Careful, Professor, Don't Give Them Air
Maria Corina is not a 'broken bridge', Professor Fernando Mires. She is a fundamental factor in the transition where the opening does not depend on her
TL;DR
- The article criticizes Professor Fernando Mires' thesis that Venezuela's transition is blocked by opposition leader María Corina Machado's refusal to 'build bridges' with a supposed reformist sector of the regime.
- The author argues that Venezuela's situation is not comparable to historical transitions in Spain, Poland, South Africa, or Chile, and that the regime's nature is one of 'extraction and credible fear' rather than 'rupture vs. opening'.
- The analysis emphasizes that the Venezuelan society has been the primary driver of its destiny, with the 28-J-2024 event being pivotal, and that US intervention is a consequence, not the cause, of the struggle.
- It disputes Mires' characterization of Delcy Rodríguez as a potential savior of 'original chavismo' or an initiator of political opening, viewing her actions as self-serving collaboration rather than genuine reform.
- The article contends that María Corina Machado is not a 'broken bridge' but a fundamental factor for transition, with the opening dictated by external agents like the US, not by her.
- The author rejects the notion that Machado is 'messianic' or 'insurrectional', describing her political platform as liberal, democratic, and modern, focused on citizen mobilization, electoral conditions, and international pressure.
- It argues that polarization in Venezuela has ceded to moral ruin, repression, and misery, and that the regime, not the opposition, has consistently sabotaged negotiation attempts.
- The piece concludes that the bridges in transition processes are built not in a vacuum but when parties recognize their limitations, and that in Venezuela, the regime's destruction of electoral processes, not the opposition's actions, has consistently derailed progress.
- The author respectfully advises Professor Mires to be careful not to inadvertently empower the authoritarian regime by mischaracterizing the opposition's role.