The plot that failed: how Venezuela's 'uprising' fizzled

[Judi Lynn]

When the coup was hurriedly launched a day early, defections from the regime failed to materialise, Maduro remained in power and the US government looked like it had badly miscalculated

by Patricia Torres in Caracas, Julian Borger in Washington, Joe Parkin Daniels in Bogotá and Tom Phillips in Mexico City
Fri 3 May 2019 14.47 EDT

The video that appeared on Tuesday morning had the appearance of history in the making. In the purple light of dawn, it showed a group of armed men and a military vehicle on a road leading to La Carlota airbase in eastern Caracas.

In the foreground, stood Juan Guaidó – the head of the national assembly recognised by most western countries as the rightful leader of Venezuela – declaring the “final phase of Operation Freedom” with oratory seemingly destined for legend.

“Today, brave soldiers, brave patriots, brave men loyal to the constitution have heard our call. We have finally met on the streets of Venezuela,” Guaidó said.

Behind him, was the country’s most prominent political prisoner, Leopoldo López who had been under house arrest since 2017. The fact that he was free as the uprising was being declared seemed proof that something significant was afoot.

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/03/venezuela-protests-news-latest-maduro-uprising-that-fizzled-

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Bay of Pigs, Parte Deux, mais sans USA troops

[Igel]

2. The one in Syria didn't go so well, either.

Yanukovich tried to make his fizzle, like Putin had the little one he faced fizzle.

One commonality: If you're a Putin ally, the uprisings tend to fizzle. Hang tough, through military at it, keep cohesion among the troops and your supporters, and the uprising will usually fail. Falter, show weakness, yield, and you're through. Disinformation can help counter it; selective blocking of information pathways; discrete and selective use of violence; infiltration so you know what the plans are; all these, and other tactics, help undermine the uprising or revolt.

Ukraine's failed because it was too big and there was a strong geographic skew--and also, to a large extent, because of the killings on the Maidan. And even then, for a year or more there were disinformation campaigns over who did what and how actually it was the protestors killing other protestors in "false-flag" operations. It created enough dissent and disunity that there was no collective will to deal with other challenges, and when there was additional disinformation over what was going on in Krym and the Donbas there were ready-made audiences ready to believe it.

Sudan's is having trouble, but again, there has to be a certain sang-froid in dealing with protestors to make them back down and go away.