This weekend, U.S. forces attacked the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, seizing the country’s president Nicolás Maduro to face narco-terrorism charges in New York. What could a U.S. “run” Venezuela look like?
CBC News · Posted: Jan 05, 2026 4:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 1 hour ago
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Government supporters hold dolls from the TV program, Super Bigote, based on President Nicolas Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores, during a protest demanding their release from U.S. custody in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo)LISTEN | FRONT BURNER:
Front Burner32:25What will follow Trump’s Venezuela attack?
After months of rhetoric, military presence and strikes, U.S. forces have launched an attack on the Venezuelan capital Caracas. They seized the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and flew him to New York to face narco-terrorism charges.
U.S. officials say Maduro heads up a cartel responsible for flooding the United States with drugs, but critics — and Maduro himself — say the charges are just a pretext for regime change — and access to the country’s vast oil reserves. U.S. President Donald Trump says the United States will “run” Venezuela for the immediate future, and that American oil companies will move in to take over the country’s oil industry.
Jon Lee Anderson is a staff writer with the New Yorker who has covered conflict in Latin America for decades. He explains the complicated power dynamics at play with Maduro out of the picture, and what we might see in the weeks ahead.
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