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Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
Venezuela's opposition leader: Democratic transition would unlock billions in investment
Unveiling a sweeping reconstruction plan for a post-Maduro Venezuela, opposition leader María Corina Machado told a group of international allies, investors, and civil society partners that the country stands on the brink of historic change — and called on the world to support its transition from dictatorship to democracy. 'This is very exciting,' Machado said during a video conference organized in New York by the Americas Society/Council of the Americas. 'The potential is huge, not just for the Venezuelan people, but for democratic governments across the hemisphere and investors who understand what's possible once we reach a democratic government.' Widely seen as the face of Venezuela's opposition, Machado delivered her remarks from an undisclosed location in the country. She went into hiding following the contested presidential election in July, amid a sweeping crackdown by the Nicolás Maduro regime that has led to more than 2,000 arrests of dissidents and opposition figures. Though the regime declared Maduro the winner, polls show that nine out of ten Venezuelans believe opposition candidate Edmundo González won the election by a 2-to-1 margin. Many countries, including the United States, have publicly rejected the official results, describing the election as fraudulent. Machado, a close ally and political mentor to González, said the Maduro regime is now more isolated than ever, noting diminishing support from traditional allies like Russia, Iran, and Syria. China, she added, has grown increasingly frustrated after being misled and financially harmed by the regime. 'China wants its debts repaid,' she said. 'But they're not taking new risks in Venezuela. They're investing in Guyana instead.' Machado also pointed to growing fractures within Venezuela's military and ruling elite. 'Nobody wants to go down with a sinking ship,' she said. 'And that's exactly what Maduro's regime is.' She described Maduro not merely as an autocrat, but as the head of a transnational criminal organization. As long as he remains in power, she warned, no meaningful economic or political progress is possible. 'Companies operating in Venezuela today are forced to partner with a criminal regime that offers no transparency, no legal protections, and no real opportunities,' Machado said. 'There is no way forward under Maduro.' Yet her message was ultimately one of hope framed around what she called a 'win-win' future: the collapse of a dictatorship, the rebirth of a nation, and a unique opportunity for shared prosperity across the Americas. Machado spoke of a country transformed by hardship. After years of repression, economic collapse, and mass migration, she said Venezuelans are now united not by ideology, but by shared values. 'There is no other society in the world today as united as the Venezuelan people,' she said. 'We've transcended religious, racial, and class divides. What unites us now are dignity, work, family, and freedom.' Rather than food or financial aid, she said, Venezuelans are asking for just three things: trust, dignity, and the chance to work. 'And that's what we are going to offer.' She also addressed the Venezuelan diaspora directly, calling them essential to the nation's reconstruction. 'Our diaspora is extraordinary,' she said. 'They've suffered, they've learned, they've built global networks—and they are desperate to come home.' Education, she added, will be central to the country's revival. 'It's my passion and my obsession,' she said. 'And soon, we will see our schools flourish again.' Machado praised recent U.S. sanctions — including the revocation of oil licenses — as vital in tightening the financial noose on Maduro's inner circle. She urged further action to cut off the regime's illicit income streams, including drug trafficking and gold smuggling. Addressing international investors and energy companies, Machado promised a new Venezuela grounded in the rule of law and open to serious, long-term partnerships. 'We want you here,' she said. 'Not producing a couple hundred thousand barrels a day—but millions. Venezuela will become the energy hub and the most reliable supplier in the hemisphere.' She pledged a transparent debt restructuring process and a return to international financial markets. 'Creditors know they won't be paid under Maduro,' she said. 'We will.' Her message was clear: A post-Maduro Venezuela is not only a moral cause—it is a historic economic opportunity. In closing, Machado returned to the theme of unity and the resilience of the Venezuelan people. 'We are a different society now,' she said. 'We've endured the worst—families torn apart, loved ones disappeared. But we've learned. We value freedom, justice, and dignity more than ever before.' 'This is the moment to act,' she added. 'We are ready to rebuild. We want to bring our children home. And we want to do it with you.'
New York Times
26-01-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
When Gold Is What We Wear
An exhibition celebrating the power and prestige of gold is scheduled to open Feb. 11 at the Musée du Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac in Paris. But rather than highlighting the precious metal's value, the show is to focus on sartorial expressions of gold through the ages. 'Au Fil de L'Or' — in English, 'Golden Thread' — is to retrace the art of incorporating gold into women's ceremonial clothing, costumes and other attire across history and geography, including in the Middle East, India, Indonesia, China and Japan (through July 6). While the skyrocketing cost of gold has roiled the jewelry industry in recent months, the precious metal also has been a popular museum subject of late, with shows such as 'Solid Gold' at the Brooklyn Museum (through July 6) and 'El Dorado: Myths of Gold,' on display last year at the Americas Society in New York City. In Paris, the exhibition is to examine how gold smithing has been enmeshed with textile-making techniques across millenniums. Displays are to include the oldest known example of gold used on clothing: gold appliqués from 5,000 B.C. that were discovered in what is now the Bulgarian city of Varna. And there is a bit of braid that dates to 3,000 B.C. and came from the palace throne room in the ancient kingdom of Ebla, in what is modern-day Syria. But not all that glitters among the show's 321 items is actually gold. For example, exhibits include naturally golden-colored silk from Cambodia; sea silk, spun since antiquity from the beard of a large Mediterranean clam; Lurex, a synthetic fiber introduced in the 1970s; and even animal guts. It is the visual impression that matters, said Hana Al Banna-Chidiac, the exhibition's lead curator. 'More than clothing,' she said in an interview, 'it's really the age-old story of gold that we're trying to recount. 'To understand gold, you have to look up, at the universe. Then we see how, once man discovered gold, he did everything in his power to work it into dress, by making it finer, hammering it, winding it around a thread of silk or linen, using gold leaf, affixing it to hides. That leads all the way through to the use of polyester in the 20th century.' For the exhibition, Ms. Al Banna-Chidiac worked with Magali An Berthon, the show's co-curator and an assistant professor of fashion studies at the American University of Paris, to bring contemporary fashion into the mix. So along with North African caftans, Indian wedding saris and Japanese Edo-era kimonos will be haute couture looks such as an opulently embroidered tulle and organza evening dress from the Chanel spring 1996 couture collection by Karl Lagerfeld, as well as a jacket and voluminous skirt with mosaic-like rhodoid embellishments from the Dior spring 2004 couture collection by John Galliano. And the exhibition's official collaborator is Guo Pei, a relative newcomer to the couture scene. The Beijing designer, who shot onto the international stage when Rihanna wore her canary-yellow gown and cape to the 2015 Met Gala, has lent 14 looks to the show, five of which are to be displayed for the first time. Those pieces include the fully embroidered traditional Chinese bridal gown featured on the exhibition's promotional materials and a sumptuous silk evening dress with a train that, the museum said, required more than 20,000 hours of hand embroidery with gold thread to add hundreds of thousands of sequins, flowers and other embellishments. Bringing the theme back to Paris, the final exhibition room is to display approximately 50 pieces by Lesage, the embroidery specialist that marked its centennial last year. The creations for fashion houses such as Schiaparelli, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga and Balmain were selected for the way they reflect artisanal traditions in the regions represented in the exhibition. 'Behind the act of wearing gold there's always a story of creativity, talent and ingenuity,' Ms. Al Banna-Chidiac said.
