"Iran Has Offered To Send Iranian Revolutionary Guard " Topic

….Troops to Venezuela.

"Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif offered to send Iranian Revolutionary Guard troops to protect embattled Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro, according to Channel 13 news.

Venezuela has been in crisis since its National Assembly chief Guaido proclaimed himself acting president of Venezuela following a mass opposition rally against incumbent socialist President Nicolas Maduro…."
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This is not going well… the Iranians already have their "air-bridge" to Venezuela ….

"New Air Bridge Reflects Iran's Growing Influence in Venezuela"

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Amicalement
Armand

I can't imagine that would be popular with Venezuelans! More likely to alienate them further.

When I visit Cuba… they were alienate with the Vietnam visitors (military)… but they cannot speak a word about them… I guess same case here….

Amicalement
Armand

The supposedly popularly elected president having to be protected by foreign troops will be problematic for Maduro.

I am so torn by stories like this. On the one hand, they're amazing, they're hysterical, the profoundness of the absurdity of things that are really happening just tickles my brain. On the other hand, people are suffering – starving, beaten, imprisoned, oppressed, without hope, their future well-being eroded day by day – just because other people are jerks. Really no other reason.

Many things Iran says are for internal consumption. Promising aid to an embattled revolutionary makes them look magnanimous. They just tell their people that Maduro is the popularly elected leader and that the US is trying to take him down. By offering help, however preposterously, they look like they have strength and are willing to stand up to the US. Net cost of the announcement, nothing.

In fact, I wonder if, as Bill suggests, this announcement won't make life harder for Maduro. Iran bolsters their internal image at the expense of someone they are purporting to help.

I only know that if you put something like this into a comic or movie or novel or even a game you'd have to work pretty hard to sell it.

The Iranian people are tired of overseas adventures. I doubt if they will look positive at this new one.

Maduro lost popularity in large part due to the economic shambles in Venezuela, which is being blamed on economic sanctions imposed by the US-led western world in order to cause a popular uprising against him. He can always use that for propaganda while his benefactors in Russia and Iran protect him from the masses.

Never underestimate a dictator trying to turn any inward stress to a foreign opponent

Oil money more often than not leads to serious problems.

As long as oil prices remain high, the leadership can afford to be corrupt, dote their supporters and still have a working state.

Venezuelan leaders became increasingly authoritarian since the 1970's and economic development stagnated because money was being pumped into something that was one big racket rather than running the economy of the country.

Chavez came to power and used the oil money to start all kinds of state sponsored programs that went down well with the middle and lower classes and angered the elites who saw their source of income melt away.

But Chavez and Maduro are not made of stone, the idea of dump trucks full of money going your way is much too attractive.

And when oil prices fall, the unimportant expenses tend to go first, so the poor people will have to suffer again, except they now blame the elites.

Venezuela in one sentence : 50-odd years of corruption and economic mismanagement.

Yes, but during those 50 years when the "elites" ran things everyone had toilet paper.