The short version is that Guaido is simultaneously calling protesters into the street and calling military defectors to seize government positions at the same time. I'm not sure of numbers, but the vast majority of the military (including the entire upper command structure) has remained loyal to the state, so it's obvious this is not an operation he hopes to succeed on its own. It's also worth noting that the only major clashes and protests in the country are currently around the capital, Caracas, showing his depth of support.
Calling for civilian protest in the midst of a military engagement will be a bloodbath meant for international TV, and it seems that Maduro is aware of this as several positions (including a military airbase) have been relinquished without bloodshed.
The military has officially accused Guaido of treason and (presumeably) issued a warrant for his arrest and/or designated him an enemy combatant.
The goal of this operation will be to create justification for an international 'peacekeeping' operation, ie. foreign armies crushing the Venezualan government to put him at the helm.
In this circumstance I don't think the US military will invade, not initially at any rate. I believe we can expect to see Colombia and Brazil acting as shock troops if war cannot be averted.
The following users say it would be alright if the author of this
post didn't die in a fire!
lol@ all these western regime-change enthusiasts saying that Guaido is 'protecting the constitution'.
1. Guaido has never been elected and has never run for president. 2. There is no legal (constitutional or otherwise) grounds for Maduro to be removed from the Presidency. 3. Guaido is the head of the National Assembly which was deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court a few years back. It's since been replaced by the Constitutional Assembly and its legitimacy revoked, but he refuses to dissolve it.
The following users say it would be alright if the author of this
post didn't die in a fire!
I wonder how many of those 'defectors' are actually foreign mercenaries. It should be possible to use biometric scripts to scan the people in the video and check them against blackwater etc. operatives that have showed up in the news in the last few years
Originally posted by aldra
several positions (including a military airbase)
The airbase was never actually taken; it was only the highway and bridge leading up to it.
According to state media, the majority of soldiers who participated in this action on the part of Guaido were told that they were participating in drills and immediately surrendered when the situation became clear. Surprisingly few casualties have been reported.
US propaganda aimed at destabilising Venezuela seems to be getting more desperate and less coherent, meaning their actions are likely to become significantly less predictable. Pompeo is claiming that Maduro is/was ready to flee the country, which is extremely unlikely given he has overwhelming support in both the military and the civilian population, and Trump and Bolton are trying to shoehorn the 'protecting' or 'destroying' the constitution into every single communication in a transparent attempt to bind the Venezuelan situation to his peoples' respect for their own constitution.
The following users say it would be alright if the author of this
post didn't die in a fire!
Oh yeah, they're also now blaming Cuba for the coup's failure, with Trump threatening to add to the existing embargo (lol) and add more sanctions (lol).
Originally posted by aldra
According to state media, the majority of soldiers who participated in this action on the part of Guaido were told that they were participating in drills and immediately surrendered when the situation became clear.
Guaido's only been verified to have the 30 or so soldiers pictured with him on the bridge, and even that may have been staged - several of them carry M4s as opposed to the standard AK-103/AK-74Ms, and I've seen a few people claim that his speech video is greenscreened due to the confusing shadows and light sources:
How it was done really isn't important now though; this phase is over. A significant media spectacle wasn't created so I'm guessing nothing will happen until Guaido is arrested.
One more thing though - Guaido initiated the coup from the Colombian embassy.
The following users say it would be alright if the author of this
post didn't die in a fire!
I was wondering what the deal was with their power situation. Of course our dear leader is behind it. I'm ashamed that I allowed myself to become swept up in the election hysteria thinking it was somehow different this time
Hilarious. But the sad part is that Trump and his team of warmongers and neocons really are being that pathetic, with this completely transparent nonsense.
