The arrest of Nicolás Maduro last week wasn't a coup - it was a carefully orchestrated regime change with support from the very top of his own government, according to an explosive Guardian report.

Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela's Vice President and one of Maduro's most trusted allies for over a decade, secretly assured United States and Qatari officials she would welcome the strongman's departure, the Guardian reports. The revelation fundamentally rewrites the narrative around Maduro's January 15 capture at Caracas' international airport.

For years, Rodríguez stood beside Maduro as international sanctions choked the Venezuelan economy and millions fled the country. She defended the regime at the United Nations, negotiated with foreign powers, and embodied Chavista loyalty. Her secret defection signals the collapse wasn't imposed from outside - it came from within.

The timing matters. These assurances came before Maduro's arrest, suggesting Rodríguez actively participated in planning his removal rather than simply accepting it afterward. The Guardian's reporting indicates coordination between regime insiders, Washington, and Doha - a diplomatic triangle that gave democratic forces the confidence to act.

For Latin America's left, this is a devastating blow. Maduro wasn't toppled by a right-wing military putsch or Yankee intervention - the narrative Chavismo has deployed for two decades to maintain power. He was removed with the cooperation of his own Vice President, a woman who built her political career as the face of anti-imperialism.

The revelation also vindicates democratic opposition leader María Corina Machado and president-elect Edmundo González, who insisted Maduro's regime was fracturing internally. They were right. While international media focused on street protests and diplomatic pressure, the real drama was unfolding in quiet meetings between Rodríguez and foreign officials.

For Venezuela's 7.8 million refugees and migrants scattered across the hemisphere - in Colombia, Peru, Chile, Brazil, and the United States - the news arrives with bitter irony. The regime insider who helped sustain the system that drove them from their homes now claims credit for ending it.

The bigger question: what did Rodríguez get in return? Washington has indicted dozens of Maduro regime officials on drug trafficking and corruption charges. Rodríguez herself has been under U.S. sanctions since 2018. The Guardian's report suggests she negotiated her cooperation, but the terms remain unclear.

This isn't the first time a Latin American strongman fell with inside help. Paraguay's Alfredo Stroessner was overthrown by his own allies in 1989. Argentina's military junta collapsed from within in 1983. But Venezuela's case is unique: a twenty-first century authoritarian regime, built on anti-American rhetoric and regional solidarity, brought down by its own Vice President working with Washington.

For the region's remaining leftist leaders - Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega, Cuba's Miguel Díaz-Canel - the message is unmistakable. Loyalty is transactional. When the costs become unbearable, even the most devoted allies will negotiate their exit.

Venezuela's transition government, led by González, now faces the delicate task of managing Rodríguez's role. She remains in the country, still Vice President in a caretaker capacity until González's inauguration. Her cooperation may prove essential for a peaceful transfer of power - or it may poison the democratic moment with the stench of backroom deals.

Twenty countries, 650 million people, and yes, we're more than your neighbor's problems. Somos nuestra propia historia - and Venezuela is writing a new chapter. Whether it's a story of democratic renewal or cynical power-sharing remains to be seen.

But one thing is certain: the myth of Chavista solidarity died the moment Delcy Rodríguez picked up the phone to call Washington.