Nicolas Maduro continues to resist heavy US pressure to step down in Venezuela, and a Wall Street Journal analysis suggests a big reason why: He's got nowhere to go. In another era, exiled dictators could fly the coop to some safe haven and live out their days in luxury, writes Jose de Cordoba. But those days are long gone, with today's international courts more aggressive about chasing human rights abusers and dirty money. Ousted despots once "went to Europe and bought villas on the French Riviera," is how Moises Naim of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace puts it. "Now they still go to Europe, but end up at the International Criminal Court in The Hague."
In Maduro's case, he doesn't have many options. Cuba is broke, Russia is distant, and Venezuelan exiles in Europe would likely be hostile. "The calculation for Maduro is that he will always be safer here than anywhere else," says International Crisis Group's Phil Gunson. His military, bound by shared secrets and fear of reprisal, is seen as unlikely to turn on him. Maduro's calculated gamble is that he can weather the storm.
President Trump, meanwhile, again declined to specify the US endgame while speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One, per the Guardian. "I'm not going to tell you what the goal is. You should probably know what the goal is," Trump said. "If we can save lives, if we can do things the easy way, that's fine. And if we have to do it the hard way, that's fine, too." Trump also might speak directly with Maduro.
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