There is no concept more harsh and drastic, but necessary, than Joseph Schumpeter's concept of creative destruction, which, initially formulated for the economy, has been shown to apply to practically all human activity, because it contains within itself the essence of renewal. “Creative destruction (German: schöpferische Zerstörung) is a concept in economics that describes a process in which new innovations replace and make obsolete older innovations” (see Wikipedia, Creative destruction, in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_destruction).
Technology is a constant and living proof of this concept: digital photographs destroyed the acetate films on which the old photographs were recorded by light, and a new concept was built from there, a new industry that led to the ruin of industrial empires such as Kodak. Spotify and Apple Music destroyed the business of the music industry, based on physical discs or traditional CDs, which had evolved from the pulp and then acetate discs to magnetic tape cassettes. Cellular telephony and digital voice applications inside portable telephones destroyed the juicy business of international communication of telephone companies.
We could show many more examples, which come to exactly the same thing: for a new idea or solution to prevail - innovation - the previous one must be destroyed. Or better expressed, the old must be destroyed to make way for the new, in an incessant cycle of creative destruction so that we can move forward. And it is not a process that can be stopped, although many have tried and failed.
The same concept can be applied to the political class defeated on October 22, 2023 in the primaries that decided who would lead the political change in Venezuela, which, with the support of the majority of Venezuelans, would defeat a tyranny that refuses -by definition- to abandon power democratically. But also to creatively destroy the “opposition” political forces that lost that election and that have long ceased to represent Venezuelans, and that, not wanting to accept that change, cling to the same mechanisms of the past in order not to leave the political scene, regardless of the fact that tyranny will impose itself, in spite of the resounding decision of Venezuelans on July 28, 2024. They prefer that political change does not take place, plunging us into more than 100 years of political backwardness, and pretending that Venezuelans pay for their survival. But Schumpeter's concept will end up being imposed, as it has always been imposed historically.
For the skeptics, we show how the concept of creative destruction also applies to politics:
“Schumpeter's concept of creative destruction, originally applied to economics, can be a very useful lens for analyzing political processes. How can we apply creative destruction to politics?
- Political innovation: As in economics,
innovation is key in politics. New ideas, proposals and movements can “destroy”
old political structures and give rise to new ways of governing and relating to
society.
- Destruction of old structures: Political
changes often involve the dismantling of obsolete or inefficient political
systems. Revolutions, profound reforms and regime changes are clear examples of
this “destruction”.
- Creation
of new political realities: After destruction, space opens up for the
construction of new political institutions, norms and practices. This can lead
to radical changes in the way decisions are made, power is distributed and
citizens are represented.
- Political cycles: As in the economy, politics also experiences cycles. Periods of stability can be followed by times of great transformation, in which intense creative destruction takes place (see in Spanish IA Gemini, Creation and Destruction in Politics, at https://gemini.google.com/share/a1b833e58fdb) (highlighted our).
It is now in the hands of María Corina Machado (MCM) as the undisputed leader of the process of political changes, the creation of a new political reality for Venezuela, after the elections of July 28, 2024. I do not mention for this change Edmundo González Urrutia (EGU), who as a Venezuelan product of that political class that refuses to disappear, will have to decide at some critical moment in the very short term whether he will be a brake or part of the unstoppable process of creative destruction towards a new political reality in Venezuela.
When in my last article (see “Edmundo must be sworn in”, in https://ticsddhh.blogspot.com/p/edmundo-must-be-sworn-in.html), I indicated that EGU had to be sworn in, I did not express it as the legal culmination of his election as President, but as part of that process of creative destruction of the old towards the new.
Many respectable and renowned jurists have pointed out the alleged impossibility for EGU to be sworn in as incumbent President of the Republic outside Venezuela. It is not the purpose of this note to assess the certainty or not of such statements, but what I can indicate is that the political process that the country is going through immediately requires a President in office in favor of democratic change, regardless of where he is, and I believe that it is the duty of all of us who can contribute to achieve this, to put the best of our knowledge to make it a viable reality, without objections, because otherwise we are doing a great service to the tyranny to continue illegitimately in power.
The President Elect, as time goes by without something happening to change the political situation in Venezuela, will end up being a chinese vase that at some point will not know where to place. This undefined situation leaves Venezuela in the exclusive hands -with no official Venezuelan counterpart- of the willingness or unwillingness of the International Community to get out of Maduro's tyranny. It is impossible for any Venezuelan to know what they will end up doing with the Venezuelan tyranny if we are not in those decisions officially as a government.
A President and Vice-President of the Republic, exercising all the powers granted to them by the Constitution, would make a decisive contribution abroad so that these decisions, which must be studied and coordinated from the main capitals of the countries of the International Community that recognize them, are taken as soon as possible. It is then in the hands of the current political leadership of the opposition to decide whether or not to further prolong the situation of anguish of Venezuelans. By taking the political decision to officially make EGU President and MCM Vice President, such actions should be precipitated.
On the other hand, EGU as President Elect abroad, depending economically on the political class that was defeated as representative of our interests, is a contradiction in itself, because they will be the first to prevent his performance from being successful and will not want him to be sworn in under any respect outside Venezuela. That gives them more than enough time to mount an election with Maduro to “normalize” the situation in Venezuela. And they are already taking the first steps towards that, as stated by journalist Orlando Avendaño in a message on the social network X /Twitter): “This is a scandal. The Swiss government is organizing a round of dialogue with collaborationists and normalizers, in order to then participate in the negotiations of the illegal constitutional change of Maduro. Rectors Arturo Peraza and Victor Rago, Stalin González of the collaborationist party Un Nuevo Tiempo, Ramón José Medina, Ramón Guillermo Aveledo, among others, are participating” (see in Spanish message by (@OrlvndoA) on X (Twitter), in https://x.com/OrlvndoA/status/1883209237343433161).
In Avendaño's message is copied an invitation from the “Institute for Integrated Transitions”, IFIT to “examine opportunities” convening a meeting entitled “Constitutional Reform opportunities in a scheme of continuity of the conflict” with the principals of the “National Commission for Constitutional Reform” of the regime. Seeing the special guests of the “other side” to discuss “continuity”, we can draw some conclusions that take us back to times we really wish to leave in the past, where the pseudo opposition played a transcendental role for the continuity of the Maduro regime.
Only MCM and his team can make the political decision, to swear in EGU or let his situation run without an official status. Delaying it will be a political suicide that gives time to those who are helping Maduro to stay. If that POLITICAL decision is made, the necessary LEGAL grounds will come out. That is the correct order, not the other way around. No matter how much the MUD-PUD parties have put their card in the elections, no matter how much they still control the OFAC funds, no matter how much they try to prevent the consequences of the decision of the Venezuelan people, they will never again have our support in any election in the future. Their time has passed and it is their turn to be destroyed, understanding that destruction as a necessary transformation for the country.
Once EGU becomes President and MCM becomes Vice President, with the administrative and financial control that corresponds to them as official representatives of Venezuela before the world, things will change for that pseudo opposition. Both the old and the new Venezuelan opposition political leadership had better accept the inevitable reality of creative destruction. Believe me it will be a new positive era for all.
Caracas, January 26, 2025
Blog:
TIC’s & Derechos Humanos, https://ticsddhh.blogspot.com/
Email: luismanuel.aguana@gmail.com
Twitter:@laguana
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