Trump bets on intimidation to force Venezuelan leaders

After removing President Nicolas Maduro from power, the Trump administration is gambling that it can intimidate the Venezuelan leader's inner circle into toeing the U.S. line with threats of further military action that could put them at risk of a similar fate.



President Donald Trump’s advisers also believe they may be able to work behind the scenes with Interim President Delcy Rodriguez who, despite her public defiance, is seen as a technocrat who might be amenable to working with the U.S. on a political transition and key oil-related issues.



The still-vague plan, however, faces numerous complicating factors, including how much further Trump is prepared to go militarily, raising questions about his ability to bend the post-Maduro Venezuelan government to his will.



The potential sweeteners for Maduro’s aides would be offers of amnesty or safe exile of the sort that Maduro rejected in his final days before his capture by U.S. special forces on Saturday.



He is now locked away in a New York detention center awaiting court appearance on drug charges.



Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, two powerful members of Maduro’s inner circle who both have multimillion-dollar U.S. bounties on their heads, remain potential spoilers in any such arrangement with the U.S., given their authority over the country’s military and intelligence apparatus.