Juan Guaido was hired by Florida International University (FIU) to give a series of talks and mentor students. Guaido launched a coup attempt in Venezuela in 2019 but failed to gain any significant support within the country.
The former self-proclaimed president announced that he was joining FIU on Twitter. The Miami Herald reports Guaido will receive $40,000 for the fall semester “and will conduct eight study group sessions, in addition to mentoring students, conducting research and being part of public conferences and seminars.”
Guaido thanked FIU for offering “a new stage and an opportunity to talk about the challenges of defending democracy, resisting a dictatorship and accompanying the most vulnerable.”
In 2019, Guaido attempted to invoke the Venezuela constitution to overthrow President Nicolas Maduro. However, he was never able to gain any significant support among Venezuelans and his several attempts to rally the people against Maduro failed.
Guaido was able to gain significant support on the international stage. The Donald Trump White House enthusiastically backed the coup-plotter’s claim to power and gave the Guaido administration access to Venezuelan funds held internationally.
While Guaido’s government-in-exile was plagued with corruption, the Joe Biden administration continued his predecessor’s attempt to remove Maduro from power. In 2022, the Venezuelan opposition voted to terminate the Guaido government.
Guaido’s title at FIU is senior leadership fellow at the Adam Smith Center for Economic Freedom. The center says it aims to promote “economic and individual freedom and human prosperity.”
As president, Guaido encouraged the US to sanction Venezuela. The economic war against the South American nation has improvised the Venezuelan people and contributed to tens of thousands of deaths.
