By Abdulrahman Al-Rashed

Venezuela’s two “former” leaders, the late Hugo Chavez and his successor Nicolas Maduro, somehow resemble figures from the Middle East — Saddam Hussein, Ayatollah Khomeini and Muammar Qaddafi. They were famous for bombastic speeches, populist slogans and zero achievements.

Who can forget Chavez’s words from the UN podium about US President George W. Bush: “The devil came here yesterday and it smells of sulfur still today.” Like the others, he waged quixotic battles, yet in reality spent his years in power besieged — only to end in defeat.

After the eloquent Chavez came Maduro, a simple man, a former bus driver and trade unionist. He followed in his predecessor’s footsteps, making mockery of the US his favorite topic.

But he failed to grasp the character of the new Caesar in the White House. He assumed Donald Trump would never get him. Instead of negotiations, he barricaded himself in his quarters and transformed the presidential palace into a heavily armed fortress.

What followed was inevitable, echoing the fate of Saddam in 2003. The Iraqi leader watched in disbelief as American columns advanced along........

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