The Venezuela Symposium
What’s next for Venezuela, Latin America, and the United States?
On the night of January 3, 2026, United States armed forces penetrated the security perimeter surrounding Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and arrested him and his wife, exfiltrating them to the U.S. to stand trial on various criminal charges. This action was flawlessly executed by America’s military and eliminated, in one movement, one of the most anti-American political leaders in the Latin American region. The Maduro regime was illegitimate, having defied the results of a national election in July 2024, which clearly selected Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia to be the president of Venezuela. Socialist to the core, the regime was part of a decades-long effort to cement collectivism in a formerly thriving country that had been transformed under the strains of Hugo Chavez and Maduro’s immiserating reign of Marxist thuggery. Maduro had also given China operating room in Venezuela, a staging ground for Sino-politics on the continent, marginalizing American efforts in the region.
What’s next for Venezuela, Latin America, and the United States? There has been no clear regime change in Venezuela, nor any push for democracy, the rule of law, or markets. We have heard a great deal about oil, though. Does America have any coherent plan, grounded in democracy and the rule of law, beyond regime influence? What about the Venezuelan opposition and its desire to supplant the new ruling government? We have assembled eight Latin American contributors to discuss these questions and more.
Contributors:
Luis Antonio Orozco Castro “The Paradoxes of Liberty in the Age of the Shackled Leviathan”
Raul Howe “Slavery in Latin America in the Twenty First Century”
Rodrigo Barcia Lehmann “What Justifies Trump’s Intervention in Venezuela”
Gonzalo Ordóñez-Matamoros “Venezuela Post-Maduro?”
Wagner Menezes “Donald Trump’s New Hemispheric Policy”
Alejandro Molina “Can Venezuela be Lifted from its Trap?”
Juan Martín Morando “Nicolás’ Last Dance”
Oscar Sumar “The Fragility of International Law”
Politics
%20Richard%20Samuelson%20%20-%20Is%20American%20Nationalism%20Still%20Creed-able_-1.jpg)
Is American Nationalism Still Creed-able?
We are not there now, but there is reason to worry that the United States is in danger, if we are not careful, of ceasing to be a nation with the principles of 1776 at its core.
National Civitas Institute Poll: Americans are Anxious and Frustrated, Creating a Challenging Environment for Leaders
The poll reveals a deeply pessimistic American electorate, with a majority convinced the nation is on the wrong track.
.webp)
%20(1).avif)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.webp)
The End of the AI Binary
Being pro-AI does not require being pro-recklessness. It means building the conditions for AI to be deployed widely and quickly while permitting core institutions to keep pace.
Founders Versus Managers: America’s Endless Civil War
It is the constant struggle between founders and those who prefer managing problems rather than solving them through bold action that has shaped the nation from 1776 until now.
