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The US has asserted direct control over Venezuela's political and economic future through the capture of President Maduro and seizure of its oil revenue, creating a power vacuum contested by the opposition and loyalists.
January 2026
Week of Jan 26, compared to 12-week average
No deviations this week.All weeks this month are quiet.
hostile and delegitimizing
The US has established direct control over Venezuela's oil revenue and is reshaping the sector. The US sold Venezuelan oil for the first time under a new arrangement and transferred $300 million to Venezuela to support its currency. Concurrently, the US plans indefinite control over oil sales and Venezuela has opened its state-controlled sector to private investment.
Venezuela's political leadership is in crisis following the US arrest of President Maduro, creating a power vacuum. The US has declared it will 'run' Venezuela, while the CIA Director met with the interim leader in Caracas. The opposition leader Machado attempted to align with Trump by offering her Nobel Peace Prize medal, drawing international condemnation for Maduro's arrest from China and Malaysia.
US military forces have captured Venezuelan President Maduro in a direct operation in Caracas, fundamentally altering the security landscape. The operation reportedly resulted in significant casualties, including the deaths of 32 Cuban combatants. The capture has raised immediate questions about international law and the future leadership, with the CIA reportedly concluding that Maduro loyalists should lead.
Venezuelan society is deeply polarized and reacting to the removal of Maduro with mixed feelings, ranging from protest to relief. The dominant tension is the symbolic political struggle over legitimacy, exemplified by opposition leader Machado's controversial attempt to give her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Trump, which the Nobel Institute rejected.
