Security Council to be briefed on Venezuela after US recognises Juan Guaido as interim leader
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will address the UN Security Council and urge other council members to recognise opposition figurehead Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s interim president.
Washington already did so on Wednesday, and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro responded by cutting diplomatic ties. Since, Canada, the Organisation of American States and a number of governments throughout Latin America have hailed Guaido as the country’s interim president.
For his part, Maduro maintains the support of Russia, China and Turkey. Likewise, Venezuela’s top military brass, state oil company PDVSA and the Supreme Court, which is stacked with Maduro loyalists, all remain staunchly loyal to the president. The EU, though warm towards Guaido, has not acknowledged him as the country’s interim president, a position that is unlikely to change today.
By recognising Guaido, Washington has played a major negotiating card, leaving it fewer, more drastic options with which to respond to escalations. Should tensions continue to heighten, the US could seize assets of the current Venezuelan regime and transfer them to Guaido’s parallel government.
Recognition aside, Maduro still controls the situation on the ground. In the medium to long-term, Maduro can only remain in power if he retains the support of the military, which he does through extensive patronage networks. Should the US target members of the military elite or disrupt the country’s slim earnings even more, possibly through asset seizures, it could shake the military establishment’s loyalty to the president and jeopardise his regime’s survival.
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