How Chavismo Adapts While the Transition Stalls

Just a few months ago, amidst the avalanche of uncertainties surrounding the kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro by the US military, we identified six indicators pointing to a clear political reality: the remaining chavista leadership was successfully adapting to the new board under conditions of vassalage to the invading power.

Alex Saab has a substitute

The first sign of chavismo’s remarkable capacity for subservience was the sacrifice of some of its own key figures in exchange for US validation. Handing over Alex Saab was a well-calibrated move by the interim government.

Simply put: the strategy of accelerating economic recovery to defuse political pressure has been a complete failure.

Rising social demands

No matter how many headlines trumpet investments in the oil, energy, and mining sectors, the revival of the economy remains a fantasy—just as it has been for the past twenty years.