Venezuelan-Canadian professor Manuel Vasquez Villavicencio from McMaster University finds it tempting to applaud the U.S.’s apprehension of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. He expressed that people tend to view the situation through the lens of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Vasquez Villavicencio, an assistant philosophy professor in Hamilton, mentioned feeling a sense of relief when American forces seized Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on January 3, transferring them to the U.S. to face drug trafficking charges.
Having moved to Canada more than a decade ago, Vasquez Villavicencio still has family members residing in Venezuela who endure ongoing hardships. Under Maduro’s presidency since 2013, millions of Venezuelans have been plunged into poverty and grapple with food scarcities. Despite allegations of rights violations and election manipulation against Maduro, Vasquez Villavicencio cannot wholeheartedly celebrate the U.S.’s intervention due to the underlying motives of securing access to Venezuelan oil.
The current political landscape in Venezuela is deemed “very dangerous” by Vasquez Villavicencio, as the country’s high court and military support Delcy Rodriguez as the interim leader, a Maduro ally cooperating with the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed willingness to collaborate with Rodriguez, contrasting her with Maduro.
Vasquez Villavicencio cautioned that as long as the Venezuelan government grants the Trump administration access to its resources, it will be shielded and allowed to function with impunity, potentially endangering the freedoms and rights of civilians. Expressing a desire for a liberated and prosperous Venezuela with accountable institutions, Vasquez Villavicencio stressed that the current sacrifices are too exorbitant.
Similarly, María Fernanda Aguirre, a chemical engineer who migrated from Venezuela to Canada over a decade ago, shared the sentiment of elation upon hearing about Maduro’s capture. Aguirre, who actively protested against Maduro’s regime for years without seeing any tangible change, acknowledged the significance of witnessing the president’s removal.
She perceived the U.S. intervention not as an invasion but as a step towards ushering in a “little bit of freedom” and fostering change in Venezuela. Aguirre expressed concerns regarding potential power struggles within Venezuela in the near future while remaining optimistic about the prospect of a legitimate election. She aspires for a new president to lead Venezuela towards positive transformations, echoing the populace’s yearning for a fresh start in any feasible form.