Fareed Zakaria GPS – “Protests in Iran Rage; Venezuela’s Future”

Date: January 11, 2026
Host: Fareed Zakaria
Guests: Holly Douglas (Washington Institute), Juan Gonzalez (Former NSC Senior Director, Western Hemisphere), Francisco Rodriguez (Venezuelan Economist), Jeppe Kofod (Former Danish Foreign Minister), David Herzberg (University at Buffalo historian)

Episode Overview

This episode of Fareed Zakaria GPS delivers a sweeping analysis of critical foreign policy developments as protests shake the Iranian regime, Venezuela faces a murky post-Maduro future under direct U.S. involvement, and President Trump stirs controversy by threatening the annexation of Greenland. Fareed engages leading regional experts in robust, candid conversations to assess the true significance—and the possible fallout—of these headline-grabbing crises.

Key Segments and Insights

1. Fareed's Take: America’s Shift from Leadership to Raw Power

Timestamps: [00:02]–[09:03]

• Theme: Fareed opens with a critical reflection on America’s approach to global primacy, arguing that its unique strength stems from consent and legitimacy, not just power.
• Contrast: Traditionally, even controversial interventions (e.g., Iraq) included efforts at coalition-building and justification to the world. In contrast, the Trump administration’s current posture in Venezuela is depicted as “explicitly a naked act of aggression to benefit America’s coffers.”
  • “When the US acts like a rule maker rather than a shakedown artist, it buys something more valuable than fear—consent.” — Fareed Zakaria [05:32]
• Warning: He highlights the risk that America's disregard for norms, exemplified in Venezuela, could squander decades of diplomatic capital and provoke the very balancing against American power that history predicts.
  • “An America that behaves like an utterly self-interested predator on the world stage will not grow stronger. It will grow lonelier... Allies will hedge, partners will search for options.” — Fareed Zakaria [07:55]
• Historical Perspective: The Monroe Doctrine, once anti-imperial, is now wielded for control, marking a dangerous return to short-term, self-serving dominance.

2. Iran’s Protests and Regime Fragility

Guest: Holly Douglas, Washington Institute
Timestamps: [09:03]–[14:40]

Protests’ Nature and Unprecedented Fragility

• Background: Nationwide protests have left at least 162 dead; origins lie in a currency collapse and the deepening economic crisis.
• What’s Different This Time:
  • Holly Douglas points to a “newfound fragility”: Iranian proxies weakened post–October 7, an unraveling alliance with Syria, failed defenses, infiltration, a crippled nuclear program, and severe domestic crises like water shortages and economic collapse.
    • “There’s been Israeli infiltration, the nuclear program’s in shambles, and on the ground, Iranians are unable to feed their families. The real possibility that Tehran…will run out of water.” — Holly Douglas [09:42]

Role (or Lack) of Opposition Figures

• Fareed asks: Does the movement need a Mandela-like figure to coalesce and succeed?
• Douglas’ View: Iran already has such figures—including Nobel laureates—but they are jailed or in exile. The international community ignores credible calls (e.g., for a constitutional assembly or referendum).
  • “There are many Nelson Mandelas in Iran. Many of them are in prison... Activists on the ground have called for a constitutional assembly, for a referendum, [but] nobody seems to be paying attention.” — Holly Douglas [10:57]

Risks of ‘Soft’ Regime Change and Military Domination

• Potential pitfalls: Elite figures or Revolutionary Guard commanders could effect a cosmetic change, trading clerical garb for suits and nationalist rhetoric, but the substance of the regime would remain unchanged.
  • “For them, they’ve lost trust. This regime has been irreformable and irredeemable for a long time.” — Holly Douglas [12:30]

Policy Recommendations and International Response

• Immediate steps: US should enable direct satellite internet (Starlink) to break the blackout and heed the people’s call for democratic transition.
  • “Turn on direct Starlink for Iranians... And call for a democratic transition.” — Holly Douglas [13:24]

Prospects for Change

• Douglas: Real change requires international support for Iranians risking their lives—over 2,000 believed dead so far.
  • “We should be giving them support…they’re literally risking their lives for freedom.” — Holly Douglas [14:06]

3. Venezuela After Maduro: US Control, Oil, and Democratic Uncertainty

Guests: Francisco Rodriguez (University of Denver), Juan Gonzalez (Former NSC Director)
Timestamps: [15:44]–[27:15]

Nature of Maduro’s Ouster: Regime Change or Reshuffle?

• Rodriguez: Sees it as “decapitation without regime change”—the US worked with top insiders (notably Delcy Rodriguez, now interim president) for a managed transition. The apparatus of power remains; US is coordinating with new authorities.
  • “It’s a choice by the Trump administration to work with Venezuelan authorities... There’s a structure governing Venezuela right now that has been kept in place.” — Francisco Rodriguez [16:38]

Character and Role of the Rodriguez Siblings

• Gonzalez: Delcy and Jorge Rodriguez are “efficient operators, survivors” within Chavismo, linking the new order to the old networks but introducing pragmatism.
  • “Delcy is no-nonsense. She says she’ll do something, she will do it…she’s ideologically aligned, but also a pragmatist and a survivor.” — Juan Gonzalez [17:47]
  • The regime is held together by “economic interests and survival,” not monolithic ideology.

Power Holders: Military Elite

• Rodriguez: The real risk is whether the influential Defense and Interior Ministers, themselves implicated in corruption and drug charges, will be placated by the new arrangement. If their survival is assured, they'll likely support the arrangement. If not, instability looms.
  • “If Chavismo is offered a way of surviving and governing, they’ll fall in line... The ideology will become much less important over time.” — Francisco Rodriguez [19:11]

US Objectives: Oil and Economic Leverage

• Gonzalez: Trump is focused on oil and economic gains, less so on democracy or anti-drug efforts.

  • “There’s a very real scenario where the Trump administration pulls this off—stability, security, US oil companies coming in... The concern is that Trump may actually forget about free and fair elections.” — Juan Gonzalez [21:43]
  • Control of oil, gold, and rare earths is seen as central—yet real returns are a long way off.

• Rodriguez: Warns the supposed oil bonanza is overstated—Venezuela’s current output is a fraction of its claimed reserves. The economy is near collapse; the priority should be emergency humanitarian and IMF support, not grand oil strategies.

  • “Trump hasn’t the faintest idea...how to run the Venezuelan economy. You need an emergency plan...or this whole idea about a democratic transition is just going to collapse.” — Francisco Rodriguez [24:24]

Risks of a US-Backed Crackdown

• Gonzalez: Worried that, as US partners, the regime’s brutal methods might continue with tacit US support, particularly if unrest follows economic deterioration. Paramilitaries, criminal groups, and border insecurity compound the risk.
  • “Can this administration do it without boots on the ground? I think it’s highly unlikely.” — Juan Gonzalez [26:33]

4. US Threats to Annex Greenland: The End of NATO?

Guest: Jeppe Kofod, former Danish Foreign Minister
Timestamps: [28:40]–[34:31]

Danish and European Alarm

• Concern: Trump’s statement about “getting Greenland the easy way or the hard way” is seen as a “gross violation” of NATO principles and territorial integrity.
  • “If…Trump will do what he maybe intends to do…then, of course, it will be a gross violation of NATO…and de facto, NATO will then be ending.” — Jeppe Kofod [30:12]

Existing Security Arrangements

• Reality check: Denmark and Greenland have already been pliant, offering US virtually unlimited military access since 1951. The current pressure seems unnecessary and destabilizing.

  • “We’ve had the defense agreement [since 1951]. The US can deploy military means they want in Greenland. Denmark and Greenland have said...very open to more US military presence.” — Jeppe Kofod [31:45]

Greenlandic Sovereignty

• Bottom line: Greenland is a sovereign entity, with its own government and overwhelming public opposition to annexation; Danish and Greenlandic sentiment will only harden with increased US threats.

  • “Greenland cannot be taken over. It’s a sovereign country and has to be respected like any other sovereign country in NATO.” — Jeppe Kofod [33:11]

5. Drugs and Venezuela – Untangling the Fentanyl Crisis

Guest: David Herzberg, University at Buffalo
Timestamps: [34:31]–[40:45]

Venezuela and the Drug Trade: Facts vs. Rhetoric

• Herzberg: Discredits the Trump administration’s claim that Venezuela is fueling the US fentanyl crisis—Venezuela is not a source of fentanyl and only a minor player in cocaine.
  • “Venezuela is not a significant source or a source at all, actually, of fentanyl...certainly not a significant player globally or in the US.” — David Herzberg [35:36]

Roots of the Fentanyl Crisis

• Supply and Demand Dynamics: The crisis began with over-prescription of opioids in the US, followed by restrictions that drove addicted users to illegal markets, which were quickly supplied by synthetic products from China (via Mexico).
  • “With prescription drug monitoring...people addicted to those pills couldn’t buy them...that created a mismatch between supply and demand, drawing in new players...with synthetic precursors from China into Mexico.” — David Herzberg [36:00]

Policy Implications: Supply Disruption Alone Fails

• Crackdowns only shift the problem: Clamping down on supply without addressing demand leads to new—or worse—players entering the market.
  • “If you stop one source without doing anything about demand, that just disrupts the market temporarily...and tends to produce even worse supply chains run by even worse people, more violent, closer to home.” — David Herzberg [38:13], [39:39]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Consent Over Fear: “Consent is what turns hegemony into leadership, and leadership into a system others find preferable to alternatives.” — Fareed Zakaria [05:34]
• A New Iranian Reality: “The regime has been irreformable and irredeemable for a long time…this is not what [the people] want anymore.” — Holly Douglas [12:30]
• On U.S. Control in Venezuela: “President Trump hasn’t the faintest idea...of how to run the Venezuelan economy.” — Francisco Rodriguez [24:24]
• Greenland’s Future and NATO: “If...Trump will do what he maybe intends to do...then, of course, it will be a gross violation of NATO...and NATO will then be ending.” — Jeppe Kofod [30:12]
• Drug Policy Reality: “Venezuela is not a significant source...of fentanyl...certainly not a significant player globally or in the US.” — David Herzberg [35:52]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Fareed’s Take on U.S. Global Leadership: [00:02]–[09:03]
• Iran Protests – Interview with Holly Douglas: [09:03]–[14:40]
• Venezuela After Maduro – Panel Discussion: [15:44]–[27:15]
• Trump and Greenland – Interview with Jeppe Kofod: [28:40]–[34:31]
• Venezuela & Drugs – Interview with David Herzberg: [34:31]–[40:45]

Episode Tone and Style

The episode is sharp and unflinching, with Fareed Zakaria maintaining his signature blend of analytical rigor, historical context, and clear-eyed skepticism of power. Guests are candid, direct, and deliver insights with both urgency and depth, matching the high-stakes nature of the topics.

This summary covers all critical discussions and key takeaways for listeners who want to understand the contemporary crossroads faced by Iran, Venezuela, US allies, and America itself on the world stage.