From Rogue State to Failed State?: The Perils of Intervention in Venezuela
On January 3, 2026, U.S. special forces executed a spectacular raid on Caracas, resulting in the abduction of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro, who now faces charges of drug trafficking in the Southern District of New York. Hours later, President Donald Trump proclaimed that his administration intends to “run Venezuela.” But Maduro’s regime has been left largely intact, with the Trump administration sending mixed signals as to what course it intends for Venezuela’s future. the intervention will test the limits of the Trump administration’s new Monroe Doctrine in the Americas. Whether or not Maduro’s ouster is eventually viewed as a strategic success in and outside of the hemisphere will likely depend on the White House’s understanding of the country’s pre-intervention crises.
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