Figuera Meets Caracas Assembly Head, Sidelines Machado
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- Dinorah Figuera, president of the U.S.-recognized 2015 National Assembly, traveled to Caracas on June 18 to meet current Assembly president Jorge Rodriguez to negotiate elections and democratic institutions.
- The U.S. State Department immediately endorsed the meeting, stating the agenda includes rebuilding democratic institutions, strengthening the National Electoral Council, reestablishing political participation guarantees, and securing civic freedoms.
- The new channel entirely bypasses María Corina Machado's opposition coalition, reflecting the Trump administration's stated preference for institutional stability over working with the uncompromising popular leader.
- Since the U.S. military abducted Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores on January 3, oil sales have totaled roughly $8 billion this year — but only about $5.5 million has reached Venezuela, with the rest in opaque U.S.-controlled accounts.
- A June 9 joint Venezuela-U.S. airstrike in Bolivar State killed Tren de Aragua co-founder Humberto "El Niño" Guerrero, with the article arguing the real motivation is making the Orinoco mining belt safe for foreign companies.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested the U.S. could expand similar "narco-terrorist" attacks across Latin America under the proposed "Americas Counter Cartel Coalition."
- Machado convened opposition leaders in Panama last month to issue the "Panama Manifesto" demanding she lead negotiations, but the Figuera-Rodriguez channel proceeded anyway, catching her team off guard.
Why it matters: The Figuera-Rodriguez meeting establishes a new U.S.-backed negotiation track that sidelines Venezuela's most popular opposition figure and ties democratic progress to the Trump administration's priorities — with roughly $8 billion in oil revenues, expanding counter-narcotics military operations, and Orinoco mining access all hanging on its outcome.
