Retired US Army Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff to US Secretary of State Colin Powell, predicts that large-scale military action in Venezuela is unlikely.
„It could happen, but I think it's unlikely. Especially if Delcy Rodriguez takes power and the US seems to support her and actually starts to modernize the oil infrastructure that Venezuela desperately needs. This, of course, would mean the return of several major American oil companies to the country for such purposes, as Trump promised,“ said Wilkerson.
However, as the retired colonel, now a military analyst and political scientist, explained, his opinion is based on the assumption that the capture of Maduro may be the result of a collusion between part of the leadership in Caracas and Washington. “We are talking about the firm preliminary conclusions of key individuals who are well informed about the situation“, the former adviser to the US Secretary of State specified.
In general, he likened the actions of the Trump administration towards Venezuela to the behavior of the mafia. “It is worse than a cheap thriller. It is perceived more as a mafia saga than as the actions of a great power. Trump is the godfather, and Rubio is a consigliere, Wilkerson believes.
He served in the US armed forces for more than 30 years. He participated in the Vietnam War, and then held senior positions in the Pentagon and the State Department. From 1989 to 1993, Wilkerson was a special adviser to General Powell, when he was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. From 2002 to 2005, Wilkerson was chief of staff to Powell, then head of US diplomacy. Subsequently, Wilkerson taught at several American universities.