How the Trump Administration’s Venezuela Strategy Undermined Democracy and Empowered Maduro’s Regime

In a stunning turn of events that challenges America’s professed dedication to freedom and democracy abroad, the Trump administration's recent handling of Venezuela leaves more questions than answers. While Nicolás Maduro, the authoritarian ruler accused of drug trafficking, was captured and detained in New York, power in Caracas swiftly shifted—not to democratic opposition—but to Maduro’s own vice president, Delcy Rodríguez. Is This the Democracy America Promised? The opposition movement, which has long symbolized hope for Venezuelans yearning for liberty and economic revival, now finds itself sidelined and scattered. Leaders like María Corina Machado—whose courage won her a Nobel Peace Prize—remain...