Lord Balfour once said of the young Winston Churchill that he saw in him a man full of promises, but merely a man who made promises. Couldn’t this jest also apply to the Transitional Presidential Council (CPT), whose governance thus far has been marked primarily by announcements with little impact on our daily lives? The impression left is that the CPT seems more like a spectator of our national tragedy than a determined actor striving to end it, as though it is composed not of two but nine mere observers. Stuck in the mire from the outset, the CPT has yet to fulfill the hopes the population placed in it.

Nevertheless, it must be acknowledged that its president, Leslie Voltaire, has in recent days attempted to rouse the Council from its lethargy with bold initiatives that raise eyebrows. The video conference with Maduro and the highly publicized meeting with Colombian President Gustavo Petro appear more like grandstanding than a rational consideration of geopolitical realities. It is likely the outcomes will be negligible, as both leaders, beyond rhetorical flourishes, are likely to exercise cautious restraint in the face of triumphant Trumpism. Added to this is the lack of economic and logistical means of the two solicited nations. And then, how can one negotiate between two states when the one led by Voltaire is in a state of near collapse?