Following the unprecedented military intervention in Venezuela, the United States is openly talking about the temporary 'management' of the country following the detention of President Nicolás Maduro. According to the Washington Post, a key figure in this process has been US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is described by Trump administration sources as the de facto 'Viceroy of Venezuela'.
Rubio allegedly played a decisive role in planning the operation in which US special forces captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and brought them to the United States. The Venezuelan president is currently being held in Brooklyn's Metropolitan Prison and is set to face federal narcoterrorism charges.
Regime change without occupation
Analysts say the Trump administration does not want to repeat the Iraq or Afghanistan scenario, which would require a large-scale military presence. Instead of a formal occupation, Washington intends to dictate to Caracas a set of conditions to be met by the local authorities if they want to avoid further intervention.
"This is exactly how Trump understands governing a country," said a former Senate staffer familiar with the White House's position. The US, he said, plans to exert pressure mainly through sanctions, security threats and control over key assets, especially oil.
Rubio is expected to oversee political stabilisation, the distribution of oil assets and the preparation of a new government, according to the Washington Post. This is a particularly challenging task as Venezuela has no clear successor and the country is deeply polarised.
Rubio and his personal motivation
Marco Rubio has been pushing for regime change in Venezuela for more than a decade. His parents fled Cuba after the 1959 communist takeover and, according to his close associates, Latin American issues are a personal matter for him.
As Unian reports, after the Venezuela crackdown, Rubio hinted that Cuba could feel similar pressure in the future. According to former US diplomats, one of Washington's first demands will be an end to Venezuelan support for Havana, which they say could destabilise the Cuban regime.
As the death toll rises, so does international criticism
According to Venezuelan sources, the number of victims of the US operation has risen to at least 80, including members of the security forces and civilians. Venezuelan Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino López described the intervention as a flagrant violation of sovereignty and warned of the "colonialist ambitions" of the US.
Venezuela's Supreme Court has entrusted Vice President Delcy Rodríguez with presidential powers. However, she has rejected Trump's statements about the US running the country, saying that Venezuela will "never become a colony of another empire".
Russia, China and Belarus demand Maduro's release
The crackdown has provoked strong reactions abroad. Russia, China and Belarus are demanding the immediate release of Maduro. The Russian leader, Dmitry Medvedev, has described the operation as illegal, but at the same time considers it to be consistent with American national interests, in particular, the desire to gain control of Venezuela's oil reserves.
The European Union - with the exception of Hungary - has called for restraint and respect for international law. It stressed the need to protect human rights and warned against an escalation of the conflict. The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, described the US action as a dangerous precedent, as it involved the detention of a sitting head of state of a foreign country.
The UN Security Council is due to discuss the situation at an extraordinary session.
Relative calm has reigned in Venezuela after the initial chaos. There have been small protests and spontaneous celebrations, particularly among migrants abroad. Some of the population express relief at the fall of the regime, others fear long-term instability and foreign control.
(reuters, pir)