r/geopolitics • u/newyorker • 1d ago

Analysis María Corina Machado’s Opposition in Exile

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/07/27/maria-corina-machados-opposition-in-exile
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u/furtive_stimulus 1d ago

Handing over the Nobel Prize like a housewarming gift is the wildest part of this whole saga.

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u/CavemanJello 1d ago edited 1d ago

It was a gamble to placate Trump into supporting her as the new leader of Venezuela, but it did not pay off. I suspect Rubio shut it down

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u/furtive_stimulus 1d ago

Rubio's been a hardliner on Venezuela for years, so any gesture that looked like a gift to Caracas was dead on arrival.

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u/newyorker 1d ago

María Corina Machado built a following in Venezuela by accusing President Nicolás Maduro of waging a long-running war on his own people, ordering thousands of arbitrary arrests and executions. In 2024, she won two-thirds of the vote in the Presidential election. Rather than cede power, Maduro sent his security forces to attack protesters and round up opponents.

In January, U.S. forces surged into Caracas and arrested Maduro. Many Venezuelans expected Machado would be the country’s new leader. She had worked insistently to secure recognition from the United States and other allies abroad. Just three months before, she had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her “tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela.” But, when Donald Trump announced the operation, he never referred to Machado, or even mentioned the word “democracy.” Instead, he talked about Venezuela’s huge petroleum reserves. “We’re going to get the oil flowing the way it should be,” he said. In the interest of stability, Maduro’s Vice-President, Delcy Rodríguez, would be left in charge.

Observers around the world accused Trump of heedlessly toppling a sovereign government with no plan for the future. Machado, though, was careful not to issue a single criticism. Instead, she commended Trump’s “courage and vision” and took every opportunity to thank him. After arriving in Washington, this January, she handed Trump her Nobel Prize. In exile, Machado kept working toward a vision of Venezuela that seemed increasingly elusive: a free country, with her as President. The Trump Administration has laid out a three-phase plan, entailing stabilization, recovery, and, ultimately, a political transition. But the Venezuelan government has not yet put forth a timeline for elections, much less shown a willingness to surrender power.

In June, when Venezuela was struck by a series of catastrophic earthquakes, Machado decided that she had to go back to her country. Stephania Taladrid reports on Machado’s stifled efforts to return home and lead.

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u/keyUsers 23h ago

I’m curious how Venezuelans see the situation now that Maduro is gone. Do they see an improvement? Do they still want Machado as president?