Political Turmoil in Venezuela as Guaidó Attempts to Replace Maduro

On this episode of Fault Lines, hosts Garland Nixon and Lee Stranahan discuss yesterday's chaotic events in Venezuela where US-supported Juan Guaidó sought to oust Nicolás Maduro and replace him as the country's President. What was the result of these events, how involved was the Trump administration, and what comes next for Venezuela?

Guests:

Stephen Lendman — Writer and Geopolitical Analyst | Who is Supporting Regime Change Efforts in Venezuela?

Tom Luongo — Geopolitical Analyst and Publisher of the Gold Goats 'n Guns Newsletter | US Geopolitical Goals in Venezuela and Oil Politics

Whitney Webb — Staff Writer at Mint Press News | Media Coverage and the Spinning of Events in Venezuela

Rick Sterling — Investigative Journalist | The History of US-Venezuela Relations and Congressional Support for Further Intervention

Yesterday's events in Venezuela were the latest moves in an effort to remove President Nicolás Maduro from office and replace him with Juan Guaidó. Writer and Geopolitical Analyst Stephen Lendman returns to the show to discuss who inside Venezuela is supporting the ouster of Maduro, the history of the United States pushing for regime change in foreign countries, and why Congress is often eager to support military action around the world.

The Trump administration and many establishment Republicans have been gung-ho in their support of Juan Guaidó and efforts to provoke regime change in Venezuela. Geopolitical analyst Tom Luongo joins today's show to analyze how the US political class has been reacting to news about Venezuela, how oil related politics may be driving actions in the country, and the nature of the US using its military power to accomplish geopolitical goals.

After watching what happened yesterday in Venezuela, it seems possible that some of these activities may have served largely as a media spectacle meant to influence people outside of Venezuela. Whitney Webb, a Staff Writer at Mint Press News, joins Garland and Lee on today's episode to talk about the media coverage of yesterday's events, remarks by US political figures such as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about further military intervention in Venezuela, and how the refugee situation in South America could be impacted by further political turmoil in the country.

For the final segment, the hosts are joined by Investigative Journalist Rick Sterling for a conversation about the history of the relationship between the US and Venezuela and for analysis on yesterday's events in Venezuela. What do past elections in Venezuela suggest about the current level of support for Maduro, why is the political class in Washington DC eagerly supporting Juan Guaidó, and why do many Congressional Democrats appear to be aligned with the Trump administration regarding this situation?

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