Venezuelan soldiers rebel against their government - is a coup d'état nearing?

The situation in Venezuela seems to become worse by the day.

It is not looking good for the people of Venezuela. While the economic and political situation has been deteriorating for the past years, it doesn't look like it's getting better. Due to a communist planned economy on the one hand, and economic warfare against the country coming from Washington DC on the other hand, Venezuela has seen a rapidly rising poverty level, inflation, crime and a lack of food.

While a rising poverty level is bad enough, deteriorating security only makes the situation worse. Not only is the crime rate rising, but it also seems like government forces seem to become more violent as well.

The appeal to violence comes from both the government and the opposition

The current government still has a lot of support and president Nicolás Maduro even said that his supporters will take up arms if the government falls. However, some factions within the Venezuelan army decided to rebel against Maduro's government.

This morning, August 6th of 2017, another group of soldiers rebelled against the government. Watch the video here.

Venezuelan soldiers announcing their decision to rebel against Maduro. Source: Twitter.

However, their attempt failed and the troops loyal to Maduro contained the threat.

Multiple occasions have occurred in which military factions have risen up against the current government. Last month, another group of soldiers rose up against the government and a police helicopter attacked Congress.

Is a coup nearing?

Latin America knows a history of military rule. Especially during the Cold War the region saw many military rulers, such as Augusto Pinochet in Chile, Jorge Videla in Argentina, and Omar Torrijos and Manuel Noriega in Panama. Many military leaders commited coups d'état with the intent to re-establish democratic rule, but in most cases they ended up remaining in power for a long time.

The situation in Venezuela today looks very much like the situation in Chile in the 1960s and 70s. President Allende, a left-leaning politician, was quite popular among his people, but hated by the United States. With the support of the CIA, general Augusto Pinochet violently took power and established martial law, while opening the market. Today, we see a similar political leader in Nicolás Maduro, who is very much hated by the United States government. Maduro's opposition is also heavily supported by certain factions in the American government.

In my opinion, it is just a matter of time before a real coup attempt will happen. It doesn't look like a peaceful transition is possible, as the government represses protests as much as possible. Moreover, while a communist government cannot offer its people prosperity, replacing it with military rule will necessarily solve the country's problems. Now the most important thing is to hope that the situation in Venezuela gets resolved with the least bloodshed as possible.

Let me know what your take is on the current situation in Venezuela. I'd love to hear your opinion and feedback on this article!