Considering Lula still refuses to recognize the outcome of Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election, the idea of a rescue operation of Maduro feels far-fetched. Lula’s previous alignment with the Biden administration and rejection of Venezuela’s BRICS bid signal distance, not solidarity.

The scale of the proposed rescue would demand massive military mobilization. Brazil’s footprint—limited airpower, zero aerial tankers, no carrier-based projection—renders the logistics implausible. With U.S. destroyers already deployed in the southern Caribbean and Maduro falsely classified as a “narcoterrorist” by Washington, any such operation risks direct confrontation with American assets.

Domestically, the timing couldn’t be worse. Trump 2.0 is already pressuring Brazil over the so-called “persecution” of Bolsonaro, and while national elections aren’t until late 2026, the political cost of a high-risk maneuver like this would be immediate. Lula’s administration is unlikely to burn political capital on a clandestine extraction. The optics alone would be catastrophic.

Beneath the surface of DefesaNet’s coverage lies a 2011 cooperation agreement with Stratfor, the U.S.-based private intelligence firm often dubbed the “Shadow CIA.” This wasn’t editorial alignment—it was infrastructural scripting. Stratfor gained privileged access to regional insight; DefesaNet received complimentary geopolitical reports. The choreography was built in.

When narratives like Operation Imeri surface, they don’t emerge from neutrality—they rehearse proximity, test fault lines, and manufacture urgency. Brazil isn’t just being watched. It’s being written into a role.

This isn’t a serious proposal. It’s narrative theater—manufacturing urgency, choreographing proximity, and distracting from the quieter architecture of soft power already shaping the region. The rescue isn’t about Maduro. It’s about rehearsing alignment, testing thresholds, and scripting Brazil into a role it never auditioned for.

This isn’t covert. It’s combustible.

—Tina Antonis

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Tag: 2024 Venezuelan Presidential election

María Corina Machado is the female Javier Milei (aka US Puppet)