Corporate Coup

In January of 2019, the Trump Administration decided to recognize a previously unknown opposition lawmaker named Juan Guaid³ as President of Venezuela. The policy was unprecedented-- while Washingtonâs history of coups in Latin America is well documented, never before had the United States taken the step of legally recognizing a new government before an actual change in leadership had taken place. Within months it became clear that the attempt at regime change had fallen flat: all Venezuelan territory, government ministries, and the countryâs military remained under the control of President Nicol¡s Maduro. While US officials, such as Trump Venezuela Envoy Elliott Abrams boasted that roughly 54 countries followed Washingtonâs lead and recognized Guaid³âs authority, the vast majority of United Nations member states rejected the coup policy and maintained relations with Maduroâs government. Three years on from the coup attempt Venezuelaâs government is firmly in place and Guaid³ is virtually nowhere to be seen. So what did this ham-fisted regime change effort truly achieve?

Corporate Coup exposes the hidden personalities and interests driving US policy on Venezuela, revealing that while the recognition of Guaid³ failed at changing reality on the ground in Caracas, it succeeded in providing cover for the unprecedented looting of the countryâs internationally-stored wealth. It is based on the extensive investigation and on-the-ground reporting Anya Parampil has conducted since the US coup attempt began, during which she cultivated relationships with top Venezuelan government officials as well as members of the countryâs opposition who oppose Guaid³ and US sanction policy. Corporate Coup provides a narrative history of the Chavista revolution and offers character sketches of the figures who have come to lead it since Hugo Ch¡vezâs death in 2014. It also demonstrates that Guaid³âs shadow regime consists of individuals with deep connections to transnational corporations which seek to overturn the revolution and exploit Venezuelaâs resources, revealing their plot to steal Citgo Petroleum, the countryâs most valuable international asset. Corporate Coup will provide an exclusive, entirely original narrative of the attempt to overthrow Venezuelaâs government, illuminating the hybrid war tactics Washington employs against its enemies in the modern era. Unable to launch an Iraq-style invasion against countries like Venezuela, the US now deploys an array of economic, diplomatic, and mediatic weapons against its targets for regime change. The case of Venezuela provides the perfect opportunity to expose the characteristics of current US imperial policy and illustrate how a new, multipolar world is rising in order to resist it.