Maybe I was wrong. A month after the Norwegians awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to the Venezuelan opposition leader, the decision looks better and better especially when I look at things from what may be their perspective.
OK, they have to award in October a prize whose deadline was January 31. It is a ridiculously early deadline but the rules are the rules. After the deadline, Trump brokered a half dozen peace agreements, which put pressure on them to award the prize to Trump—especially his breakthrough Gaza Agreement to end the FAFO War.
But the committee could not consider his efforts this year.
This is a PR mess for Norway especially after giving one to Barack Hussein Obama for his first 12 days as president. Europeans loved him because he was black. The elitists hate Trump, but he earned the Peace Prize. What to do? What to do? What to do?
Norway gave the prize to Venezuelan politician María Corina Machado. She did not make the betting lists for the prize.
AP framed the decision this way:
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for her struggle to achieve a democratic transition in the South American nation, winning recognition as a woman “who keeps the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness.”
The former opposition presidential candidate is a “key, unifying figure” in the once deeply divided opposition to President Nicolás Maduro’s government, said Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel committee.
“In the past year, Ms. Machado has been forced to live in hiding,” Watne Frydnes said. “Despite serious threats against her life, she has remained in the country, a choice that has inspired millions. When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognize courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist.”
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Buried in the story was this gem in Paragraph 26 of the 28 paragraph story:
Hours after Friday’s announcement, Machado wrote on X that “today, more than ever, we count on President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world as our principal allies to achieve Freedom and democracy.” She added: “I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause!”
She’s a populist. She’s a capitalist. She’s a surrogate for Trump.
Machado also is a fighter who is willing to die for freedom, if it comes to that. Who does that remind you of?
NPR also downplayed the Trump connection, noting, “Despite her popularity, Machado has also drawn criticism. She is a right-wing politician considered to be Venezuela’s Iron Lady—the nickname of Britain’s late former Conservative prime minister, Margaret Thatcher—who favors privatizing the state oil company and free-market policies, and supports international efforts to isolate and pressure the Venezuelan government. She has been lauded by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who as senator co-signed a letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee endorsing Machado for the 2024 peace prize.”
Iron Lady is a compliment. Maybe NPR thinks it still means an order to press wrinkles out of clothes.
Here’s an oddity about Venezuelan oil. William F. Buckley Jr.’s dad pioneered its oil industry. He relocated there after Mexico nationalized his oil company. And of course, Venezuela has since nationalized the oil industry that WFB’s old man created. You can see why his son wasn’t enthralled by government-run programs.
CNN’s story on Machado waited until Paragraph 18 to reveal:
Machado said she dedicates her award to Trump because it’s “absolutely fair, and that’s what the Venezuelan people feel,” adding that the US leader is addressing her country’s “tragic situation.”
“I absolutely think he deserves a Nobel Peace Prize because of (the) incredible events that are taking place currently in the world,” she said.
The US leader has repeatedly stressed that he believed he deserved to win the prize for ending “unsolvable” wars during his second term, including the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Trump said he spoke with Machado after learning of the news and said she was “very nice” in their call. Machado also publicly thanked Trump at the time on social media “for his decisive support of our cause.”
Don’t kid yourself. Norway knew all this ahead of the award. Who would want Maduro gone? Isn’t it good Norwegians would?
Trump and therefore America need Machado to succeed Maduro because she is our protection against nation building. She is popular, which gives her immediate credibility. She is capable of handling a regime change without outside help. She definitely will not be a CIA plant whom we have to prop up.
Venezuela has been on Trump’s radar and on September 2, he began blowing up the drug runner boats. This was unprecedented and quickly drew the wrath of Fentanyl-friendly Democrats who likely receive compensation for their opposition to the war on drugs.
But putting a small armada of big ships off the coast on Venezuela his been effective. Not only did the B2s knock out Iran’s nuke program on June 21, the raid showed the world that President Trump is unafraid to use the American military to achieve his diplomatic goals. More than a century ago, Teddy Roosevelt said speak softly and carry a stick. Today, TR would say talk Trumpy and send B2s.
Reports on Wednesday said Dictator Nicolás Maduro is looking for a way out. I wish him good luck with that because the cartels that installed him as president already have a price on his head if he tries to escape.
Maduro may have one last chance to negotiate his peaceful departure from power. On Sunday, President Trump hinted at possible talks with the Venezuelan despot. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that, as of Nov. 24, the Maduro-led Cartel of the Suns could be designated a foreign terrorist organization.
The time and terms, the carrot-and-stick, are all on the table. The dictator of Caracas may choose the less painful option.
The possibility of a negotiated exit for Maduro is not random; it is a response to the maximum pressure exerted by Trump and his policy of making war against drugs and drug traffickers.
These efforts include the deployment of more than 15,000 troops to the Caribbean Sea, equipped with F-35 jets, nuclear submarines, guided missile cruisers, amphibious ships and the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group. This is the largest deployment in the region since Operation Just Cause, which ousted Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega in 1990.
Trump isn’t Cheney. Trump prefers negotiation. Maybe Maduro will luck out and get a nice jail cell to live out his life in America like Pineapple Face did.
At any rate, the award to Machado looks better and the future of Venezuela looks even better.
This article first appeared on Don Surber’s Substack. Reprinted here with permission.
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