Nobel Prize for Venezuelan Dissident Draws Criticism

[speak easy]

Source: New York Times

María Corina Machado is being honored for her push for democracy even as she backs President Trump’s military buildup and aggressive campaign against Venezuela.

Ms. Machado has firmly embraced President Trump’s military buildup and has publicly expressed her support for using force to oust the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro.

She has also repeated debunked claims that Mr. Maduro manipulated U.S. elections, fueling accusations that she is amplifying misinformation to gain favor with the Trump administration.

“It will be a different kind of Nobel Prize ceremony,” said Benedicte Bull, a professor at the University of Oslo and a leading expert on Latin America in Norway. “Much more politicized than what we have seen before.”

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/world/americas/nobel-prize-venezuela.html

[speak easy]

1. Maybe W should've got a Nobel prize for ousting Saddam Hussein by military force?

The enemy of your enemy is not your friend if he is Donald J. Trump.

[AloeVera]

2. Et tu, Nobel?

Her selection is utterly incomprehensible and feels like an especially painful betrayal. What is going on with the Nobel Committee?

[Escurumbele]

3. Are you well informed of the Venezuelan situation? Do you know anything about Maria Corina Machado? Just wondering.

She is a woman of integrity, honest, a true Venezuelan patriot who has been punched in the face during a state session when Chavez was president, by an opposition thug. If you understand the disgrace of the MAGA movement, all you need is to understand that the only difference between CHAVISTAS and MAGAts is the language they speak.

Venezuela plays a very important geographical strategic location, one that the Russians (Putin) will not give up easily, and the fact that Venezuela has been taken by, not only the communists that make up the regime, but by Russians, Chinese, Hezbollah, Iran, etc. They are taking Venezuela's resources, lots of the Venezuelan money is being diverted to terrorism, people are hungry while the thugs from the regime continue to line their pockets with petroleum money, gold, precious stones, etc., etc.

The military is extremely corrupt also lining their pockets as well. They have the power over the citizens. Torture is a daily thing in Venezuela, many young people have been taken to a place called "The Elicoide" (read about a BBC article), where they are tortured, and may die by the torture or simply are executed by the regime.

There is more but I will spare you of it. Why am I going through this small list? To explain why Maria Corina Machado, who has fought very hard to bring Democracy back to Venezuela, has lined up with trump. I as someone who likes history, knows people in Venezuela and have kept up with the situation there, her actions in supporting trump are of desperation for her cause to rid Venezuela of the cruel regime, and bring back Democracy. Do I agree with how far she has gone to support trump? No, I don't because I know his intentions are not good, and he will throw her under the bus the first chance he gets. Also, as John Bolton wrote in his book, trump admires Maduro, he thinks Maduro is "strong and intelligent" because Putin told him so, and trump wants to be like Maduro.

I call ICE the "USA Colectivos". This may not mean much to you and many people but, "The Colectivos" are exactly what ICE is, a militia for the regime, most of them convicted criminals. trump has followed the blueprint from Venezuela.

But anyway, back to Maria Corina Machado...She does deserve the Nobel Prize, but understand her situation, the only option for her and Venezuela is trump, whether he will honor his promises to remove Maduro and his gang from Venezuela? That is another story. In my opinion, he won't, Putin will not let him like he didn't let him when John Bolton was part of his administration

[iemanja]

5. She's also a huge Trump supporter

and anxiously eggs on his plans to invade her country.

[TomWilm]

6. Then maybe FIFA can invent a peace prize for her too?

Last edited Wed Dec 10, 2025, 07:30 AM - Edit history (1)

There are very few real heavy acknowledgements of people actively working for peace. "Champions of peace" is what this prize was coined for: "To the person who has done the most or best to advance fellowship among nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies, and the establishment and promotion of peace congresses."

Problem is, that the winner is selected by a committee from the Norwegian parliament. 130 years ago they were a more peaceful bunch. Today it seems like Machado only was selected to prevent more sanctions against Norway from an unhappy Tr*mp.

Machado might deserve some kind of democracy price, but no real "Champions of peace" would claim as she has done, that only military pressure will force Maduro to step down - and she has in no way criticized the possible US military invasion of her country.

[iemanja]

4. She's a disaster

She whined about the Mamdani’s election on X and claimed it would lead to authoritarianism. This while singing Trump’s praises and supporting his killing of her own country’s citizens.