Hello Mesa Nation! And welcome back to The Hitching Post! Have you heard the recent news of what’s going on with Venezuela? If not, have you heard that the U.S. Forces have captured their president? So far in 2026, there’s already a history making event. Let’s find out what’s going on.
First, let’s get to the background information; what sparked this to happen?
In 2013, Nicolàs Maduro was elected as president of Venezuela. Since the start of Maduro’s rule, Venezuela has declined drastically. Venezuela had gone from being one of the wealthiest Latin American countries, to the poorest.
The oil prices then dropped from the mid 2000’s, and Venezuela had nothing to fall back on. Throughout the course of his rule, he has been accused of working with FARC, a terrorist organization in Colombia, to sell and import drugs. Also since his rule, Venezuela markets have gone foodless and recourse-less.
Another really big factor within Venezuela is that their food economy is really low. Prices are so high that many people cannot access what they need. In March of 2020, the U.S. attorney accused Maduro of being involved with cartel activity, however he pleaded not guilty. As we can see, there have been several actions on Maduro’s behalf leading up to our current situation. Let’s talk about what happened.
After seeing that Maduro’s rule was not an impact to the society of Venezuela, allegations of being a part of FARC, and other shady business, the U.S. decided to step in. On January 3rd, 2026, U.S. forces launched “Operation Absolute Resolve”, capturing Nicolàs Maduro and his wife, and taking them to New York City for questioning. This Operation has been in play for many months now. Months prior the U.S Forces inserted members of the CIA into Maduro’s close circle of people, helping them know his whereabouts.
When taken to NYC for interrogation, Maduro pleaded not guilty for narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation, and weapons offenses, however he is accused of leading a large-scale drug trafficking operation with cartels, potentially facing life in prison. He is currently in jail for the time being, and the next court date is March 17th 2026.
Now since Maduro is currently in jail, everyone’s now wondering who will lead in Venezuela. So far, as one’s vice president does, Delcy Rodriquez has now taken rule. But, there is going to be an election at some point in the near future. So far, however, it looks like Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Maria Corina Machado, has a good shot at becoming a new ruler.
Now that we know all of the events listed currently, let’s walk through what everyone thinks of this global situation.
Americans as a whole are torn. According to Times New Magazine, a poll taken as of recently shows only one third supported the operation, whilst 72% now fear that the U.S. will become too involved after this attack.
Another poll says that 66% of Republicans just 48 hours after this capture supported this attack, but a total of 36% combined with Democrats and independents opposed this attack, while 25% says they’re unsure of what to think.
The main factor as to why people oppose it, is due to a statement from a speaker from United Nations Humans Rights, who says that this attack has made “all states less safe around the world.”
Another poll from The Washington Post shows that four in 10 Americans are for this attack, while the other 6 oppose it. Both this poll and the Times New Magazine poll, show that those who oppose it, are afraid of war or new conflicts with other territories. Those who are okay with this attack, believe that Maduro deserved this, for his actions before, and then Venezuelans needed to be free of him.
But what do you think? Was this a good idea? Or should the U.S. Forces have stayed out of it?
Of course with time there will be more news to come, considering nothing is set in stone. I hope though, with this article you can now have a better understanding of what is going on right now with the U.S. and Venezuela. If interested in more, use the embedded links!!
