{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Authoritarianism, Resistance, and Repression: What's Next for Venezuela?","description":" The director of WOLA\u2019s Venezuela Program, Laura Dib, joins the podcast to discuss the political, human rights, and diplomatic reality following Nicol\u00e1s Maduro\u2019s January 10 inauguration. Maduro\u2019s new term begins amid severe tensions, as he plainly lost July 28, 2024 presidential elections and has employed waves of repression, including rounding up and in some cases forcibly disappearing political prisoners, to deny the result.   Despite the context of repression and intimidation, Laura underscores that on January 9 Venezuelans still took part in 157 reported protests, including one with the participation of opposition leader Mar\u00eda Corina Machado, who is in hiding. The response was further crackdowns, including the temporary detention of Mar\u00eda Corina, the enforced disappearance of the son in law of the election\u2019s true winner Edmundo Gonz\u00e1lez Urrutia, and the enforced disappearance of Carlos Correa, director of NGO Espacio P\u00fablico, who was recently released after being missing for nine days.   With repression worsening and space closing for civil society\u2014particularly through implementation of a harsh new NGO law\u2014it is difficult to perceive a path forward. Laura emphasizes, however, the remaining areas of hope; possible cracks within the ruling coalition, significant consensus within the international community, and the persistent bravery of Venezuela\u2019s civil society and diaspora. Laura acknowledges the complexities of the deep-rooted corruption and private sector ties that make Maduro\u2019s hermetic regime difficult to assess and counter.   She also discusses the confused and contradictory nature of the new Trump administration\u2019s likely approach to Venezuela. A transactionally minded president uninterested in democracy promotion is leading a group of officials with different, and potentially clashing, priorities: some are staunchly \u201canti-communist\u201d but others are focused on stopping migration and enabling deportations to Venezuela.   Laura also discusses the complexities of sanctions, economic collapse, and Venezuela\u2019s relations with its neighbors. The episode ends with a strong call for the international community to focus its efforts on supporting Venezuelan civil society and preserving the civic space that exists.   For more up-to-date information, read Laura Dib\u2019s commentary \u201cVenezuela: Authoritarianism and Resistance\u201d; a commentary by Carolina Jim\u00e9nez, President of WOLA, \u201cVenezuela between repression and resistance,\u201d and watch WOLA\u2019s recent event, \u201cAutoritarismo y Resistencia: An\u00e1lisis de la Situaci\u00f3n en Venezuela.\u201d ","author_name":"Latin America Today","author_url":"http:\/\/www.wola.org\/podcast\/","html":"