USA vs Venezuela

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Analysis: One small slip and she could trigger chaos

Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodríguez is a socialist and political veteran who has risen through the ranks and been one of Nicolás Maduro's most loyal subordinates. This is written by the Wall Street Journal, which draws a portrait of the politician who was relatively anonymous until this weekend.

Her father was a Marxist activist who died when she was a child, and she has studied law in both Caracas and Paris. Her brother is also part of Maduro's political circle.

In an analysis, The Guardian's Rory Carroll writes that Rodríguez is said to be a hard-nosed pragmatist. Shortly after Maduro's arrest, she condemned the arrest in strong terms. Carroll says it could be theater, a way to appease regime supporters while she considers the next step.

If she wants power, she must also accommodate the United States, writes Carroll.

"A single step could trigger an internal coup, a riot in the streets or a new American attack."

Security expert Matthew Kroenig says the White House is currently trying to rein in Rodríguez with both a carrot and a stick.

– We'll see if it works, he tells Bloomberg.

Defense Minister: Our forces are being put on alert

Venezuela is "activating" soldiers around the country after the US arrest of President Nicolás Maduro, the country's Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said according to Reuters. The aim is said to be "guaranteeing the country's independence".

In a television broadcast, he says that the military supports the appointment of Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as interim president.

Padrino also says that large parts of Maduro's security team were killed by US forces.

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Analysis: The attack goes against Trump's message of peace

Donald Trump's message and actions in Venezuela are not what the president was elected to do, writes the BBC's Anthony Zurcher in an analysis.

“Trump took office almost a year ago with the promise of being a peacemaker, but over the past year he has shown that he is more than willing to use military force around the world,” writes Zurcher.

He also writes that after the attack, Trump now seems to have embarked on nation-building.

However, how Venezuela will be governed in the future is unclear, writes Sky News’ Stuart Ramsay. Outside Venezuela, Maria Corina Machado is seen as a possible candidate if the opposition takes power.

However, this was dismissed by Donald Trump during a press conference, where he said that she lacks both support and respect in the country.

According to Ramsay, the US may instead govern Venezuela with the support of the country’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, who has been appointed interim president.

“The US president added that Rodríguez had a long conversation with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, where she reportedly said: ‘We will do whatever you need.’” 

Expert: If everything goes smoothly, they could become an extremely important player

Donald Trump has his sights set on Venezuela’s gigantic oil resources. He believes that US oil companies are ready to retool the neglected industry so that the oil can be extracted. Experts are divided on the feasibility of the plan.

One problem is that it requires enormous investments over a long period of time – which requires political stability. This is what Øystein Kalleklev, former head of Flex LNG, tells the Norwegian DN.

Ole Hvalbye, oil analyst at SEB, is more optimistic. He believes that something that speaks in favor of Trump’s plan is that US oil companies know the region, which makes establishing a presence relatively uncomplicated.

“Given that the US gets control of production and that it goes smoothly, Venezuela could reach the levels we saw in the 70s and 80s,” he tells the newspaper, continuing:

“That would add large volumes to the market and in the long term push prices down. Then they would become an extremely important player in the oil market.”