ADADThe stalemate between the two has gone on longer than anyone thought plausible when it began in early 2019. To be sure, Maduro retains the loyalty that matters most: The men with guns do what he says. Hospitals and schools barely function; the electric grid is off more often than on in most of the country; telecommunications barely work. The result is a kind of pervasive lawlessness where anything goes, as long as you keep Maduro on your good side. An aggressive move to sideline Guaidó would likely have seemed too risky to Maduro before the Soleimani strike.

Source: Washington Post January 06, 2020 22:07 UTC