Mexico and Uruguay have adopted the two arguments most often repeated by backers of the Venezuelan dictatorship. They sound reasonable at first, yet, after a moment’s reflection, both arguments turn out to be cynical, nonsensical, or both.
LONDON – Nicolás Maduro’s term as president of Venezuela ended on January 10. Following the Venezuelan constitution, Juan Guaidó, head of the democratically elected National Assembly, declared himself interim president. The United States, Canada, and much of South America immediately recognized him as the legitimate leader of Venezuela. Several European Union countries have already done the same.
Not so Mexico, whose president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, claimed he would adhere to the principle of non-intervention. Uruguay, too, refuses to recognize Guaidó, with its foreign ministry chiming in that Venezuela’s problems must be solved peacefully by Venezuelans. Both countries, coincidentally, have announced that they will host an international conference intended to turn them into mediators in the Venezuelan standoff.
Theirs are the two arguments most often repeated by backers of the Venezuelan dictatorship. They sound reasonable at first, yet, after a moment’s reflection, both arguments turn out to be cynical, nonsensical, or both.
LONDON – Nicolás Maduro’s term as president of Venezuela ended on January 10. Following the Venezuelan constitution, Juan Guaidó, head of the democratically elected National Assembly, declared himself interim president. The United States, Canada, and much of South America immediately recognized him as the legitimate leader of Venezuela. Several European Union countries have already done the same.
Not so Mexico, whose president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, claimed he would adhere to the principle of non-intervention. Uruguay, too, refuses to recognize Guaidó, with its foreign ministry chiming in that Venezuela’s problems must be solved peacefully by Venezuelans. Both countries, coincidentally, have announced that they will host an international conference intended to turn them into mediators in the Venezuelan standoff.
Theirs are the two arguments most often repeated by backers of the Venezuelan dictatorship. They sound reasonable at first, yet, after a moment’s reflection, both arguments turn out to be cynical, nonsensical, or both.