In Venezuela, military leadership changes more often than Liepāja city council decisions about Karosta prison

Venezuela's interim president Rodrigesa is once again replacing the military leadership, apparently because the previous ones weren't loyal enough. Or maybe she just got bored with the old faces. Such changes happen more frequently than Liepāja city council decisions about what to do with Karosta prison — one day it's a museum, the next it's a popular tourist horror experience, and a week later it's something else entirely.

Rodrigesa announced these changes on social media, because nowadays even coups happen with Instagram stories. "I announce the appointment of a renewed Supreme Military Command," she said, probably between two TikTok videos. US President Trump, meanwhile, has stated that he practically runs Venezuela and allows Rodrigesa to stay in power. That's like saying you're letting your neighbor live in a house that you actually control.

Venezuela's military, which has sworn loyalty to Rodrigesa, controls everything — from oil to food. It's almost like Liepāja city council, just with bigger opportunities for corruption. While Venezuelans stand in food lines, Rodrigesa tries to please both Trump and Maduro supporters. Such balancing acrobatics would be impressive even for Liepāja politicians.

Finally, under US pressure, Rodrigesa has implemented an amnesty law and reformed the oil industry. Apparently Venezuela has also figured out that sometimes it's better to listen to the big neighbor than to stubbornly stick to your own decisions. Although, if Karosta prison tourists paid as much as the US pays for Venezuelan oil, we'd have completely different problems here.