U.S. Intervention in Venezuela Reveals Incoherent Foreign Policy

The Find Out Podcast · January 06, 2026 · Listen to Original Episode →

Original Title:

TL;DR

The U.S. military's "illegal strike" in Venezuela, capturing President Maduro, lacks a clear strategy and has sparked international shock, potentially signaling a return to interventionist foreign policy.
Donald Trump's pardon of Honduran President Hernandez for drug trafficking charges, followed by Maduro's arrest on similar grounds, suggests the actions are not about combating narcotics.
The administration's strategy in Venezuela is characterized by incoherence, with conflicting statements from officials like Marco Rubio and a potential focus on securing oil interests.
The U.S. intervention in Venezuela could destabilize the region, exacerbating migration crises and providing a pretext for further militarization of U.S. policing, potentially driven by Stephen Miller.
Public opinion surveys show a divided response to the Maduro action, with a significant majority believing Venezuelans, not the U.S., should decide their country's future leadership.
The narrative around the U.S. action in Venezuela is being shaped by a sophisticated right-wing digital communications apparatus, pushing a partial truth that becomes accepted as fact.
Universal healthcare is presented not only as a human rights issue but also as a significant business investment, potentially increasing corporate margins and fostering entrepreneurship.

Deep Dive

The U.S. military's unprecedented and illegal seizure of Venezuelan President Maduro in early 2026 marks a radical departure from previous U.S. foreign policy, especially concerning regime change, revealing a profound incoherence in strategy. This action, coupled with threats against other nations and a renewed focus on Greenland, suggests a foreign policy driven by personal grievances rather than strategic objectives, with significant implications for both domestic and international stability.

The decision to capture Maduro, rather than pursuing diplomatic or traditional legal channels, highlights a stark contradiction with Donald Trump's past rhetoric against "neocon" interventionism. This shift has alienated some within his base, with only Marjorie Taylor Greene publicly opposing the move, while others, like Tom Assi, have questioned the legitimacy of the charges against Maduro, particularly in light of Trump's earlier pardon of Honduran President Hernández for similar drug-trafficking charges. This selective application of justice undermines any claims of an anti-drug agenda, suggesting the actions are more about political theater and personal vendettas.

The implications extend to the potential for judicial challenges and the precedent set for future international actions. If Maduro is not convicted, the U.S. could face lawsuits, and the precedent of kidnapping foreign leaders could become a de facto immigration policy. Furthermore, the narrative around the "selling of pardons" and the lack of transparency regarding who Trump is pardoning raises questions about the legitimacy of his executive actions. This incoherence extends to the stated rationale for the intervention, with "oil" being mentioned 21 times in press conferences while "democracy" was ignored, indicating a pursuit of resource control, specifically oil and minerals, potentially as a means to circumvent China's influence.

The intervention's potential to destabilize Venezuela and the wider region is a critical second-order effect, exacerbating an existing migration crisis. This instability could be leveraged by figures like Stephen Miller to further militarize U.S. domestic policing, an objective previously considered for Mexico. The polling data on U.S. public opinion reveals a divided nation, with a majority believing Venezuelans should decide their own leadership, indicating a disconnect between the administration's actions and public sentiment.

The broader implications of U.S. interventionism, as demonstrated by past experiences in Panama, Iraq, and Afghanistan, suggest that such actions rarely lead to stable democracies and often create power vacuums that foster further instability and conflict. The one outlier, the intervention in Kosovo under Bill Clinton, was a rare success that achieved its objectives without U.S. casualties, highlighting that successful interventions, when they occur, have historically been led by Democrats and achieved through clear, albeit forceful, diplomatic demands rather than clandestine operations.

The discussion also touches upon the ideological divide between statist approaches, as seen in Venezuela, and a more free-market, individualistic approach favored by figures like Bernie Sanders and Zaron Mamdani. The critique of "rugged individualism" as a myth, contrasted with the benefits of collectivism through social programs like Medicare and Social Security, suggests that a blend of collective well-being and individual enterprise, as seen in successful Nordic countries, offers a higher quality of life and can be a significant economic boon, even for businesses and shareholders. The call for universal healthcare is presented not merely as a social benefit but as a sound economic investment that frees individuals to pursue entrepreneurship and increases overall economic activity by placing more disposable income into the hands of consumers.

Action Items

Audit U.S. foreign policy: Identify 3-5 instances of strategic incoherence in recent actions (ref: Venezuela strike).
Measure MAGA media impact: Track 5-10 instances of blatant lies presented as truth by right-wing media (ref: Tim Walls story).
Draft communication framework: Define 3-5 principles for countering disinformation with clear, factual messaging (ref: MAGA media apparatus).
Analyze economic strategy: Calculate potential impact of resource acquisition on U.S. domestic economy (ref: Venezuela minerals/oil).
Evaluate interventionism: Compare 2-3 historical U.S. interventions to current Venezuela action for strategic outcomes (ref: Iraq, Panama, Yugoslavia).

Key Quotes

"Over the weekend, at what like 2 am, 1 am eastern time, Trump ordered the, well depending on who you're talking to, the arrest or the kidnapping of the Venezuelan President Maduro and his wife, who are now in New York."

The speaker is highlighting the controversial action taken by Trump regarding the Venezuelan President, framing it as either an arrest or a kidnapping. This quote immediately establishes the central event of the discussion and introduces the ambiguity surrounding the nature of the U.S. action.

"The most incoherent shift I've ever seen. I don't understand it fucking at all and only Marjorie Taylor Greene apparently has a problem with it. She's the only Republican who's been like speaking out."

The speaker expresses strong confusion and disbelief regarding a perceived shift in political strategy. This quote emphasizes the speaker's view that the action is illogical and notes a perceived lack of opposition from within the Republican party, with only one specific figure being mentioned as an exception.

"The comparison with the Honduran Hernandez, J.O.H. I think is his initials from Honduras, I mean it's truly shocking. This dude was like proven in an American court to have been part of a smuggling or of trafficking 400 tons, I heard 500 tons of cocaine from Honduras into the United States."

The speaker draws a parallel between the current situation and a past case involving a former Honduran president. This quote points out the shock value of the comparison, detailing the serious charges of cocaine trafficking that the Honduran individual faced and was convicted of in an American court.

"It's not about the drugs, guys. No, no shit, it's not about the drugs, right? What happens if, like, there's a big campaign like there is for Luigi, about jury nullification, where like people get onto the jury who just refused to convict? What happens if Maduro doesn't get convicted?"

The speaker dismisses the stated reason for the U.S. action, asserting it is not about drug trafficking. This quote then pivots to a hypothetical scenario involving jury nullification, questioning the potential outcome if the Venezuelan President is not convicted, implying a potential dilemma for the U.S. administration.

"It's like he's so transparent that it's actually, it's the one thing where like he's not joking on purpose, but like he's just saying the quiet part out loud and I'm like, yeah, this is for oil. I mean, he said oil 21 times during that press conference. He said democracy zero."

The speaker suggests that the true motivation behind the action is transparently revealed by the individual's own words. This quote highlights the individual's repeated emphasis on "oil" and complete absence of mentioning "democracy" during a press conference, indicating the speaker's interpretation of the underlying agenda.

"The comparison with with the Honduran Hernandez, J.O.H. I think is his initials from from Honduras, I mean it's truly shocking. This dude was like proven in an American court to have been part of a smuggling or of trafficking 400 tons, I heard 500 tons of cocaine from Honduras into the United States."

Resources

External Resources

Books

"The Times" - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.

Articles & Papers

"Washington Post article" - Mentioned for publishing results of a poll on US actions in Venezuela.

People

Donald Trump - Ordered the arrest of the Venezuelan president and his wife; mentioned in relation to popularity on the right, regime change, and foreign policy.
Maduro - Venezuelan president, arrested and brought to New York; mentioned in relation to his rule and being a terrible human being.
Marco Rubio - Mentioned as potentially running Venezuela with Pete Hegseth; discussed in relation to his reaction to questions about running Venezuela.
Pete Hegseth - Mentioned as potentially running Venezuela with Marco Rubio.
Kristin Welker - Mentioned as asking Marco Rubio a question about running Venezuela.
Marjorie Taylor Greene - Mentioned as the only Republican with a problem regarding the Venezuelan situation.
Tom Assi - Mentioned as not saying anything about the Venezuelan situation.
Hernandez (JOH) - Former president of Honduras, pardoned by Donald Trump for drug charges.
Osama bin Laden - Mentioned as a helpful person to the US in the 1980s.
Manuel Noriega - Mentioned as a former friend of the US.
Radovan Karadžić - Mentioned as being caught.
Slobodan Milošević - Mentioned as being told by the US to stop actions in Kosovo.
Elon - Posted a picture with the presidential couple at Mar-a-Lago.
Hugo Chavez - Mentioned as the predecessor to Maduro.
Joe Walsh - Mentioned as a friend of the show and a Republican who spoke out against collectivism.
Zaron Mamdani - Mentioned as being on the left of the political spectrum and advocating for collectivism.
Bernie Sanders - Mentioned as being on the left of the political spectrum and advocating for collectivism.
Stephen Miller - Mentioned as understanding how to create crises in Latin America to militarize policing in the US.

Organizations & Institutions

NFL (National Football League) - Mentioned in relation to sports discussion.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) - Mentioned as a data source.
United States - Mentioned in relation to foreign policy and actions in Venezuela.
China - Mentioned in relation to tariffs and deals made by Donald Trump.
Mexico - Mentioned in relation to drugs and fentanyl coming into the US.
ISIS - Mentioned as being created because of the power vacuum left in Iraq.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Washington Post - Mentioned for publishing poll results on US actions in Venezuela.
The Justice Department - Mentioned as being Biden's.
The Army - Mentioned in relation to its slogans "Army of One" and "Be All You Can Be."
The Military - Mentioned as a team sport.
The Republican Party - Mentioned in relation to foreign policy and collectivism.
The Democratic Party - Mentioned in relation to shifting towards democratic socialism.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
The Times - Mentioned in relation to reporting on the Venezuelan situation.
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