According to the US military in No one shot Venezuela: 48 hours can be decisive

The next two days may be decisive in the direction in which the situation will develop in Venezuela, where the United States captured President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. This was stated to CNN by Brian Fonseca, director of the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy.

"I think the next 48 hours are probably the most important in this whole situation. There is a path that can lead to a pronounced civil conflict," said Brian Fonseca.

In his opinion, the removal of President Nicolas Maduro will not automatically destroy the power structures and will not lead to a change of power in the country.

"You have a political and military elite that is in many ways as much about Maduro's survival as Maduro himself," the institute's director told NBC News.

He noted that Fonseca did not see any reaction from the Venezuelan army in any of the videos or reports to repel the invasion of the Americans.

"Perhaps this hints at negotiations during which representatives of the political and military elite involved the United States directly or through the opposition in order to achieve the removal of Maduro," the expert noted.

In this situation, the role of the Venezuelan army will be decisive, said Brian Fonseca. In his opinion, high-ranking military officers will not watch how they will be put in prison.

"You're not just going to put a bunch of military leaders in jail and expect the army to just obey," added the director of the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy.