Get to know the governments that support the freedom of Venezuela and the detractors

By Ronnie Fernandez

This Saturday morning was not just another one for the continent; It was the moment when theory became practical and the Maduro's challenge He ended up in a New York cell. After the large-scale military operation carried out by the United States, which culminated in the capture of Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores, the region soon showed its seams. The search for the freedom of venezuela has drawn a line of fire between the leaders who see in this action the end of a nightmare and those who, clinging to the 20th century manual, denounce a violation of sovereignty.

Donald Trump's announcement about the success of the attack and the transfer of the Chavista leader to face charges for narcoterrorism generated a flood of reactions. For many Venezuelans exiled in Montevideo, this Saturday represents the first day of true freedom of venezuela, a sentiment that clashed head-on with the official statements of some neighboring governments that preferred to focus their attention on the bombings and not on the decades of repression that preceded this cinematic outcome.

The governments that celebrate the freedom of Venezuela

On the side of those who applaud, the president Argentine Javier Milei was the most emphatic. Without hesitation, as is his style, he celebrated the freedom of venezuela and the capture operation, warning that Argentina will support Trump's position in the UN Security Council. For Milei, it is about the fall of a regime that “had been cheating in the elections” and that could only be removed by an external force in the face of total internal control. It is a position of total alignment with Washington that seeks to accelerate the democratic transition in Caracas.

For their part, the elected president of Chile, José Antonio Kast, and the Paraguayan Santiago Peña, also joined the bloc that supports the freedom of venezuela. Peña was clear in pointing out that Maduro's departure must immediately pave the way for the restoration of the rule of law. From El Salvador, Nayib Bukele was more direct: he published the photo of Maduro in handcuffs and snapped at critics who only wanted to defend criminals. For these governments, the regional security and the fight against drug trafficking They necessarily undergo a change of command in Venezuela.

Uruguay's position regarding the freedom of Venezuela

Here at home, things were different. He Yamandu Orsi government published a statement where the word “concern” was the protagonist. Uruguay, faithful to its tradition of non-intervention, rejected the use of force and the US military incursion. Although the end is freedom of venezuela, for the administration of Wide Front "The end cannot justify the means. This position put Uruguay in the same group as Brazil and Mexico, prioritizing respect for International Law over the fall of the Chavista dictatorship.

The Uruguayan Foreign Ministry emphasized that Latin America must be a “zone of peace,” a concept that today sounds like a utopia as Maduro flies to Brooklyn. This response from Orsi generated immediate criticism from the local opposition, which accuses the government of being functional to Maduro's story by not celebrating his capture. Meanwhile, the Uruguayan consulate in Caracas is on permanent alert, pending the safety of compatriots who are experiencing a transition that still smells of gunpowder and that tests faith in the freedom of venezuela.

The pro-Maduro bloc and criticism of the operation

From Brasilia, Lula da Silva He led the chorus of the discontented. For the PT leader, the capture of Maduro is a “very serious attack on sovereignty” and a precedent that invites chaos. Lula, who tried unsuccessfully to be a mediator for months, sees his regional influence fading in the face of Trump's direct action. Along the same lines, Claudia Sheinbaum's Mexico maintained its policy of "non-intervention", omitting any mention of the criminal case for drug trafficking and focusing its criticism on the unilaterality of the attack that supposedly seeks freedom of venezuela.

In Colombia, Gustavo Petro also expressed his alarm. With a border of more than 2,000 kilometers, Petro fears that the fall of the regime will unleash a wave of uncontrollable violence that will jump the border line. His call for “de-escalation” is seen by many analysts as an attempt to protect his ideological partners, while from Cuba, the Castro regime denounced the “cowardly aggression” against a nation that did not attack anyone. The Bolivarian axis closes on itself, seeing how the freedom of venezuela hits their own power structures.

The future of Venezuela's freedom on the regional board

With Maduro already in federal custody, the debate about the legitimacy of the means used is not going to stop. The freedom of venezuela It is today a fait accompli that forces Latin American governments to recalculate their alliances. Panama and Ecuador have already made themselves available to coordinate an orderly transition, while the Mercosur bloc remains fractured between the euphoria of Argentina and the suspicion of Brazil and Uruguay. The reconstruction of Venezuelan institutions will be a long and tedious process that will require more than bombings.

The region now faces the question of how Venezuela will be governed until there are free elections. Trump has already announced that the United States will have an active role, something that irritates defenders of sovereignty but gives hope to those who believe that the Caribbean country cannot get out of the hole alone. The freedom of venezuela has ceased to be a banner slogan and has become a geopolitical experiment in real time that will mark the continent's diplomatic relations for the coming decades.

Is it possible to build a solid democracy after a foreign military intervention or will the method used leave an open wound in Latin American sovereignty that is difficult to heal?