But the Nobel Committee’s decision to award the Peace Prize to Maria Corina Machado, the nominal leader of the Venezuelan opposition may be an innovation of sorts.
I won’t try here to rethread all the needles in the history of Venezuela from the last three decades or so. But it’s important to keep in mind the framework with which American policymakers view Venezuela. The most significant part of that framework is the fact that Venezuela has the world’s largest reserves of crude oil. And the Trump 2.0 regime, which idolizes climate-wrecking fossil fuels, is no exception.
Venezuela is one of the best examples of how oil resources are both a blessing and a curse. Oil-related activities are such a big part of its economy that it stunts and otherwise distorts other parts of the economy. Oil-related activities draw so many jobseekers that it has severely restricted Venezuela’s agricultural economy for instance.
Deutsche Welle gives this softball English-language report on report on Machado. Including an in-depth analysis of the situation by, uh, her daughter. (1)
The DW report soft-pedals the strong indications that Peace President Trump is preparing to invade Venezuela to overthrow its current government under Nicolas Máduro, who is rightly described as an authoritarian ruler.
The widely-used V-Dem Democracy Report of 2025 rated Venezuela in 2024 as an “electoral autocracy,” along with Hungary, Russia, and, yes, Ukraine, among others. V-Dem uses four categories, ranging from more democratic to less: liberal democracies, electoral democracies, electoral autocracies, and closed autocracies. (The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave made the liberal-democracy list for 2024; where it will stand at the end of 2025 is an open question.)
As the leader of the opposition, Machado would be a likely choice to head a government to be installed by force by the Trump regime. She seems for the moment to be the Ahmed Chalabi of Venezuela for the neocons and Peace President Trump.
I always think it’s helpful to keep in mind that Venezuela has the world’s largest supply of crude oil. It’s possible that has little or nothing to do with the policy of the US or other countries toward Venezuela. (It’s also possible that I will soon see a flock of winged pigs flying by my window.)
Machado dedicated the Nobel Prize to Peace President Trump, saying she was accepting it in Trump’s honor. Whose government is giving strong indications that it is getting ready to do an actual regime change war against Venezuela, for which Machado seems to be the “Ahmed Chalabi” of the moment. (See link in comments.) The left-of-center Argentine paper “Página/12” just profiled Machado as the “Nobel golpista” (Nobel coup supporter) because of her role in supporting the attempted 2002 coup against the elected government of then-President Hugo Chávez. (2)
The Shrub Bush/Dick Cheney Administration supported that coup. (I’m sure oil had nothing to do with that, either!) It failed. Kind of like the plan to have Ahmed Chalabi set up a model liberal democracy in Iraq. Or the 20-year war in Afghanistan that ousted the Taliban government and ended up with, uh, the Taliban back in power.
But at least there’s the oil. And the Trump 2.0 Administration is very enthusiastic about those fossil fuels because, you know, windmills kill whales. Or, whatever this month’s favorite fantasy claim is.
Democracy Now! provides a more sober look at Machado and her politics: (3)
Notes:
(1) Could winning the Nobel Peace Prize save her life? DW News YouTube channel 10/11/2025. <https://youtu.be/vzx6nwMOv6U?si=YUTgz2uQxlIKcUR7> (Accessed: 2025-11-10).
(2) Majfud, Jorge (2025): Nobel golpista. Página/12 11.10.2025. < https://www.pagina12.com.ar/864760-nobel-golpista > (Accessed: 2025-11-10).
(3) 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for Anti-Maduro Leader María Corina Machado "Opposite of Peace": Greg Grandin. Democracy Now! YouTube channel 10/10/2025. <https://youtu.be/VYASIbq0EG0?si=vC-uUguzNbITRyld> (Accessed: 2025-11-10).
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