VENEZUELA: GUAIDÓ DOWN, POMPEO PUMPS HIM UP

As reported in last week’s Trends Journal, Juan Guaidó, who had declared himself president of Venezuela last January with the support of the U.S. and some 50 other countries, has lost much of his popular support.
In a rally following a disputed vote for his re-nomination as leader of the Congress, only a few hundred people showed up.
In attempt to regain his lost traction, yesterday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, attending a conference in Bogota, Columbia, met with Guaidó.
Despite Nicolás Maduro winning the Venezuelan presidency last May in an election monitored by international observers, Pompeo insisted Guaidó was the nation’s president, stating, “For the Venezuelan people, I want you to know that your President is a great leader who wants to take your country in the right direction – the direction of freedom, democracy, to restore economic prosperity.”
After his meeting with Pompeo, Mr. Guaidó stated, “There are forces that cannot be stopped when you seek democracy. This is what we’re seeing in Venezuela. We’re mobilizing. We have [been] demonstrating, and we are not going to be different in the next few months.”
The Russians are Coming
Maduro, Venezuela’s current leader, has been receiving increasing support from Russia. According to U.S. officials, Russian oil companies are supporting Maduro by buying some 70 percent of the country’s supply.
Russia is reported to have provided some $17 billion in loans and credits over the past decade.
After the meeting between Maduro and Yury Borisov, the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, Vice President of Venezuela Tareck El Aissami, stated, “Russian-Venezuelan relations are at their best moment and we’ve shown that in the middle of difficulties we can advance together, with efficient political and diplomatic coordination between both governments against the imperial siege and aggression which Russia also suffers.”
TREND FORECAST: Despite Guaidó’s loss of support among the general Venezuelan population, considering he is now on his way to London, Brussels, and Davos for the World Economic Forum, we forecast Guaidó will be getting more support from the U.S. and allied nations to overthrow the Maduro government.
And, while it is noted that severe U.S. sanctions have crippled the Venezuelan economy in an attempt to initiate a popular rebellion to overthrow the Maduro government, as with similar sanctions against Iran, the sanctions cripple citizens while failing to foment regime change.
The Venezuelan bolivar, the nation’s currency, lost nearly 99 percent of its value last year. According to the IMF, inflation is approaching 200,000 percent, and the nation is suffering medicine and food shortages and power blackouts.
It is estimated that some 4.5 million Venezuelans have fled the country. Thus, our “Human Wave” Top Trend of 2019 will continue to escalate as citizens from countries across Central and South America continue to head north to escape poverty, corruption, and violence.
Unnoted in America’s press coverage is the clear fact that severe economic sanctions imposed by the U.S. on nations it seeks to replace regimes in is a form of warfare in which only the “average” citizens suffer… never those in power.