The Daily Populous Sunday January 4th, 2026 morning edition
Authored by bbc.co.uk and submitted by Inevitable_Click_696

If Maduro is indeed gone, it's unclear what happens next

The US has not made such a direct intervention in Latin America since it invaded Panama in 1989 to depose the then-military leader Manuel Noriega.

If Maduro has been forcibly removed from Venezuela, as Trump says, this will be seen as a huge win among some of the more hawkish figures in the US administration - some of whom have openly supported regime change.

The US has accused Maduro of leading a criminal narco-trafficking organisation, something he denies.

It also does not recognise him as the legitimate president of Venezuela after the 2024 elections were widely dismissed as neither free nor fair.

For its part, Venezuela has accused the US of wanting to steal its lucrative oil reserves - which are thought to be the biggest in the world.

What is really unclear is what happens now in Venezuela itself if Maduro is indeed gone.

Supporters of US intervention have argued it would pave the way for the Venezuelan opposition to take over, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado or the opposition candidate from 2024, Edmundo Gonzalez.

However, others believe it would by no means be that simple.

The military and paramilitaries in Venezuela had remained loyal to Maduro, and even some critics of Maduro had feared that direct US intervention could lead to further destabilisation in the country.

There will certainly be other close allies of him fearing for their own futures after the news of Maduro’s capture.

Few-Coat1297 on January 3rd, 2026 at 10:20 UTC »

I am curious what the Russians and Chinese will think behind the usual condemnations. Is this even more permission to meddle in their back gardens, or a genuine provocation, in particular by the Chinese given they import a lot of dark crude oil from the Maduro regeime.

bongget on January 3rd, 2026 at 09:50 UTC »

3 hour special military operation

OBANIUMM on January 3rd, 2026 at 09:37 UTC »

Well, that was quick