Now on Rubio's briefing, without the use of AI By Pedro M. Burelli Having made a point I hope is well taken by @SecRubio and his team, here is my own assessment of both releases. This marks the first occasion Secretary Rubio has detailed his vision and strategy beyond insistently promoting a dialogue that often feels like déjà vu, and reiterating the three phases of “stabilization, recovery and transition” he presented on January 4. I have raised, and still raise, concerns about that sequence. Recovery cannot come without a proper transition. After 10 months, this is clear. Venezuelans do not feel a recovery, though they value that the uncertainty and fear of State repression have largely faded. Fear no longer captures the mood; despair and frustration do. People want to know when the election will be held, and they expect that, with U.S. help and leverage, the steps Rubio described can proceed without further delay. Rubio attributes the delay to the earthquakes, but many observers believe Venezuela was slowed down by the focus on the Iran debacle and then by the approach of the November 3 midterms. The way Rubio had been promoting the dialogue between the 2015 National Assembly and the illegitimate one was not working, and it needed a deeper explanation like the one we read last night. Both explanations, on background and on the record, welcomely lack President Trump's constant, triumphant and offensive rhetoric. Rubio does not heap praise on the universally disliked Delcy, nor does he misrepresent conditions on the ground. He knows all to well that Delcy, though cooperating under pressure, is not "great," while the public has shown genuine hope and joy only in welcoming María Corina back to the nation where she belongs and where she alone commands an indisputable mandate. I suspect the images of Sunday's joyous return shaped the timing and content of yesterday's briefing. If so, it is a welcome change. No strategist is worse than one who fails to tweak his Plan A after images like those. Time will tell whether the cold treatment of María Corina served any aim beyond making Venezuelans question the Trump Administration's true goals and resent the blatant, nontransparent and perhaps corrupt way "to the victor go the spoils" is applied daily. No country, even if needy, will feel thankful when another takes its resources without tact or transparency. Venezuelans celebrated the removal of Maduro and his sinister wife, and we will dance in the streets when Delcy, Jorge and Diosdado leave our lives. But do not expect applause for deals like those signed with NABEP, PCE and Primavera. Illegally produced gold bars displayed like a trophy in the White House do little to endear Venezuelans to their natural and historic ally. Rubio gave a strong account of his vision. Further explanation in the coming weeks could better align his plan with the expectations of the people he clearly values. Poor management and weak communication with the opposition's clear leader have caused needless anxiety and anger, deepening distrust of Washington's real aims. Three steps would help. Fully disclose the Treasury account receiving oil export revenue. Review the OFAC gold-sector licenses that have fueled the trafficking of illegally produced gold and other minerals. And end the disorderly assignment of oil blocks to firms with little to contribute to rebuilding the oil sector. The administration should drop its land-grab stance and reflect what Rubio tried to convey on and off the record. I, for one, would welcome a United States more closely aligned with the values that made it the preferred partner of those seeking prosperity in freedom and democracy.

Y esta lo dice todo. ¿O no?