Shining light: Machado’s fight ‘keeps the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness’, and her Nobel has the potential to shift the regional dynamic. — Getty Images/ AFP
THE well-deserved Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Venezuelan Opposition leader María Corina Machado carries both a powerful moral message and a call for action.
The message is clear: By standing up to the abuses of Venezuela’s dictatorship, Machado has reminded her people – and the world – that democracy and freedom remain causes worth fighting for, even at great personal sacrifice. To understand her courage, pain, and resilience in the quest for a free Venezuela, just listen to her trembling voice as she received the call announcing the award in the early hours of Friday.
Forced into hiding to escape the brutal repression of Nicolás Maduro’s regime, Machado shares this honour with the hundreds of political prisoners languishing in jails for their beliefs, the thousands persecuted or executed by Maduro’s forces, and the millions forced into exile in search for a better future.
As the Nobel Committee rightly put it, Machado’s fight “keeps the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness”. That’s no small feat in an era of democratic backsliding and rising political polarisation.
But this award is more than a tribute – it’s a call for action. Machado’s Nobel has the potential to shift the regional dynamic, opening the eyes of those who still refuse to see Venezuela’s tragedy for what it is: the biggest political disaster of our generation in the Western Hemisphere. What better symbol than a Nobel to underscore the urgent need to recognise last year’s electoral results and for regional governments to unite in defence of the right to self-governance for Venezuelans?
At the very least, the decision puts more heat on the Caracas dictatorship, already teetering under pressure from Donald Trump’s White House. This recognition could just be the tipping point we needed for real change.
Sure, in a world dominated by cynical relativism, voices – particularly from the hard left – are already questioning the award’s merits, claiming it’s an offense to the Venezuelan government.
That a warmonger like Russian President Vladimir Putin is upset is hardly surprising: As a leading member of the global dictators’ club, he’d naturally come to the defence of Maduro.
More disappointing, Claudia Sheinbaum – once a democratic activist herself before becoming Mexico’s first female president – ignored the significance of this prize for the democratic and feminist causes, blinded by her government’s complicity with Maduro.
Still, the momentum is real. Once he gets over the disappointment of not getting spotlighted himself, Trump may realise that Machado’s Nobel is a gift in his campaign to send Maduro packing. If Washington is smart enough, it should seize the moment to rally a broader international consensus and apply maximum pressure for his removal. Machado’s gesture partially dedicating the award to the US president was a shrewd move that reinforces her political standing and alliance with Washington.
The challenges to peaceful regime change remain massive; the options, still limited. But sooner or later, Venezuela will be free.
María Corina’s Nobel could help bring that precious day a step closer. — Bloomberg Opinion
JP Spinetto is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Latin American business, economic affairs, and politics.
