U.S. diplomatic officials view Maduro as a pragmatist and the fact that he was supportive of initiating closer ties with the United States last year suggests that this could continue, especially in light of Venezuela's economic troubles and the need to increase revenues through trade.
Levine and Coile predict that the increase in retirement as a result of the current financial troubles will be 50% greater than the decrease in retirement due to workers hanging in while they rebuild their savings.