The President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, ordered a military reinforcement and made a significant change in the high command of the Bolivarian Armed Forces, as assessed by international analyst Lourival Sant’anna in the CNN Prime Time this Wednesday (16).
According to Sant’anna, Maduro replaced the commanders of all military forces, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, as well as the heads of Intelligence, Military Counter Intelligence and the Police.
Some of the removed officials were on the United States sanctions list for obstructing fair elections and crimes against humanity.
Consolidation of power and loyalty
The changes appear to be a strategy by Maduro to place in key positions people less exposed to international sanctions and more loyal to him and Diosdado Cabello, recently appointed Minister of the Interior and Justice.
Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino, who publicly swore loyalty to Maduro after the elections, was kept in office.
Sant’anna observes that Maduro appears to be following “Vladimir Putin’s script”, seeking to perpetuate himself in power and creating an “imaginary enemy”.
In this scenario, Guyana could play a role similar to that of Ukraine for Russia: a neighboring, prosperous, pro-Western and militarily inferior country.
Tensions with Guyana and possible consequences
By creating an environment of threat, even without an actual invasion, Maduro establishes conditions to potentially impose tougher laws and persecute opponents with greater vigor.
The analyst highlights that this strategy allows the Venezuelan leader to present himself as the “only possible protector” for Venezuela.
Although it is not certain whether this will lead to an effective invasion of Guyana, Maduro’s rhetoric already creates an environment conducive to more authoritarian measures, justified by the supposed situation of external threat.
This content was originally published in Analysis: Request to reinforce Venezuela’s military power follows Putin’s script on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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