US attack on Venezuela

The United States’ military attack on Venezuela set shockwaves around the world and raises big questions about U.S. foreign policy under President Donald Trump.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is now being detained in Manhattan after being captured Saturday in Caracas. Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores face multiple criminal charges, including narco-terrorism and weapons possession.

In the immediate aftermath, Trump said that America will “run the country” until a “judicious transition” and will secure Venezuela’s vast oil reserves. On Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio clarified that the White House wouldn’t be involved in the day-to-day operations but would be using “multiple levels of leverage” to influence Venezuelan political outcomes and American interests.

Inside Venezuela, reactions were mixed. Many citizens — frustrated after years of economic collapse and political repression — welcomed news of Maduro’s departure, but the long term picture remains uncertain. Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, a Maduro loyalist, was sworn in as interim president and Trump has thrown his support behind her leadership but threatened that she’ll “pay a big price” if she doesn’t pursue U.S. policy goals.

Meanwhile, opposition leaders say that Edmundo González, who was widely seen as the legitimate 2024 presidential winner, represents the future of the country.

So what happens next? As President Trump evokes the Monroe Doctrine and hints that Columbia, Cuba and Greenland could be next, is the United States entering a new era of interventionism? What risks does the White House take in deposing a foreign leader, with potential precedent set for rivals like China, Russia and Iran? And what does this mean for Venezuela’s future?

Guests: 

• Eli Lake, columnist for The Free Press and host of the Breaking History podcast
• Alan McPherson, history professor at Temple University and author of A Short History of US Interventions in Latin America and the Caribbean
• Emilio Buitrago, Casa de Venezuela Philly