The United States is considering establishing permanent bases in Venezuela after the capture of dictator Nicolás Maduro, sources familiar with the talks reported. CNN this Tuesday (27).
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the State Department were responsible for planning the operation.
Although the return of diplomatic relations between Caracas and Washington is being studied, the Trump administration will likely rely heavily on the intelligence service to begin the political transition process in the country and maintain some stability in the post-Maduro period, the sources said.
One of the first actions evaluated is precisely to prepare the ground for diplomatic efforts – including building relationships with local residents – in order to guarantee security and social stability.
In the short term, US officials could operate from a CIA base, prior to the opening of an official embassy, which would allow them to begin making this informal contact with members of different factions of the Venezuelan regime, with representatives of the opposition and other parties that could pose threats.
“Creating an annex is the number one priority. Before diplomatic channels, the annex can help establish liaison channels, which will be with Venezuelan intelligence and allow for conversations that diplomats cannot have,” said a former US government official.
Days after the capture of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, CIA director John Ratcliffe met with interim dictator Delcy Rodríguez in Venezuela. At the time, according to the CNNTrump’s representative discussed potential opportunities for economic collaboration between the countries and warned that Venezuela can no longer be a safe haven for US adversaries, “especially drug traffickers.”
Other threats that will be monitored in the South American country are Russia, China and Iran, which have expanded their influence in Latin America through trade and cooperation agreements in the last decade.
