TAPPED: Maduro’s Capture

2026-01-07

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In the first week of the new year, the U.S. launches a dramatic operation in Venezuela that ends with Nicolás Maduro (and Cilia Flores) in U.S. custody, transported to New York to face narco-terorism charges. Ron and Hagar Chemali (Fmr. spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the UN) unpack what we know about the raid, why the administration says it happened, and why the real motive may be bigger than oil or drugs. Then they turn to the hardest questions: legality in a world where "international law” often lacks enforcement, what happens next inside Vene...

Ron and Hagar Chemali (Fmr. spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the UN) unpack what we know about the raid, why the administration says it happened, and why the real motive may be bigger than oil or drugs.

Then they turn to the hardest questions: legality in a world where "international law” often lacks enforcement, what happens next inside Venezuela as the regime attempts to hold power without Maduro, and whether free and fair elections are even possible while the military and security services that upheld Maduro’s rule remain intact.

Finally, they dissect the political reaction, arguing it’s possible to demand transparency and a plan without laundering Maduro or aligning with authoritarian propaganda.