This is what Venezuela looks like three months after Trump’s intervention

24 March 2026 Research news item

At the start of this year, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was suddenly seized and arrested by the United States. What is the situation in Venezuela more than three months later? Brigitte Adriaensen, professor of Spanish language and culture, explains. ‘People keep coming together and, in doing so, are able to cope with adversity.’

It must have been a massive surprise for many Venezuelans: they entered the weekend with one president and emerged from it with another. In just under five hours, the United States seized and arrested President Nicolás Maduro, after which Delcy Rodríguez was swiftly appointed to lead the country under the close watch of the United States.

Three things have struck Adriaensen since that upheaval. ‘Firstly, the choice of Rodríguez. She is a party colleague of Maduro, who had just been arrested on suspicion of corruption and drug trafficking.’ A more logical choice would have been María Corina Machado, the opposition leader who won the Nobel Peace Prize late last year and who symbolically presented that medal to President Donald Trump earlier this year. ‘Rodríguez can pursue a relatively autonomous policy. The United States is looking over her shoulder, but for now, she is the one making the decisions.’

Former President Nicolás Maduro in 2019. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Control over the oil trade

Furthermore, the economic developments are interesting. ‘It wasn’t the first time the United States had used drug-related crime as a pretext for a raid, but it is clear that Trump was after the oil,’ says Adriaensen. The oil trade is now under the control of the United States. ‘At the end of last year, the United States intercepted several oil tankers, including one sailing under the Panamanian flag. And the United States has now enforced a rule that Venezuelan oil may only be sold to American refineries.’ Venezuela receives the proceeds from this into a special account.

Through American storage companies, the United States is seeking to gain greater control over local oil. Venezuela lacks sufficient oil storage facilities. There are several companies keen to fill that gap, but in socialist Venezuela, the oil sector was in state hands for decades. Foreign companies were not welcome. ‘At the end of January, Rodríguez opened the door to American companies by signing a law that opens up the oil sector to privatisation.’

Torture prison right in plain sight

Adriaensen sees, alongside political and economic changes, above all the humanitarian developments since Maduro’s arrest. ‘For years, dissidents – people who opposed the regime – were plucked from the streets without mercy and unlawfully detained.’ This happened, among other places, in El Helicoide, a vast prison complex right in the centre of Caracas, where it has been amply proven that torture takes place. ‘The fact that this torture prison is so visibly located signifies the total normalisation and intimidation of power, as was the case until recently.’

Rodríguez has since announced the closure of the prison, hundreds of dissidents have already been released, and an amnesty law has been signed that paves the way for the release of even more political prisoners. Yet Adriaensen tempers this optimism. ‘Freedom remains ambiguous: many are no longer in prison, but are under house arrest, whilst others have been released only under strict conditions – for instance, being prohibited from speaking to the press.’

El Helicoide prison in Caracas. Source: Damián D. Fossi Salas via Wikimedia Commons

Although these have been turbulent months and the economic situation remains dire, Venezuelans do not seem dissatisfied with the turnaround. ‘My friends and acquaintances from Venezuela say the situation is stable. They are carrying on with their lives and do not currently feel unsafe. At the same time, they continue to speak out politically. Inequality is very significant and Venezuela remains one of the poorest countries in South America. Whereas in the 1980s, partly due to the oil trade, it was one of the richest countries.’

That Venezuelans are nevertheless unhappy with US interference was evident once again when Venezuela defeated the United States in the final of the World Baseball Classic. During the final in Miami, the American players were booed, and afterwards President Rodríguez announced a national holiday.

A great zest for life

According to Adriaensen, this determination of people to carry on, to keep speaking out and to continue celebrating life is telling. ‘That resilient attitude and great zest for life characterise not only people in Venezuela, but in large parts of Latin America,’ explains Adriaensen. ‘In Europe, we are familiar with dancing, cooking and eating together, music, and the liveliness on the streets. That makes Latin America attractive to tourists, but for the people there, it is all part of the strong social fabric. They continue to seek one another out — and in doing so, confront adversity.’

That strong social cohesion may be characteristic, but it is far from guaranteed, Adriaensen emphasises. ‘The idea of Latin America as a region that stands in opposition to the United States is still very much alive. At the same time, you see many countries where a shift to the right in politics leads to individualisation and the pursuit of personal wealth. I hope those social fabrics remain resilient in the face of that.’

Two men in a taxi in the city of Maracaibo. Source: Wilfredor via Wikimedia Commons

Photo at the top of the article: Protest in Caracas in 2019. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Contact information

Organizational unit: Faculty of Arts, Radboud Institute for Culture and History, Department of Modern Languages and Cultures
About person: Prof. B.Y.A. Adriaensen (Brigitte)
Theme: Current affairs, International, Politics