2025 Nobel Peace Prize for Anti-Maduro Leader Mara Corina Machado "Opposite of Peace": Greg Grandin

[Uncle Joe]

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to María Corina Machado, a leading Venezuelan opposition figure. Machado was set to run for president last year, but she was disqualified by the government of President Nicolás Maduro, with fellow opposition leader Edmundo González standing in for her. Venezuela's National Electoral Council ultimately declared Maduro the winner of the contested election, and he was sworn in for his third term in January.

"It's a perplexing choice," says Greg Grandin, a historian of Latin America. "They've given it to somebody who's completely aligned with the most militarist and darkest face of U.S. imperialism."

[obamanut2012]

1. I am actually shocked she got it -- she even wants Trump to invade her country

She basically dedicated the Nobel to him.

[cab67]

2. I respectfully disagree.

I've been to Venezuela.

I have a good friend and (scientific) collaborator from that country who had to flee Venezuela in the middle of the night with his family. Being an academic, he was being targeted by the Maduro government. He made it to Colombia in time.

I have no respect for what Trump is trying to do with Venezuela. He should be tried for war crimes. So should the Secretary of Defense and any military personnel who opened fire on Venezuelan boats. But Maduro is not a good guy.

I don't want Trump to invade, but opposition to Maduro is a rational point of view, and those who openly oppose him in Venezuela are putting their lives at risk.

[Joinfortmill]

3. This dude, Grandin, is a bit controversial. Just saying

Last edited Fri Oct 10, 2025, 01:41 PM - Edit history (1)

From Wikipedia, he seems to be pro left leaning authoritarian. So, there's that. Don't shoot the messenger. I can't post the link, but you can look him up .

[Uncle Joe]

4. Here is an AI Overview to the question you raised

Context of the controversial remark

A provocative argument: Grandin was not praising authoritarianism. He was making a provocative argument that Chávez’s legacy was undercut by his failure to fully break with the existing political system. While Chávez consolidated power, Grandin argued that he also left the state bureaucracy largely intact and allowed elements of the old elite to get rich off oil revenues, leading to corruption.

Contrasting populism with authoritarianism: Grandin contrasted Chávez with traditional Latin American populists like Juan Perón, who used repression to consolidate power and appease private investors. Chávez, by contrast, had high oil prices that allowed him to satisfy many constituencies without needing to resort to widespread repression. This created a system of "deferral" rather than a true revolution.

Focus on grassroots movements: Grandin's critique was also informed by his focus on grassroots social movements. He argued that it was the work of rank-and-file social organizations, not just Chávez himself, that gave Venezuela "a venue to survive the extremes of neoliberalism". Some of these movements continued to support Chávez despite his flaws.

Erosion of democratic institutions: While Grandin pointed to the strength of these social movements, he also acknowledged Chávez's authoritarian characteristics. Other liberal and human rights critics documented Chávez's erosion of democratic institutions, including control over the media, judiciary, and electoral system.

Long-term legacy

Continuation under Maduro: Critics note that Chávez's successor, Nicolás Maduro, inherited a system riddled with corruption and dysfunction. Maduro has since gone further to consolidate authoritarian power, leading some to argue that Grandin's "wasn't authoritarian enough" prediction has been ironically fulfilled.

Continued discussion: Grandin's analysis remains a touchstone in debates over Chávez's legacy and the trajectory of Venezuela. His work highlights the complexity of the "Chavista" project, pointing to both its populist appeal and its institutional vulnerabilities.

[Gaugamela]

5. Nothing in his Wikipedia article indicates he's authoritarian. He's an author who

writes about the sordid history of US imperialism, a topic that has been covered by Noam Chomsky, Naomi Klein, Chris Hedges, Alfred McCoy, John Stockwell, and many others.

[Joinfortmill]

6. Here it is...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Grandin

My words: The bold is mine

'After the death of Chávez, Grandin published a lengthy obituary in The Nation, opining that "the biggest problem Venezuela faced during his rule was not that Chávez was authoritarian but that he wasn't authoritarian enough."[

[GreenWave]

7. Any time a country wants to have the workers get a fair shake, crapitalism rears

its ugly head and, pressures, invades etc. anything they can to stop that example.