By Luis Manuel Aguana
Presentation at the Pío Tamayo Chair, May 25, 2026: Forum—Are We Heading Toward Venezuela’s Conversion into Another Star of the Yankee Empire?
Once again, many thanks to the Pio Tamayo Chair and to Professor Agustín Blanco Muñoz for the opportunity to participate in the discussion of issues of special significance for Venezuela—as is certainly the case with the matter giving rise to this inquiry from the Chair, which could well be considered one of the many tragic consequences of the ethical and moral dismantling of the country—or *ex-country*, as Prof. Blanco Muñoz aptly calls it—following nearly 30 years of systematic destruction.
Within the context of the conference series titled “What Happened, Where Is It, and Where Is 03E-2026 Heading?”, the question the Chair poses today is whether or not we are moving “toward the conversion of Venezuela into another star in the Yankee empire.” In a Venezuela that has been completely denatured politically, asking such a question would be akin to asking where a vessel is headed after having lost both its rudder and its engine in the middle of the ocean. The answer does not depend on the vessel itself, but rather on external forces entirely beyond its control: the weather, the currents, or the tides. It will depend on everything *but* those who are inside that ship.
If, in such a lamentable state, someone aboard the ship—upon sighting a nearby island (or perhaps merely a mirage)—were to ask whether the vessel, in its current condition—rudderless and engineless—would chart a course toward it, what do you suppose the answer would be? Only God knows; however, it would be highly improbable, and it would depend—once again—on those external factors over which the crew exercises absolutely no control. That is to say, some stray current or some gust of wind that might happen to carry the ship in that direction. Yet, even assuming it were not a mirage—that it were, in fact, a genuine island—what assurance would there be that what awaits them on that island is not even worse than the plight they are enduring aboard the drifting ship? None whatsoever. They might well find themselves on an island teeming with cannibals…
That would be my initial answer to whether or not we are going to become part of the infamous “empire.” In any case, the pertinent question would be: once the Americans won the invasion of January 3rd, overriding the existing Cuban, Russian, Chinese, and Iranian “empires,” not to mention the occupation of Venezuelan border territory by Colombian paramilitary groups, do they now wish to relinquish the tutelage that was immediately established for Venezuela? We have already lost sovereignty to the forces that effectively occupied the territory for a few minutes and took Nicolás Maduro Moros and his wife away, a situation that many still refuse to accept.
However, it is not only the decision of an “empire” that wants to devour us as a state, but also a component of local desire or decision to accept that. And that is where I wish to focus this brief intervention.
To begin, today's question is not the right one. The right question is whether or not Venezuelans desire that condition. The question, phrased in this way, leaves out our free will. It seems we should be debating whether or not we are going to be “the other star of the American empire.” The fact is, we already are in practice, without the need for any formal procedures, because what I called Yalta 2.0 last year already took place in China a few days ago (see Yalta 2.0, in https://ticsddhh.blogspot.com/p/yalta-20.html).
So, do Venezuelans wish to be part of a North American union? Many might argue that there is a widespread perception that we are, in fact, interested. I even heard a statement from President Trump suggesting that he could run for president of Venezuela—and win the election. And therein lies the mirage. Some claim that if such a possibility were put to a referendum, the Venezuelan people would vote overwhelmingly in favor of it.
However, one must take into account the specific moment and context when posing a question of such magnitude to the masses. If you were to ask a population—currently largely hungry and ailing—whether they desire food and a better quality of life amidst the generalized destruction of their country, what do you suppose the masses would answer? Regardless of what might be demanded of them in return, the answer would be a resounding YES. Consequently, we must scrutinize very carefully who is pushing this proposal; for surely—and setting aside any ideological considerations—they are seeking some concrete personal gain from such a prospect. In doing so, those with a vested interest would be "picking the low-hanging fruit"—as we say in Venezuela—without a care that their ship might be docking on an island teeming with cannibals.
And speaking of the masses: Leoncio Martínez—known as "Leo"—a journalist from the early part of the last century and editor of the weekly *Fantoches* (a figure likely familiar to this academic body and the distinguished guests at this forum), wrote a memorable editorial nearly 90 years ago—in September 1936—titled "The Significance of the Masses." I take the liberty of quoting two pivotal passages from it here, as I believe their essence bears a profound relevance to the discussion at hand:
Someone once remarked that “peoples are like children who do not know what they want”—an assertion frequently employed to substantiate a theory currently of interest to some. Yet, this claim suffers from the same absurdity as the one previously outlined. While it may be true that peoples do not know what they want, they most certainly know their needs; and when someone emerges who is capable of translating that popular sentiment into words—someone who can articulate and voice those needs—the people follow him decisively, just as they followed Boves first, and Bolívar thereafter”.
Y más adelante añadió:
“People do not follow their agitators but those who embody a unanimous aspiration of the majority. People do not know agitators but interpreters; that is why they follow those who promise them food when they are hungry, those who speak to them of justice when they feel oppressed, and even those who promise them revenge when they feel victimized” End of quotes (see Leoncio Martínez, The Meaning of the Popular Masses, Editorial of Saturday, September 26, 1936, Weekly “Fantoches”, Year XIV, No. 55, in https://ticsddhh.blogspot.com/2011/06/el-significado-de-las-masas-populares.html).
Throughout its history, the long-suffering Venezuelan people have veered toward extremes—embodied by a host of agitators and interpreters. We all knew the "interpreter" of 1998 and the outcome of his proposal for "vengeance for those who felt victimized": nearly 30 years of the country's systematic destruction. Consequently, on July 28, 2024, the people once again placed their faith in another interpreter—one whose promise has yet to materialize, for reasons that lie beyond the scope of this discussion.
Yet, amidst all this, the operation of January 3, 2026, emerged, offering a new promise of liberation at the hands of a new actor. Will this new actor prove to be an agitator or an interpreter? All indicators suggest that he is, in fact, an agitator—one seeking to profit from the ensuing chaos. It would be a truly tragic irony were Venezuelans to conflate these two definitions out of ignorance of their own history.
As I noted in a previous commentary, "State 51" would be a bad deal for us (See State 51: A Bad Deal, in https://ticsddhh.blogspot.com/p/state-51-bad-deal.html). The fundamental point is that we now find ourselves facing the very same dilemma of unequal exchange—one that we, as a people, have always confronted—whenever others come offering us something supposedly superior. We now covet what we deem valuable—not merely due to our unprecedented situation of criminal destruction, but because we harbor the perception—erroneous, in my view—that what is being offered to us as a superior way of life—the North American model—is nothing more than a modernized "trinket," which they seek to trade for the immense wealth upon which we sit.
Just recently, I was sent a video titled "Venezuela: The World's Treasure Chest." In the span of three minutes, it enumerates the magnificent abundance of resources in our country—a fact we already know well—while also highlighting the resilience of our people. What particularly caught my attention was the title itself, along with the arguments put forth to explain why—according to the message conveyed in the video—the prevailing "oil narrative" serves to obscure the remainder of the treasure contained within that chest, and why global powers are currently vying for control over our nation (see in Spanish, Venezuela, the treasure chest of the world, in https://youtu.be/9vQVO_r7IfE). And after January 3rd, that treasure trove fell under the influence of the United States—as a corollary to the chain of errors committed by the Venezuelans.
It would appear that, geopolitically speaking, the world’s spheres of influence—and the powers standing at the head of each—are currently being defined, much as they were at Yalta and Potsdam in 1945, albeit without the necessity of a war to bring it about. And Venezuela finds itself situated within the North American bloc. Furthermore, should any of the other blocs take an interest in anything of ours, such engagement will be possible only with the consent of the North Americans.
Even if the United States were to return sovereignty—and the strategic direction of our affairs—to those who advocate for immediate elections, it is highly unlikely that this would occur without being conditioned upon an alignment with the globally established bloc; this would entail a guarantee not to stray from that designated path, under penalty of military intervention.
Finally, while I do not believe that Venezuela will ultimately end up as a Commonwealth or a State of the U.S. Union, there is one thing I can assert with certainty. As of January 3rd, those factions that sought to disregard the influence of the hemisphere’s dominant power in Latin American affairs will find it exceedingly difficult to continue using our territory to orchestrate actions detrimental to the national security of the United States. Those days are now firmly in the past. Or, to put it in Venezuelan parlance so that everyone understands: where the tiger roars, no donkey dares to tread...
Thank you very much.
Caracas, May 25, 2026
Blog: TIC’s & Derechos Humanos, https://ticsddhh.blogspot.com/
Email: luismanuel.aguana@gmail.com
Twitter:@laguana
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