Pence Will Offer Incentives to Venezuelan Military to Back Guaido

Threatens sanctions against judges who don't back US-demanded regime change

Vice President Mike Pompeo is preparing to deliver a speech this week at the State Department, during which he will announce a package of “incentives” for Venezuelan military personnel, particularly generals, trying to lure them into backing opposition leader Juan Guaido after last week’s failed coup.

The Trump Administration is also preparing to lift all sanctions against Gen. Manuel Cristopher Figuera, following news that the general has switched sides and is now backing the regime change the US wants.

The administration is keen to get the Venezuelan military to change sides en masse, and is also hoping to get judges behind the regime change. But whereas the US is offering “incentives” to the military officers, officials are just threatening to sanction judges who don’t play ball.

Just how successful this very public recruitment will be is anyone’s guess. So far, however, the US believes that the regime change is inevitable, and potentially imminent, which was why they believed last week’s coup was going to work out.



Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.