Are We Headed for a Venezuela Mess?

Is America's bold strike on Maduro turning into the next prolonged foreign entanglement? On this revealing episode of the Tara Palmeri Show, former U.S. diplomat Brett Bruen, who served in Venezuela during his career and as director of global engagement in the Obama White House, joins to unpack the high-risk aftermath of the operation that captured Nicolás Maduro. Bruen explains why regime change often proves far easier than stabilization, from fractured power centers in the Chavista movement to the challenges of rebuilding oil production, addressing humanitarian crises, and navigating complex terrain that could fuel insurgency. The discussion dives into the Trump administration's pragmatic pressures on interim figures like Delcy Rodríguez, sidelining opposition leaders, potential oil motivations, and broader implications of revived Monroe Doctrine rhetoric inviting rival powers like China and Russia into the hemisphere. How long can the U.S. sustain influence in Venezuela without deeper commitment? For more of her reporting, subscribe to her weekly newsletter, "The Red Letter." https://tarapalmeri.substack.com/ https://www.tarapalmeri.com/subscribe Latest from the Red Letter: https://www.tarapalmeri.com/p/venezuela-isnt-a-raid-its-an-occupation https://www.tarapalmeri.com/p/marjorie-taylor-greene-is-waging https://www.tarapalmeri.com/p/what-the-cards-say-about-washingtons To support her mission of independent journalism, consider donating to her GoFundMe account: https://gofund.me/0c46f9a5 Follow Brett Bruen: https://x.com/BrettBruen https://www.instagram.com/brettbruen/ Tara Palmeri is one of the most feared and fearless reporters covering power and politics. She has 15 years of experience covering national politics and foreign affairs. She was formerly a White House Correspondent for ABC News where she covered the first Trump administration. She was the chief National Correspondent for POLITICO during the Biden administration. She has been a political analyst for CNBC, CBS and CNN. She started her career as a columnist for the Washington Examiner and then went on to report for the New York Post. She was a foreign correspondent for POLITICO Europe, where she covered international affairs, including Brexit. She hosted the Ringer's political podcast "Somebody's Gotta Win" and wrote a column for Puck. Tara also hosted two acclaimed podcasts on Jeffrey Epstein, "Broken: Jeffrey Epstein" and "Power: The Maxwells." Tara currently hosts the Tara Palmeri Show. Follow Tara: https://www.instagram.com/tarapalmeri/ https://x.com/tarapalmeri https://www.tiktok.com/@tarapalmeri For inquiries, email: [email protected] #Venezuela #Maduro #NicolasMaduro #Trump #DonaldTrump #ForeignPolicy #RegimeChange #MonroeDoctrine #MarcoRubio #VenezuelaCrisis #USPolitics #TaraPalmeriShow #TaraPalmeri Are We Headed for a Venezuela Mess? Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to the Tara Palmeri Show 01:09 Brett Bruen joins the Tara Palmeri Show 02:15 Maduro captured while asleep 03:01 Why the U.S. targeted Maduro now 04:35 Pressuring Delcy Rodríguez 05:48 Is this a stable long-term solution 07:11 No political preparation for aftermath 08:32 Trump threats undermine regional support 09:26 No single center of power in Venezuela 11:25 Is it really about drugs or oil 13:24 Rebuilding Venezuela oil production 15:53 Humanitarian crisis for Venezuelans 18:45 What happens in the power vacuum 19:33 Risk of insurgency in tough terrain 23:29 Potential regional combustible situation 24:50 Can Hegseth and Rubio run Venezuela 27:24 Trump embraces Monroe Doctrine 32:42 Where does Venezuela go from here 35:00 Thanks for watching the Tara Palmeri Show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices