Trump's Caracas Tango: Stability Over Democracy, Again
Paul Adams for the BBC, scratching his head over Trump's preference for Delcy Rodríguez, a 'powerful' figure in Maduro’s government, over the 'pro-democracy' María Corina Machado, seems genuinely perplexed. He frames it as a question of 'why'. (One might ask why the BBC often ignores decades of US foreign policy in Latin America.) The reality, repeatedly demonstrated from Pinochet to the Shah, is
that Washington prioritizes 'stability' (read: compliant regimes and oil flow) over actual democratic ideals. Trump's engagement with Rodríguez, and later Biden's own negotiations with Maduro, simply highlight that US 'democracy promotion' is a geopolitical tool, not a steadfast principle. The sanctions, the 'regime change' rhetoric – it's all negotiable when the price is right. This isn't about
Trump's personal capriciousness; it's the standard operating procedure. The US has a storied tradition of demonizing regimes one day, then cutting deals with them the next, especially when there's oil or strategic advantage involved. Machado, however 'democratic', simply doesn't offer the immediate leverage or predictability of an established power broker within the Maduro government, however
'illegitimate'. The hypocrisy isn't a bug; it's a feature of the foreign policy establishment, a feature the BBC, here, politely neglects to contextualize. It's almost as if 'democracy' is only a concern when it aligns perfectly with Washington's current energy security or geopolitical chessboard.