“Realpolitik”: Time to Build
For María Corina Machado, it is time to build citizenship and sanitation. In realpolitik, she is the architect of the new Republic.
TL;DR
- Realpolitik involves prudent administration of possibilities, not the denial of principles.
- Venezuela's transition requires a shift from resistance to reconstruction, focusing on stabilization, recovery, and redemocratization.
- The U.S. under Trump views foreign policy through a lens of interests and strategic stability, not moral crusades.
- Democratic restoration in Venezuela necessitates rebuilding institutions, professionalizing the military, and depurating the justice system before elections.
- María Corina Machado's role is to influence, not just confront, U.S. strategy, bridging stability with authentic democratic opening.
- Building a new republic involves combining economic freedom with social justice, institutionalism with inclusion, and international openness with national cohesion.
- Successful transitions require incentives for the former regime's demobilization, not absolute humiliation, citing examples from Spain, Chile, and South Africa.
- Venezuela's economic reconstruction requires clear programs for oil recovery, monetary stabilization, fiscal reform, and legal security.
- A democratic Venezuela is presented as a strategic solution for regional security, energy interests, and reduced influence of hostile external actors.
- The article distinguishes between the ethics of conviction and the ethics of responsibility, advocating for their integration by leaders.
- The transition will not be linear or perfect, requiring concessions and a coexistence of justice with prudence.
- Washington may tolerate stabilization figures like Delcy Rodríguez temporarily, but long-term arrangements need internal legitimacy.
- Germany's history serves as a cautionary tale against the dangers of humiliation and extremism leading to violence.
- Machado must influence and transcend U.S. realpolitik, turning stabilization into a bridge to democratization.
- The future Venezuela must be built on the restoration of the Republic, not solely on the defeat of Chavismo.