Amanpour Podcast – “Assessing US Intentions in Venezuela”

Date: January 6, 2026
Host: Bianna Golodryga (in for Christiane Amanpour)
Featured Guests:
– Senator Angus King
– Former NSC Official Juan Gonzalez
– Ukrainian MP Oleksandr Moreshko
– Author Jason Stanley
– White House Adviser Stephen Miller (clips)

Overview

This episode delivers an in-depth examination of the ongoing political crisis in Venezuela following the US-led capture of President Nicolas Maduro, its regional and global implications, and the broader shifts in US foreign and domestic policy under President Trump’s second administration. Key interviews probe US intentions, legal and geopolitical fallout, impacts on democracy, and analogies to other recent international events. The episode also marks the fifth anniversary of January 6, featuring reflections on the state of US democracy.

1. Venezuela After Maduro: The US Operation and Its Fallout

Setting the Scene

• Tension is high in Venezuela after gunfire near the presidential palace.
• US special forces have captured President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, bringing them to New York for trial.
• Acting president Delsey Rodriguez, of Maduro’s regime, has been installed.
• White House claims effective military and economic control in Venezuela.
• The opposition is sidelined, while some opposition leaders and rights groups express both praise and concern.

Notable Quote

“So far, Maduro loyalists remain in power. Acting President Delsey Rodriguez was sworn in yesterday and the White House insists it is now in control though military pressure and economic coercion.” – Host Bianna Golodryga [01:22]

2. Congressional Reactions: Senator Angus King Interview

[03:54–15:27]

Main Discussion Points

Lack of US Strategic Planning and Congressional Input

• Congress was not notified prior to the operation; oil executives were.
• King’s Concerns:
  • No clear plan for post-Maduro Venezuela.
  • US acted before conferring with lawmakers.
• Key Check Missing:
  • Bypassing congressional oversight and prioritizing energy sector interests.

Geopolitical Risks: Return to Spheres of Influence

• King links Trump actions to an outdated doctrine reminiscent of early imperial power assertions.
• Warns US behavior gives tacit permission for China and Russia to assert themselves regionally.

American Influence and Alliance Building

• Quote: “America’s asymmetric advantage in the world is allies. ... [This administration] pokes the eye of our allies, now Denmark but also our European allies whenever possible. That undermines American national security.” [06:29]

The “Donroe Doctrine”

• Discussion of Stephen Miller’s declaration that the US will act as an unapologetic superpower, justifying intervention to control resources in the hemisphere.
  • Miller: “We are going to conduct ourselves as a superpower. ... [It's] absurd that we would allow a nation in our own backyard to become the supplier of resources to our adversaries, but not to us…” [08:42]

Endgame in Venezuela: Oil, Not Democracy

• King suggests the intervention is primarily about oil interests, not democracy or drugs.
• Points to inconsistency (pardon to Honduras’s ex-President Hernández, a convicted drug trafficker).
  • King: “I just want to hear what the plan is. ... They’ve decapitated the leadership of Venezuela. ... Nobody knows what happens next.” [11:42–12:49]

Summary Judgment

• No clear exit strategy or justification; undermining of US credibility and security.

3. The “Donroe Doctrine”: A New Era of US Hegemony

[08:01, 15:43]

• Stephen Miller (Trump adviser) articulates the administration’s worldview: power, force, and unapologetic assertion of regional dominance are replacing international cooperation.
• Quote: “We live in a world in which you can talk all you want about international niceties ... but we live in the real world, Jake, that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power.” – Stephen Miller [15:43]

4. Former NSC Official Juan Gonzalez: Unilateralism, Chaos, and Oil Interests

[16:07–25:55]

Key Concerns

Risks of Prolonged Conflict and International Isolation

• Gonzalez: “The removal of Maduro closed one chapter, but it’s opened a much more dangerous one. ... This actually risks implicating the United States in a much more drawn out military conflict that the voters that supported Donald Trump do not want.” [16:26]

• Warns of alienating US’s hemispheric allies, making America “alone.”

• China using the opportunity to frame itself as protector of international order (calls UNSC session).

Fragility of Post-Maduro Regime

• Situation in Venezuela is not “regime change,” just “autocratic change.”
• Security apparatus and much of Maduro’s regime persist; violence and repression are rising.
• Quote: “Stability without legitimacy doesn’t hold.” [18:42]

Oil as the Real Prize

• Shift in White House rationale from democracy to narcotics to now oil control.

“... When the control over revenues becomes the central prize, it creates enormous incentives for corruption—not just inside of Venezuela, but fundamentally in the United States, particularly with this President’s tendency to self deal...” [20:19]

Unilateralism vs. Democratic Agency

• Critique of the “Dunroe doctrine”: decisions imposed rather than co-created.
• Fear that US intervention in Venezuela sets a precedent for boot-on-the-ground scenarios.

Biden’s Approach vs. Trump’s

• Biden’s administration focused on negotiated elections and legitimacy, albeit slowly.
• Engagement and negotiation led to more sustainable outcomes (e.g., securing release of detained Americans).

Personal Allegations and Response

• Human Rights Foundation accuses Gonzalez of conflict of interest; he denies, affirming public service and belief in local agency and democracy.
  • Gonzalez: “These are my opinions and they’ll continue to be my opinions. They’re not for sale.” [25:55]

5. Ukraine and Implications for International Law

Ukrainian MP Oleksandr Moreshko Interview [27:08–35:38]

Threats to International Order

On Security Guarantees

• Moreshko stresses NATO membership as ultimate deterrent to Russian aggression.
• US support critical both as deterrent and symbol for European allies.

Territorial Integrity

• No room for territorial concessions; concessions would encourage aggressors globally.
  • Quote: “We cannot agree to any territorial concessions whatsoever... Politically, it’s impossible. Morally, it’s impossible.” – Moreshko [30:00]

US Actions and Russian Propaganda

• US seizure of Maduro triggers Moscow accusations of imperialism, potentially emboldening Putin.
• Ukrainian lawmaker expresses hope that US, despite muscular intervention, will ultimately support democratic process in Venezuela and respect international law.
  • “I strongly believe that America should give example, should set example of complying with, supporting, respecting international law, the UN Charter and its principles.” [33:35]

NATO Cohesion and the Greenland Threat

• Denmark is a key ally: any US move on Greenland could fracture NATO, another of Putin’s strategic objectives.

6. Five Years After January 6th: Democracy, Accountability, and the Supreme Court

Key Section: Jason Stanley Interview [37:32–52:15]

America’s Democratic Crisis

Normalization of Authoritarianism

• Host Hari Sreenivasan and Stanley analyze Trump’s pardons of January 6th participants; broader trend to downplay the coup attempt.
• Stanley: The US is entering a “legal phase of fascism” where institutions and laws are eroded to serve the regime.

Venezuela as a Test Case

• On US justification for abducting Maduro:

  • Stanley: “What would you think if another country kidnapped President Trump, saying that he has done all these illegal things? ... That would be a violation of international law. ... None of that is an excuse.” [39:12]

• Links Venezuela operation to pursuit of oil, not democratic values; “classical structure of throwing cultural meat to poor men, and then just the corporations and the oligarchs gobbling up the money.” [50:17]

Consequences for Global Order

• US actions signal to Putin and Xi that “they can do whatever they want in their local areas” [42:03] — undermining the legitimacy of international rules.

Supreme Court as Enabler

• Stanley denounces Supreme Court endorsements of unchecked executive power; sees it as active ally to authoritarian trends.
• “The Supreme Court seems fully committed to keeping this far right machine in power ... that’s a problem that’s going to extend well past Trump.” [43:25]

Final Reflection: No Return, Need for Renewal

• State and corporate merging now integral (“signature sign of fascism”).
• “There is no return from ... the merging of state and corporate interests. ... There’s gotta be something new that is built.” [50:21–52:15]

Selected Notable Quotes (With Timestamps)

• Sen. Angus King on strategic confusion:
  “Right now we don’t see what the plan is. ... [The administration] didn’t consult with Congress before this action, but it did inform the oil companies...” [04:41]

• Juan Gonzalez on post-Maduro Venezuela:
  “What we’re seeing isn’t regime change, it’s autocratic change. ... The handoff is already unraveling.” [18:01]

• Stephen Miller, White House adviser:
  “We live in a world ... governed by strength, ... force, ... power.” [15:43]

• Oleksandr Moreshko, Ukrainian MP:
  “We cannot agree to any territorial concessions whatsoever. ... Politically, it’s impossible. Morally, it’s impossible.” [30:00]

• Jason Stanley on international precedent:
  “What would you think if another country kidnapped President Trump, saying that he has done all these illegal things? ... That would be a violation of international law.” [39:12]

• Stanley on fascist tendencies:
  “We are at a point of no return. ... The merging of state and corporate interests is, of course, a signature sign of fascism.” [50:17–50:21]

Important Timestamps & Segments

• 00:04 – Venezuela Crisis Overview
• 03:54–15:27 – Sen. Angus King interview (post-Maduro strategy and US approaches)
• 15:43–16:07 – Stephen Miller: The “Donroe Doctrine”
• 16:26–25:55 – Juan Gonzalez interview (Venezuela, US policy, oil interests)
• 27:08–35:38 – Oleksandr Moreshko (Ukraine, international order, NATO, Venezuela parallels)
• 37:32–52:15 – Jason Stanley (democracy, international law, normalization of authoritarianism)

Episode Tone and Language

• Urgent, direct, and at times alarmed—reflecting major global shifts and the sense of strategic drift.
• Candid, at moments deeply critical of the administration’s rationale and tactics.
• Speakers use a mix of analysis, historical analogy, and plain warning (especially notable in King’s and Stanley’s remarks).
• Well-sourced debate, referencing legal, moral, and practical consequences.

Conclusion

This episode masterfully details how the US seizure of Maduro has not only destabilized Venezuela but also redefined US foreign policy through assertive, unilateral power in the Western Hemisphere. Guests warn that such actions risk isolating the US, emboldening other authoritarian states, and undermining both the international order and American democracy itself. The show's latter half, reflecting on January 6, ties US interventionism abroad to growing illiberalism at home, urging a reckoning with legal, institutional, and moral guardrails. The overall message is clear: the world has entered a new era, where democracy and the rule of law are not guaranteed, either abroad or at home.