Crisis in Venezuela

Venezuela is in the midst of a deep political crisis that could turn extremely dangerous.

On January 23rd, the 35-year-old head of the Venezuela's National Assembly Juan Guiado declared himself president of Venezuela,  promising to serve in that role on an interim basis before free elections could be held. He was quickly recognized as the legitimate head of state by the United States, Canada, the Organization of American States and many countries in Latin America.

De-facto president Nicolas Maduro is rejecting this claim.  Maduro still controls most of the government, including crucially the security services. So far,  military leadership has yet to defect and proclaim to Guiado. Meanwhile, Maduro is backed by other countries in the region, and also some key international players like Russia.

There is an extremely dangerous standoff underway in Venezuela, the outcome of which is very far from certain.

On the Global Dispatches podcast o provide some context to help you understand this cris…