A new economic partner?
Liberta Velasco is a Chavismo who grew up in Enero district 23, but was still a teenager when Chavez came to power.
She later became one of the founding members of the youth wing of Chávez’s political party, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). Eventually, she became the head of a government agency that expands access to higher education to people in vulnerable communities.
Still, Velasco described the period following Maduro’s abduction as something of an awakening.
“It’s like seeing yourself without makeup,” Velasco says. “Now everything is laid bare and revealed in its purest state, and we begin to recognize ourselves again.”
Since the U.S. attack and Maduro’s ouster, Velasco has thought deeply about his “red lines.” In other words, ideals she feels should not be violated under the new administration.
Confronting aggressive foreign powers remains one of her top priorities.
“I refuse to be colonized,” Velasco said. “For me, there should be no relationship with Israel and renunciation of anti-imperialism is non-negotiable.”
But Velasco doesn’t think the Venezuelan government has crossed that line yet. Rather, he is positive about the prospect of the United States becoming Venezuela’s trading partner and paying for access to its natural resources.
“It is the customers who pay market prices for the products they need. If Venezuela has to act as a market participant to save people from suffering, I can comply,” Velasco said.
But it’s unclear whether that’s happening. Critics say the Trump administration is demanding greater control over Venezuela’s natural resources. They even claim that Chavez stole Venezuelan oil from the hands of the United States.
Venezuela has already handed over nearly 50 million barrels of oil to the United States, and the Trump administration is splitting the proceeds 50-50 between the two countries.
Venezuela’s interim president Rodríguez also agreed to submit a monthly budget to the United States for approval.
There remains a debate among Chavistas about whether relations with the United States are beneficial or exploitative.
But economic recovery is the overwhelming priority for many Venezuelans regardless of political affiliation. Under the Maduro regime, Venezuela plunged into the worst economic crisis in its history. Inflation has now reached 600 percent and living standards remain low.
Many Chavez supporters blame U.S. sanctions for economic woes. But analysts believe a combination of factors are at play, including low oil prices, economic mismanagement and widespread corruption.
Delia Bracho, 68, lives in a neighborhood in Caracas called Carricuao, where water is only delivered once a week. Once an ardent Chavista supporter, she said her faith in the movement had waned.
She explained that today’s movement is “ruined” and she no longer wants anything to do with it.
“It’s like when you put on your shoes,” she said. “If it breaks, you throw it away. Even if you know it’s no longer useful, are you going to pick it up again?”
Bracho said that despite initial fears after the U.S. intervention, he now feels cautiously optimistic that things may change for the better in Venezuela.
“Not everything is solved, but the atmosphere is different and full of hope.”
