it?

Not complicated for a man's name, but what if they live in the US, and adopt the US convention. It's at least confusing for Chinese names.

Thumbs down for nitpicking

The fate of Citgo/American jobs.

https://twitter.com/CNBCWEX/status/1092752342989066241

As usual the Trump government couldent care less about common citizens grevinces. Its all about oil. Just as it was in Iran, Syria, and the rest of the oil producing countries the u s interfeares with.

Oh, come on.

I do, occasionally.

Whose grievances are you referring to? Those of the Venezuelan people, or your own?

In the case of Venezuela their economy is virtually all about oil as the Bolivarian government has destroyed most other domestic economic activity in the country.

Most of our sanctions involve ensuring that the illegitimate (and highly corrupt) Maduro government doesn't get its hands on any of the remaining liquid assets of the country. All of this of course assumes the new government itself is free of corruption: something we hope is true, but can find out only by waiting. Certainly the corrupt incompetence of the Maduro government has made this a good bet -- almost anything else will be better.

We need to ask Trump to appoint a legitimate president in the US. In Venezuela, with such ease, but not at home. Oh, I forgot, there is Putin’s prerogative.
With righteous thoughts about the Venezuelan people, we will tighten the sanctions. And when they will be bent from hunger, then we will send them a Trojan humanitarian horse (with our man). And there is nothing that the products will be expired there, anyway, we will burn these trucks for the picture we need (it would be nice if there were still sacral victims).
Indeed, in Venezuela, ruled by a sick and bloodthirsty tyrant Maduro. And we do not speak with tyrants. Never. Never ... And then we are going to meet the most democratic of all the leaders - the DPRK head (probably because the word "democratic" is in the abbreviation).
It seems to me that the borders of the United States have spread to the entire globe (well, with the exception of probably China, Russia and the DPRK). How is it here in our Venezuela is not all right? Now we fix it ...

Today's return of Assembly President Guaido to Venezuela will likely reopen the unfolding drama between him and the Maduro government. I suspect accurate forecasts of short-term outcomes are very hard to come by. However the ultimate collapse of the Maduro government appears very likely.

Venezuela had been providing significant economic assistance to both Cuba and Nicaragua. The cessation of these subsidies has already yielded acknowledged difficulties in Nicaragua, where the ever-adaptable Ortega strives mostly to preserve his own power. Cuba is a more secretive, doctrinal and efficient authoritarian regime, and I'm not aware of any acknowledgment of the new challenges on its part. Cuba has endured these setbacks before when the Soviet subsidies ended. It will be interesting to observe what may follow this time, particularly given the ongoing transition (if that is the right word) from the Castro Era to whatever may be ahead.

Much of Venezuela is still in darkness following the failure ( five days ago) of a very large hydroelectric plant there. News reports address the continuing effects on the storage of sometimes scarce food and the operation of hospital facilities, as well as public transport. One also addressed the explosion at another power plant in Caracas, a strange event which may have other implications.

Meanwhile Assembly President Guaido is calling for the declaration of a "State of Alarm" to facilitate International aid (and possibly intervention).

Venezuela appears to be collapsing under the weight of incompetent and corrupt Party rule of major sectors of the economy, and, very, likely the flight to Spain, Mexico and the U.S. of the people who once did all this. Their inability to pump or refine their own oil; produce food to feed their population and now run a reliable electrical grid is both tragic and comical.

How events in Venezuela will turn out appears to me to be very hard to forecast. I hope we don't get actively involved in any action to unseat Maduro. We should let his and the Bolivarian failure lead to its own vivid disaster, and avoid providing these folks with the excuses they likely desperately want and need at this juncture.

So, you don’t think the CIA or their contractors are setting things on fire and blowing up infrastructure to hasten Maduro’s departure?

CIA is all over this, I would bet they were involved in cutting power, they will keep going to the next level of disruption until the US gets the illegitimate guy in and completely screws the population at large.

It's amazing how CNN, MSNBC and of course, Fox, keep pushing the narrative. they have puppet masters somewhere influencing the story line. They all will argue in Tulsi Gabbard's face as she tells them Iraq, Afghanistan, Lybia and Syria is happening again. Bought and paid for 'news' outlets indeed.