Venezuela and the Cost of Democracy

Gabriela Otaiza

Source: Getty Images file

January 3, 2026, will likely be remembered as one of the most consequential dates in Venezuelan History. On this day, the United States launched a large-scale military operation against Venezuela’s capital city of Caracas, resulting in the removal of the sitting president, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife, Celia Flores, sending shockwaves throughout the region. The distinction between what we know as fact, what is disputed, and what is narrative remains unclear. In this article, I seek to evaluate all three of these angles as well as their implications for the future democratization of Venezuela.  

The sequence of events is as follows, in the early mornings of January 3, the US military carried out air strikes on targets in the city of Caracas and other areas of northern Venezuela. Taking only two and a half hours by air and 30 minutes on the ground level, General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, noted that due to the expedient nature of the operation, there were no American equipment losses or fatalities. Local journalists, however, estimated that at least 77 Venezuelans were killed in the attack, including three civilians. U.S. statements revealed that Maduro and Flores were detained and flown to New York to stand trial on multiple charges related to narco-terrorism and drug trafficking conspiracies.

In response to this, the Venezuelan Supreme Tribunal of Justice exercised its constitutional provision to declare Maduro’s absence a reason to declare Vice President Delcey Rodriguez as interim president, and her brother, Jorge Rodriguez, as president of the National Assembly. However, the Minister of Interior, Justice, and Peace, Diosdado Cabello, and the Minister of Defense, Vladimir Padrino López, currently remain in their positions. These are the core events around which all subsequent debates revolve.

The Venezuelan government, and its supporters internationally, have condemned the U.S. operation as an illegal act of aggression and imperial intervention, asserting it violated Venezuela’s sovereignty.

Foreign and international organizations around the world have been noticeably divided into this issue. The United Nations headquarters in Geneva has openly condemned the large-scale military action by the US, claiming it represents a manifestation of deliberate violations of the most fundamental principles of international law and sets a dangerous legal precedent for the region.

This claim has been prevalent in the UN, and the security council has been involved in emergency briefings on this crisis. While all these perspectives are still prevalent today, one thing remains constant: What does the future of democracy look like in Venezuela?

Because of dissolved Venezuela-US relations, there exists no representative to the US able to instill democratic practices. However, the re-opening of the US embassy in Venezuela in January 2026 signifies a shift in the future of US-Venezuela relations.

Additionally, human rights organizations and monitoring groups have raised concerns about civilian casualties and broader human rights violations brought by the initial strikes. Reports have stated that 83 Venezuelan civilian casualties and 112 injuries occurred.

As we look to the future of democratization in Venezuela, the current political state cannot support this shift on its own. A call for multilateralism is needed now more than ever to set a precedent for sovereignty and democracy in the international community. Specifically, the need for urgent diplomatic engagement and respect for free fair elections, stable economic growth, and restored diplomatic relations within the Americas region.  

January 3rd will always be remembered as the day of violence, change, and hope. While the initial air strikes have been analyzed as illegal, many Venezuelan civilians see this as a sign of hope for a democratic future. Additionally, the call for respect of international law is needed to promote democratization of Venezuela, encourage regional ties, promote Venezuelan oil companies into the regional economic system, and sever the Chavez regime permanently.