Hugo Rodas Morales is a political scientist from Cochabamba, Bolivia, and a professor of International Relations at UNAM in Mexico City, where he has lived since the 1990s. He is the head of the international foundation named after Bolivian socialist Marcelo Quiroga Santa Cruz, assassinated in 1980 by General Meza’s hitmen during a coup d’état.

What is the relationship between military force and political objectives, looking at what took place in Venezuela on January 3?

The analysis of this relationship – although usually neglected by mass media, influenced by the U.S. presidential agenda, or by news agencies – is the foundation for any political explanation. Clarifying the objectives hiding behind the use of force – upstream of which we find what is truly important – is of key importance, because without a combination of historical knowledge and a skilful in-depth look at the politics of the specific situation, you are unlikely to be able to get your bearings when it comes to the logic guiding power. It is clear that the Venezuelan political regime has not changed and that the U.S. aggressors prefer the continuity of Delcy Rodríguez (supported by Chavismo and the Venezuelan armed forces) to the alternative of activist and Nobel laureate Corina Machado – a no-holds-barred supporter of U.S. military intervention, but foreign to the logic of Chavista power.

Analyses keep circulating on social media claiming the United States has “liberated” Venezuela. What is this really about, in your view?

Certainly, it’s........

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