BEIRUT, LEBANON (8:45 A.M.) – The attempted coup to overthrow Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is not going well, as opposition leader Juan Guaido has been unable to convince high-ranking officials and military personnel to abandon the leader of the Bolivarian Republic.
In a new interview with Russia’s Sputnik News Agency, Alfred de Zayas, an American lawyer, and Professor Julia Buxton shared their views on Washington’s failed efforts to oust Maduro.
According to Alfred de Zayas, an American lawyer, writer, historian, and former UN rapporteur to Venezuela, Washington’s failure to replace Maduro with Juan Guaido, the self-proclaimed interim president, may prompt the U.S. to try to kill the legitimate head of Venezuela.
“I know from reliable sources that for several months now the U.S. has been offering vast amounts of money and promising other perks to any military who will defect”, he told Sputnik. “Undoubtedly they have financed each and every coup attempt, including failed attempts to have Maduro assassinated. The U.S. will continue on this path, and maybe they will succeed in having Maduro murdered”
Zayas warned that even if the U.S. were to get rid of Maduro, they would not be any closer to their goal of overthrowing the Venezuelan government. “Pursuant to article 233 of the Venezuelan Constitution, the current vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, would become interim president, and not Gauido, who has zero legitimacy under the Venezuelan Constitution”.
There could be yet another scenario, a false flag operation, under which the CIA would kill Guaido and use it as a pretext for intervention, the lawyer suggested.
“Of course, [it would be] totally illegal, but when has international law deterred Washington?” he asked rhetorically.
Julia Buxton, professor of comparative politics at the Central European University, highlighted that the international community is increasingly concerned about the potential military scenario. Mexico and Germany have recently made it clear that a potential US intervention would lead to catastrophic consequences.
“I think Mexico and Germany and many other countries are quite right in being deeply concerned about the impact and consequences of any type of US military intervention”, she said. “I think right now there is concern, there is a worry, there is the threat that the US might engage in some form of military strike or military action. I wouldn’t rule it out; it’s a very unpredictable US government right now”.
However, President Trump has recently urged caution among senior advisers, warning them against bellicose rhetoric. Apparently, Trump’s change of heart was prompted by the fact that the military uprising that Guaido and Washington were laying hopes on had failed to gain steam.
Venezuela’s neighbors are also worried that military intervention inside the Bolivarian Republic would spill over and destablize their own nations. Last week, Brazilian Vice President Hamilton Mourão warned against intervention because he believes Guaido lacks the necessary military support to oust Maduro from office.
