EL PAÍS

Venezuela: 21st-century colonialism?

Luz Mely Reyes — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 10:16:02 +0000

The immediate interpretation following Nicolás Maduro’s removal by an elite U.S. force was that there was no clarity as to whether a democratic transition was underway in Venezuela. Three months later, the emerging risk is different: the consolidation of an adaptive authoritarianism with global impact, a kind of 21st-century colonialism, a product—whether collateral or not—of the Trump administration’s interpretation of the Monroe Doctrine.

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María Corina Machado and Delcy Rodríguez: Two Scheherazades in Trump’s backyard

Luz Mely Reyes — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 16:11:36 +0000

Before Hugo Chávez came to power, Venezuela was known worldwide for its beauty queens, soap operas, and oil. Today, in Venezuela’s shocking and chaotic political drama, two women lead the opposing political blocs. Delcy Rodríguez and María Corina Machado are not characters in a television melodrama innocently vying for the affections of a leading man; rather, they are two figures who have had to resort to cunning, like modern-day Scheherazades, to survive in a landscape dominated by an external “sultan”: Donald Trump.

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Has the democratic transition begun in Venezuela?

Luz Mely Reyes — Sat, 03 Jan 2026 12:33:50 +0000

Just when there were fears in Venezuela that the U.S. operation against Nicolás Maduro had stalled, U.S. President Donald Trump announced early Saturday morning, January 3, that the dictator had been captured and taken out of the country, along with his wife, Cilia Flores.

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A Nobel Peace Prize against authoritarianism

Luz Mely Reyes — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 09:32:59 +0000

While the decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to María Corina Machado was controversial, the speech by Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Nobel Committee, did nothing to quell the uproar. On the contrary, he forcefully defended the decision and, going even further, called on Nicolás Maduro to resign and lay the groundwork for a peaceful transition in the South American country.

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Chávez beheaded

Luz Mely Reyes — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 09:12:18 +0000

At least 79 teenagers have been jailed among more than 800 people arrested following protests in the wake of Venezuela’s presidential election. The demonstrations are being led by very young people, including those who took part in the toppling of statues of Hugo Chávez. At least five statues of the charismatic Venezuelan leader were knocked off their pedestals in two days. One of them was decapitated. Nicolás Maduro said that all “the criminals” had been captured: “If you saw how they were crying, there will be no forgiveness, there will be justice.”

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Release of Alex Saab widens Venezuela’s options for political action

Luz Mely Reyes — Thu, 21 Dec 2023 12:51:47 +0000

In the recent prisoner swap between Venezuela and the United States, Alex Saab — an ally of the Venezuelan government and DEA informant, who was being tried in the state of Florida for alleged money laundering — was returned to Venezuela in exchange for 10 Americans imprisoned in the South American country, including mercenaries Airan Berry and Luke Denman — who were serving sentences in Caracas for their role in Operation Gideon, which tried to overthrow Maduro — and a fugitive nicknamed Fat Leonard, who defrauded the U.S. Navy. At least 17 Venezuelan political prisoners have been released as part of the agreement. The deal was celebrated by different sectors, who believe that the Barbados accords — a commitment signed last October — are showing results.

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