On January 26, 2019 Juan Guiado declared himself the new leader of Venezuela, the interesting part is that Nicolas Maduro actually won the election and Juan Guiado actually refuses to concede. This has caused a great divide between the two major parties in Venezuela. Juan Guiado has 40 countries that currently recognize him as the leader and has backing from most powerful countries. Nicolas Maduro has accused The United States of a coup and states that they are attempting to overthrow his government and put in somebody who would be on their side when it comes to oil. 20 European Union countries have decided that Juan Guiado is the legitimate leader.
Where it gets interesting in terms of United States’ involvement is that Turkey and Russia are slamming The US, stating that they are attempting to legitimize usurped power. This is stirring up tensions among these nations. Maduro has also blocked aid from Colombia and stated that he will hold the lives of some 300,000 people until he is recognized as leader.
I can see this becoming a proxy war between The United States and their allied countries and Russia and theirs. Since the lives of some 300,000 people are in jeopardy, the response is expected by world powers. In the event that Guiado is recognized, the country would be a pawn of The United States, and the same if Maduro is recognized for Russia.