Maduro tightens screws on Guaido as Venezuela power struggle ramps up

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the new sanctions "violate all possible international norms" and said the U.S. has "publicly taken a course toward illegal regime change."

I agree with Lavrov.

But Russia's been propping up Lavrov, a failure of a leader. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/24/juan-guaido-venezuelas-opposition-leader-declares-himself-interim-president

And China has stakes there, too. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/09/venezuela-significantly-increase-oil-exports-china-180919070322004.html

Occam's Razor: Oil trumps the 99.9%

Hyperinflation, shortages of food and medicine and failing public services has spread misery, undermining support for a leftist regime that has held power for two decades.

Maduro has destroyed Venezuela through economic mismanagement.

What do you want to bet we eventually learn that Trump, Bolton and Pompeo had the CIA instigate the populist uprising and installation of interim president Juan Guaidó, in an effort to benefit future U.S. energy interests?

You have to admit, it seems exactly like the sort of completely illegal foreign ops dog-and-pony-show those three egomaniacal creeps would attempt (and screw-up badly).

But Russia's been propping up Lavrov, a failure of a leader. 

Correction: Russia's been propping up Maduro.

Curious that anti-left, anti-liberal, anti-socialist Putin has been propping up a putative socialist when Putin's pushed Russia to be one of the farthest right regimes on the planet while claiming to hate the 'left'.

I guess oil trumps political beliefs.

@burningbush Hey USA quit meddling in the domestic affairs of other countries.

I agree. No doubt you'll also say 'Hey Russia quit meddling in the domestic affairs of other countries'. Am I right? China, too?

Time for another Bay of Pigs.

If you thought organized crime is bad when it's a national criminal gang, now you can see how bad it is when it's a national government. It goes from protection racket to full out theft of a nations resources.

I really don't know much about what's going on here but I really hope we keep our involvement to a minimum.

As long as they Valenzuelians don’t make a mass exodus and try to storm our borders, I don’t really care to an extent.

As long as they Valenzuelians don’t make a mass exodus and try to storm our borders, I don’t really care to an extent.

You’ve got to be careful about Valenzuelians, Bass. Keep an eye out.

any election won by 300,000 votes with 15 million voting, MUST have a reelection. democracy means the majority agree.

Article excerpt: “A furious Maduro, 56, said Trump would have "blood all over his hands" if violence breaks out in Venezuela.”

No. Venezuelans opposing Maduro have already been killed by his regime. More will follow. The blood is on his hands.

“What do you want to bet we eventually learn that Trump, Bolton and Pompeo had the CIA instigate the populist uprising and installation of interim president Juan Guaidó, in an effort to benefit future U.S. energy interests?”

Look at the massive anti-regime demonstrations in Caracas. If instigated by the usual suspects, it looks wildly successful. Too bad most of those good people will be dispersed by “a whiff of grapeshot”.

“As long as they Valenzuelians don’t make a mass exodus and try to storm our borders, I don’t really care to an extent.”

A mass exodus of Valenzuelas will ruin competition in American baseball though wouldn’t they be coming from old Mexico?

“Time for another Bay of Pigs.”

That invasion failed. Am I safe in assuming you know that? Besides, Venezuela doesn’t need a jillion tractors from John Deere as ransom for captured invaders.

Hilarious. Demonstrators against Maduro are "brave fighters against tyranny", while demonstrators against Macron, for example, are populists and violators of social order. And I wonder how Americans would react if Maduro declares Trump an illegal usurper and Hillary the lawful US president.

Maduro is now willing to talk with the opposition - which he should had done in the first place a couple years ago when the opposition won the Congressional elections

Instead of ripping their Constitution apart and changing the rules, just so he can make his own Congress

Russia and China have to back him because they loaned his government a lot of money - and they don't know how much of that money they'll get back if the government changes hands.

It's all about the loans - especially China is not known for writing off debts (see the Sri Lanka Chinese-made shipping port)