So we are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition.

And it has to be judicious because that's what we're all about.

Maduro was a terrible leader for Venezuela, but the idea of removing him in the night using special forces,

that's quite an escalation. On this week's more to the story, I sit down with Foreign Policy

Magazine columnist and Stimson Center senior fellow Emma Ashford. We examine what's behind the Trump

administration's decision to forcibly remove Venezuelan president

Nicholas Maduro and whether the move signals a new era for U.S. foreign policy around the

globe. Stay with us. This is more to the story. I'm Al Letson.

Last week, U.S. forces entered Venezuela, capturing President Nicholas Maduro and his wife

in a nighttime raid.

They've since been indicted in the U.S. on narco-terrorism charges.

The military action followed a month's long pressure campaign

that included a number of deadly strikes on boats off the Venezuelan coast

that the Trump administration alleges were used for drug smuggling, as well as a naval blockade on

oil tankers moving in and out of the country. The U.S. has a long history of exerting power and

influence in South America. This week's guest, Emma Ashford, a foreign policy magazine columnist

and Stimson Center Senior Fellow,

examines that history and looks at what the U.S.'s latest actions could mean for the region and the world.

Emma, nice to talk to you again.

Good to be with you. Happy New Year.

Happy New Year.

So the New Year brings us stories to talk about, namely Nicholas Maduro being removed from power by the Trump administration. When the news first came out, what went through your mind? To be perfectly honest,

...