HDPSM

@LuisCarlos Estupendo artículo de la Dra. Romero. Mis felicitaciones.

What is happening in Venezuela? To my English speaking friends Paola Romero. Philosopher. / 6 January 2026 [First: thank you for taking an interest in Venezuela, and for having a personal concern for me for my family. My relatives back home are safe.] For 26 years, Venezuelans have exhausted all democratic and non-violent means to oust the Maduro regime. I cannot hammer this enough. It is from this struggle that we are judging current affairs. And personally, I judge what is happening thinking of my friend Jesus, my university Professor Rocio, and many others I’ve met along the way, how are in prison and have been isolated for more than a year. In short, as I write this, I don’t know if they are alive or dead. In this sense, the extraction of Maduro is something we celebrate, like drinking a bitter drink: we knew and know that an American-led extraction would bring new, unforeseen problems, but we also knew that we were unable to bring down a dictatorship without force. This is the crux of our conundrum, our source of celebration and worry. Our existential contradiction. The oil The idea that the US “is only in for the oil” should be unpacked. Yes, Trump is carving a new world order, on the assumption that America has to recover and oversee control over the Hemisphere. Yet, the idea that Venezuela was an independent, sovereign country, and that the Americans are coming in to take what is ours is WRONG: Venezuela has been invaded and controlled by foreign interests for two decades. China is the major beneficiary of our oil and most importantly our rare earth minerals. The latter are basic for the AI race. Cuba infiltrated our military, so true that 32 Cuban soldiers died in the Maduro extraction operation - he could only trust them. When the US says that they are going to get back the oil Venezuela took from them, they are referring to the debt Venezuela has to American oil companies, due to the mismanagement on the part of ‘chavismo ‘ of the oil industry. The idea that we are little lambs and the wolf is coming to take what is ours is wrong: it was Chavez, and then Maduro and his followers ,who are responsible for looting of our national reserves. Does this mean Americans won’t do the same? That’s to be seen Before the catastrophic collapse of our oil industry, American paid well, timely and in cash. That paid for the public university I went to, the roads we transit and the preferential oil-dollars that paid for my Masters. We are the result of those golden years of high oil prices. In short, there is nothing morally wrong or politically evil in the fact that we have, and will keep living from selling our oil to the world. The problem is that chavismo, having for a decade the highest ever oil revenues in our modern history, decided to put it in their pockets. The difference this time, we hope, is that the revenue of that public good will be managed by COMPETENT people and under the RULE OF LAW. This is the crux that the extraction of Maduro and a chavismo-led transition presents. Are we heading, step by step, to a more stable and legitimate political system? I cannot answer that right now. Can good governance, ran by VENEZUELANS and a competitive oil industry, with strong ties to the US, be achieved? The “transition” This leads me to the ongoing, minute by minute development of the so called “transition”. The US has bet on giving chavismo a “chance”, after the extraction of Maduro. There was no way Maria Corina Machado, our leader in hiding and now in exile, could take the reins during this uncertain, fraught and unprecedented period. Venezuela is a mafia state, ruled by the military. Maria Corina, in my opinion, does not have sufficient influence or contact with the illegitimate structures of the regime. That doesn’t make her weak: quite the opposite! It’s been her uncompromising leadership and relentless condemnation of the dictatorship that won her the hearts and votes of Venezuelans. But our votes and the democratic will of the people do not seem to be a currency with enough value to secure us a place in the negotiating table taking place right now. Our present tragedy is that, for the time being, we Venezuelans, the civil society, the democratic opposition, have been left out of the political fight between the two powers, the US and the de facto regime. Partly because our political leaders are either in prison, in hiding or in exile. Partly because the US wanted to guarantee there wouldn’t be military coups following the extraction (for that, they needed to keep parts of the regime in place), partly because Trump personally doesn’t trust the opposition at this very moment and given the high stakes, to be capable of governing. The political value of venezuela’s civil society longing for good governance is a “weak” currency in the table of real politik. Am I angry? Yes. Does this mean we will never seat on the table? No. Our democratic currency might gain value along the way. Americans need stability domestically to further their economic interest. That’s when we might be useful. Real politik In this sense, the Americans are playing real politic, and has assumed those in power as the ones who hold the de facto reigns. This, I think, is a good thing: if Maria Corina was placed in the spotlight to lead the transition, we would have to deal with the “she’s a puppet of Trump” narrative, which would have done huge damage to her. I personally think that it’s better she’s still in hiding. Delcy Rodirguez, Maduro’s vice president (and a fervent communist), in less than 48 hours has gone from saying they will defend Maduro and fight against `American imperialism’, to saying that they want to cooperate in good faith with the US. Will they stay for long? Will the chavismo of the transition abide to the requirement of the US? Can their long-held anti imperialism and hated to the US be redressed? They are evil, astute, immoral. But they have an Aquiles heal: they’re ideological and resentful. So I have an instinct, a hunch, that they will not behave as the Americans want them to. In short, talk of regime change, interventionism, sovereignty, etc seem to me to be old, pre Trump vocabulary that needs to be reinvented to properly understand and analyse what is going on in Venezuela. We are facing an unprecedented situation, that will possibly repeat itself in other parts of this new geo political order that is unfolding. In this sense, Venezuela is a micro experiment and a central piece in the world of powers that are after resources (mainly minerals) in the world of data centres, AI, energy independence and drone warfare. Do I like that world? Do I fear it? That’s nor here nor there. What amazes me is how many people are suddenly very offended and concerned about what is happening in Venezuela, but who never worried about our political prisoners, the loss of our political rights, the looting from the part of chavismo, the days without electricity and the hunger Venezuelans faced in the last 15 years. Why so worried now? We are sadden to see how the Trump hate is bigger and so powerful that overrides the real worry: that Venezuelans have been fighting for their freedom for years, alone, without arms, without resources. What’s next? Am I worried? I am cautiously optimistic. I don’t care if America has good intentions regarding Venezuela: they have economics and political interest. That doesn’t mean that our interests cannot align with theirs. The US needs some minimal political stability in Venezuela to guarantee its own economics plans. Those minimal conditions (rule of law, competitive markets, the recovery of the oil industry, etc) are, from the point of view of Venezuelans, conditions we haven’t had and have longed for for 25 years. The issue, for us, is not “they are going to take our oil”: our oil has already been taken, misused, and the industry destroyed. The issue for us is recovering a minimal set of constitutional rights and to be able to participate and I am sure win!) elections that will lead to our political participation in leading the country: to finally have a go! This will have a cost.

Detrás de la soberbia de Zelensky están también los alemanes, los franceses y, sobre todo, los ingleses que antes de que asumiera Trump habían pretendido un acuerdo de “tierras raras”. El lobby de la City está perdiendo la batalla contra Trump.

Nuestras clases populares son sumamente ignorantes, pero nuestras élites han sido falsas. Venezuela está sepultada bajo muchos tipos de miseria.

El querido profesor @jrherreraucv nos recuerda esta cita, tan necesaria en estos días:

Horas de gran tensión psíquica, falta muy poco para que se abra la caja de la realidad y saber si el gato está vivo o muerto.

When people say things like "the government has to do something," I say, have you ever studied what happens when the government does something compared to what happens when they don't do anything?

The Mayor of Aurora says Tren de Aragua is “an enemy force”. He is absolutely right, in a completely accurate way.

La libertad de expresión no solo tiene enemigos en el poder, la cultura de la cancelación ha convencido a muchos de que los sentimientos, completamente manipulados por lo demás, son más importantes que la libertad y la verdad. La cretinización y el control siempre van de la mano.

Es duro seguir la actualidad del país, es altamente deprimente. Sin embargo, hay que conseguir el modo (no es fácil) de ver las cosas sin recaer en la compulsión quejumbrosa ni en la esperanza quimérica. Aunque sea en espíritu debemos romper este ciclo de repeticiones siniestras.

Es duro, pero en términos alquímicos todo esto es necesario. Cuando acabe el chavismo tiene que llevarse consigo todo un modo de ser que arrastramos desde la colonia. Por eso, la putrefacción (nigredo) tiene que llegar a su estado definitivo; solo así tendremos un país brillante.

FOOLISH & UNFORGIVABLE Let’s see how long it takes the ⁦@WhiteHouse⁩ to correct this latest screw up by ⁦@JoeBiden⁩. Yet another proof that he should consider resigning as ⁦@POTUS⁩. Biden says he supports new election in Venezuela - reuters.com/world/americas…

El chavismo decidió atrincherarse, no va a negociar. Ello implica que apague la luz de la palabra, la opinión y el pensamiento. La verdad los quema como el sol al vampiro.

Vous pourriez être aisément le ministre des Communications de la tyrannie de Maduro.

En el clavo: por ello no seguirles el juego respondiendo a la abyección delirante. Altura espiritual, conciencia política.

No somos cosas, podemos redimirnos con un gesto en la hora precisa. Por eso, para saber si la vida de un hombre fue digna, decía Aristóteles, hay que esperar hasta su muerte. Esta no es la hora de jugar al Ángel del juicio Final, es la hora de la unión contra los criminales.

Va a ser muy difícil para Maduro sostenerse en el poder. Lo cual no quiere decir que el chavismo le entregue el mando al legítimo representante del pueblo o que las cosas salgan como queramos. ¿Arrastrará Maduro al statu quo con él o el statu quo sacrificará a Maduro primero?

Good

Adios Dictatora Maduro

Verdad