How Kowtowing to Trump Guided British Support for Juan Guaidó
Recognizing self-proclaimed Venezuelan president Juan Guaidó in 2019, Britain's Tory government claimed to be standing up for democracy. Recently published ministerial diaries reveal the cynicism of the real discussions behind the move — showing how ministers explicitly saw the crisis as an opportunity to curry favor with Donald Trump.
Self-proclaimed president of Venezuela Juan Guaidó with President Trump during a White House visit on February 5, 2020. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
The recently published diary of former minister of state for Europe and the Americas Alan Duncan provides crucial details on the decision-making process behind Britain’s recognition of Venezuelan opposition figure Juan Guaidó as president in January 2019.
On January 23, the day that Guaidó declared himself president, Duncan writes,
I insist on tweeting something supportive, but speak to Andrew Soper, our Ambassador [in Caracas] first, as we don’t want him to be chucked out. So we are one step away from saying we recognise Juan Guaidó as the legitimate interim President, but choosing only to say for the time being that we consider Maduro illegitimate.
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