About this episode

The episode discusses the extraordinary case of Nicolás Maduro's capture by U.S. forces and its implications for geopolitics and narco-terrorism.

On January 3, 2026, U.S. special operations forces grabbed Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro in a pre-dawn raid, flew him out of Caracas, and delivered him into federal custody in New York to face long-standing narco-terrorism charges. He is now sitting in a U.S. detention center, preparing to stand trial in Manhattan, in one of the most extraordinary cases ever brought against a foreign head of state. In this episode, We walk through how a sealed indictment, a record-breaking bounty, and years of quiet planning led to the moment American operators took down a sitting president. Then we follow the chain outward: why Venezuela’s oil, cocaine routes, and criminal networks made Maduro more than just another authoritarian on Washington’s enemies list, and how this move echoes the takedown of Manuel Noriega in 1989. From there, we dig into the geopolitical shadow around the raid: Iran and Russia tightening ties with Caracas, the fear of hostile bases and proxy networks in America’s backyard, and why some inside the system saw Maduro less as a regional problem and more as a future launchpad for something bigger. Finally, we ask the uncomfortable question no one in the press…

People in this episode

Hosts: David Green, Jay Green

Topics covered

• geopolitics
• narco-terrorism
• Venezuela
• U.S. foreign policy
• authoritarianism
• criminal networks

Keywords

• Nicolás Maduro
• U.S. special operations
• Venezuela
• narco-terrorism
• geopolitical implications
• Manuel Noriega
• Iran
• Russia
• criminal networks

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: U.S. special operations forces, Iran, Russia, Washington

Books & works: US-Venezuela attack

Places: Venezuela, New York

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