Earlier this month, the United States launched Operation Absolute Resolve, a military operation in Venezuela that aimed to seize President Nicolas Maduro on longstanding charges of drug trafficking and narco-terrorism. On Jan. 3, U.S. forces successfully captured Maduro and his wife in Caracas, who were flown to New York to face federal charges in a move that drew intense global scrutiny over its legality.
Political legitimacy had already been in question before the intervention, as Maduro’s 2025 inauguration sparked protests and allegations of manipulation. His arrest has reshaped the political landscape as Venezuela’s Supreme Tribunal of Justice, Delcy Rodriguez, was appointed as acting president, and President Donald Trump declared that the United States would “run” Venezuela until a “safe and judicious transition” could be established.
Since then, the country has seen the deterioration of internal security. The U.S. State Department issued an urgent warning for U.S. citizens to leave Venezuela due to pro-government militias reportedly stopping vehicles and searching for Americans. Although the acting Venezuelan government labeled the warning as misinformation, armed groups have still been sighted in major cities.
Meanwhile, Venezuela’s government has announced a slow release of political prisoners as part of what officials are calling a peace gesture, but rights groups report that hundreds remain detained.
The current instability is furthered by Venezuela’s long-standing economic and humanitarian collapse. Years of mismanagement, corruption, and the collapse of the state oil company PVDSA have destroyed economic output despite having some of the world’s largest proven oil reserves. Hyperinflation also erased real wages, and widespread poverty triggered many to seek refuge abroad, and the once-booming oil industry now limits government revenue.
President Trump has indicated that these reserves will play a central role in U.S. policy moving forward and has outlined plans to redirect Venezuelan crude oil to the United States. This includes agreements involving millions of barrels of oil and encourages major U.S. energy companies to invest in rebuilding the country’s deteriorating oil infrastructure. These measures have been framed as essential tools for stabilizing Venezuela’s economy and influencing global markets during the transition period.
The impact of the U.S. intervention has reached the United States itself, leading to numerous protests and rallies. In Philadelphia, hundreds took to the streets to speak out against U.S. military action and Maduro’s capture, framing it as imperialist aggression rather than a law-enforcement operation. Participants marched from City Hall through North Broad Street and to recruiting offices while chanting slogans like “No blood for oil!” and condemning what they see as an unconstitutional assault on Venezuelan sovereignty.
Local groups, including the “No War on Venezuela” coalition and other anti‑war organizations, criticized U.S. foreign policy as driven by control of Venezuela’s oil reserves rather than genuine support for democracy, which drew attention to broader debates about U.S. interventions and the consequences of international military force.
Now, Venezuela stands at a moment of uncertainty, with a fractured political order, a fragile economy, and contested international roles. Internal and external negotiations will determine whether the country can rebuild its economy and transition to a more stable government in the coming months.