What is the Donroe Doctrine's plan for Venezuela?
Americano
The Spectator
4 • 714 Ratings
🗓️ 3 January 2026
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The US launched a military operation in Venezuela, targeting the regime in Caracas and detaining President Nicolás Maduro, who has been transferred to New York where he faces charges of narcoterrorism. Donald Trump has described the move as a decisive defence of American interests, but critics point point to the double standards when it come to Trump's ‘America First’ doctrine.
Jacob Heilbrunn, editor of The National Interest, joins Freddy Gray to discuss the strategic importance of Venezuela’s oil reserves, the role of socialism in the country’s collapse, and how Trump may seek to manage the risk of regional backlash and a counter-insurgency.
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Transcript
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| 0:33.7 | Hello and welcome back to the Americano show, where we talk about power, politics and prejudices in American life. |
| 0:45.5 | Every week we will talk to at least one or two or possibly three or four American experts, international experts about American affairs. |
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| 1:01.0 | Please keep listening and watching. |
| 1:04.3 | Hello and welcome to a special emergency weekend edition of the Americano podcast. |
| 1:11.9 | I'm delighted to be joined by Americano's most frequent and cherished guest, |
| 1:17.3 | Jacob Harbrun, the editor of the national interest, |
| 1:20.6 | who has been following the story we are talking about closely. |
| 1:24.0 | And the story we are talking about is, of course, Operation Absolute Resolve. |
| 1:30.8 | America's much anticipated yet still staggering in terms of its news impact and the drama of |
| 1:39.2 | it attack, assault on Venezuela last night. And it's capturing of Venezuela's president, Nicola Maduro, |
| 1:47.3 | and his wife in the early hours of this morning. Jacob, where to begin? We've just had a Trump |
| 1:54.2 | press conference, and the sort of noises coming out of the White House early this morning, |
| 1:59.6 | the noises Trump made on Fox and Friends |
| 2:02.1 | this morning, was sort of along the lines of downplaying the regime change element here |
| 2:07.5 | and emphasizing the Maduro is a criminal, and he's being taken to New York right now, |
... |
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