Venezuela’s dead revolution shows the limitations of the crowd | Simon Jenkins

Whatever happened to the Venezuelan Revolution? Two weeks ago, we were assured by the media it was all over, bar the shouting. Television showed crowds controlling the streets of Caracas. A plane was on the tarmac and the decrepit regime of Nicolás Maduro was finished. He could not possibly survive, with his country in economic meltdown and only distant Russia on his side.

I know Venezuela and have watched its tragic decline heartbroken. I can only assume that Maduro’s opponent, Juan Guaidó, miscalculated. The expectation was that he had infiltrated the army and plotted a coup. Helpful American agents would have offered inducements, to outbid unhelpful Russians.