Trump's Brazen Power Politics in Venezuela
Alejandro Velasco on Maduro’s capture and the triumph of power over ideology
On January 3rd, 2026, the United States seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro — and shocked the world. The Trump administration has made no bones about its intent to dominate the Western Hemisphere, and the raid was a brazen show of force. But with the same regime still in place, it is unclear what exactly will change in Venezuela.
In this episode, the Institute for Global Affairs’ Jonathan Guyer is joined by Alejandro Velasco, a historian and professor at New York University, to discuss the recent invention. Amid claims about drug trafficking and oil, they analyze what might really be behind Trump's actions. They also touch on the legacy of Hugo Chavez, Venezuela’s economic crisis, and what the broader implications of Trump's aggressive posturing might be for the region and the world.
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Alejandro Velasco is an associate dean of faculty and professor of history at New York University. He is an expert on modern Latin America, social movements, and urban politics and has contributed analysis and commentary to The Nation, The New York Times, and The Washington Post, among others. He is the author of Barrio Rising: Urban Popular Politics and the Making of Modern Venezuela (University of California Press, 2015).
Find Alejandro on X: https://x.com/AleVelascoNYU
