Podcast Summary: "What's Happening Inside Venezuela w/ Dr. Rodrigo Acuña"

Podcast: Green & Red: Podcasts for Scrappy Radicals
Episode: G&R 454
Date: January 9, 2026
Guests/Hosts:

• Dr. Rodrigo Acuña (independent journalist and commentator on Latin America)
• Bob Buzzanco (history professor)
• Scott Parkin (climate organizer)

Main Theme

This episode delves into the current unrest and crisis within Venezuela following a U.S. military attack and the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro. Dr. Rodrigo Acuña, having extensive experience on the ground in Venezuela and as the co-maker of "Venezuela: The Cost of Challenging an Empire," discusses the psychological, political, and geostrategic fallout, U.S. interventionism, internal Venezuelan dynamics, propaganda, international responses, and prospects for the region.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Immediate Impact of the U.S. Attack and Maduro’s Kidnapping

• Atmosphere in Venezuela: Fear and shock are widespread among Venezuelans. The attack on multiple military facilities was unexpected, even with prior U.S. naval build-up.

  "Venezuelans are scared. They're really scared... The attack of the US Military on multiple military bases and facilities in the country caught them off guard..." – Dr. Rodrigo Acuña [01:39]

• Failure of Air Defenses: The psychological effect is profound owing to the total failure of Venezuela’s Russian-supplied air defense systems, suggesting possible insider sabotage.

  "The biggest shock I think was that their air defenses failed... none of those systems were operational... So it looks like that objective of the operation in terms of having a huge psychological impact on Venezuelans... has worked." – Acuña [02:00]

• Casualties: ~75 civilians, 24 National Guard, and 32 Cuban military personnel killed. National mourning in both Venezuela and Cuba.
• Political Fallout: Chavistas remain in power; Delsy Rodríguez (former Vice President) sworn in as acting president. Maduro’s whereabouts and condition are unverified by Venezuelans.

2. Suspicion of Internal Betrayal & Information Warfare

• CIA Moles & Inner Circle: Highly likely there were moles or direct informants from Maduro’s security team aiding the U.S. operation.

  "Yes... that's the only logical explanation why there was such a complete failure... you have to remember that this is an ongoing war now, that there's going to be a lot of misinformation so everything has to be cross checked." – Acuña [06:18]

• Ongoing Paranoia: Arrest warrants and suspicions swirl around senior security officials; environment rife with misinformation and distrust.

3. Profile of Delsy Rodríguez and Leadership Transition

• Her Background: From a family deeply rooted on the political left; recognized for integrity and loyalty; positioned long-term within Chavista ranks.

  “She’s actually one of the only ministers who hasn’t been fired or arrested or had allegations of corruption against her. She worked as part of Venezuela’s foreign diplomatic team... She’s quite sharp and she’s very quick to respond.” – Acuña [08:49]

• Propaganda Efforts: U.S. and opposition outlets try to sow division, with spurious claims Rodríguez will capitulate to U.S. demands. Acuña refutes these as attempts to fracture Chavista unity.

4. Polarization & Propaganda in and Outside Venezuela

• Attitudes towards Maduro: Country has been polarized since Chávez’s constitutional reforms; Maduro’s support is more complex than U.S. narratives suggest.

  “The country has been split for a very long time... The average Venezuelan... are I think again shocked and opposed... opposition to a US military attack or a foreign invasion. This is a matter of national sovereignty. It doesn't matter what you think about Nicolás Maduro.” – Acuña [12:53]

• Media Misinformation: Even U.S. left/progressive media echo anti-Maduro talking points; pervasive demonization and oversimplification of the crisis.

5. The Reality and Impact of U.S. Sanctions

• Sanctions Regime: Began under Clinton, escalated under Obama’s declaration of Venezuela as a threat, reached full impact under Trump.
• Consequences: Scarcity of goods, collapse of oil revenue, seizure of international assets (e.g., Citgo, gold reserves), and devastating effects on healthcare (notably access to insulin).

  “Insulin has become a real problem and many people have just simply died. People with diabetes have just died because they can no longer get a hold of insulin.” – Acuña [16:57]

• Chavez vs. Maduro: While sanctions began pre-Maduro, their catastrophic effects peaked during Maduro’s presidency, deviating blame from individual leadership failings.

6. Debunking U.S. Pretexts: Drugs & Oil Theft

• Cartel de los Soles Myth: Acuña notes that the U.S. Justice Dept. has admitted no such Venezuelan “cartel” actually exists; charges against Maduro are politicized and “a joke.”

  “The U.S. department of justice has recently conceded... there is no Cartel de los Solis... Venezuela is a small transit point for drugs internationally... the charges are bogus...” – Acuña [20:27]

• Nationalization of Oil: Trump’s repeated claim that Venezuela "stole our oil" is historically inaccurate; nationalization in 1976 was orderly, with compensation and minimal disruption to U.S. capital.

  “For Trump to say that they stole our oil, they stole our infrastructure, this is just rubbish and it should be dismissed as just rubbish.” – Acuña [23:23]

7. Venezuela’s Oil Industry: Infrastructure and Brain Drain

• Current Struggles: Years of sanctions and brain drain have severely reduced Venezuela’s oil production capacity, as skilled workers have left and imported parts are unavailable.

  “The infrastructure has been collapsing...they’ve had a brain drain...the Venezuelan oil industry is no longer producing what it used to, but there are very real reasons why that's the case.” – Acuña [26:49]

8. Body Count of U.S. Economic War

• Sanctions Death Toll: Studies estimate 40,000–100,000 Venezuelans have died due to economic sanctions.

  “That study was done by the Center for Economic Policy Research... 40,000 Venezuelans, but that's going back a few years. Now... he put the figure at 100,000 Venezuelans.” – Acuña [27:47]

9. The Venezuelan Opposition and International Recognition

• Opposition’s Collapse: Post-invasion, opposition leaders—especially María Corina Machado—lose legitimacy after advocating for U.S. intervention. Even traditional opposition parties reject this stance.

  “That support has completely collapsed once... she just went took the calls to another level for a US Military intervention. That position has been rejected by Accion Democratica...” – Acuña [28:54]

• International Response: EU and other U.S. allies tacitly support intervention via sanctions and silence; global outrage is absent despite Maduro’s kidnapping.

  “Why is there not a unified international outrage... is really a reflection of the world that we're in and the continuing power of the United States and how unwilling its allies are to try and hold it to any accountability.” – Acuña [31:43]

10. Regional and Global Context: Cuba, China, and Russia

• Regional Dominoes: Next likely U.S. target is Cuba. Venezuela has been Cuba’s lifeline post-Soviet Union; a U.S. victory in Venezuela would further destabilize Cuba.

  “Should they be able to overthrow the Bolivar revolution in Venezuela, then they're going straight for Cuba. That's, I have absolutely no doubt about that. They're going for Cuba.” – Acuña [34:08]

• China and Russia’s Limited Roles: Chinese investment has been substantial but not on the scale of Soviet support to Cuba; neither are poised to provide the kind of lifeline Latin leftist governments received during the Cold War.

  “But in terms of a power being able to step in and help Venezuela like Russia did with the Cuban revolution, that's just not the case.” – Acuña [36:32]

• Geopolitical Signaling to China: U.S. moves are designed to deter future Chinese inroads in Latin America—e.g., threatening Panama over Chinese-managed Canal contracts.

  “If the United States government is able to... overthrow the Bolivar revolution in Venezuela, then that's going to send a clear message to everyone else. Watch out. Do business with China and you could end up like Venezuela.” – Acuña [39:20]

11. Community Defense and the Future of Armed Resistance

• The Colectivos: Armed neighborhood groups ("colectivos") have been mobilized to deter both crime and opposition sabotage.

  “The colectivos are community groups that have become the backbone supporters of the government in the barrios...they’re armed.” – Acuña [40:40]

• Potential for Protracted Conflict: If the U.S. launches ground operations, substantial urban and rural guerrilla resistance is likely.

  “Having citizens armed means that if boots on the ground are placed, then there's going to be fighting... that fighting could continue for 10 years, who knows how long?” – Acuña [40:40]

• Military’s Chavista Roots: The Venezuelan military is deeply politicized, influenced by Hugo Chávez’s original reforms, and is expected to resist until the end.

  “The Venezuelan military is very much like the Cuban military. They are highly ideological...” – Acuña [42:00]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Psychological Warfare and Internal Betrayal:

  "It was just too quick, almost too easy. ...there were no losses on the U. S side. But on the Venezuelan and Cuban side the casualties were significant." – Acuña [07:55]

• On U.S. Narrative and Left Media:

  "Even most of the lefties... begin every statement with 'yes, Maduro was a brutal dictator, tyrant. His people hated him. They were eating dogs and cats.' And that's just become almost accepted." – Bob Buzzanco [12:15]

• On Alternative Media Responsibilities:

  "This is something that we in the US Left, we have to deal with all the time, where the bad guy, Castro was a bad guy, the Sandinistas were bad. And so this is just kind of part of our life here." – Bob Buzzanco [16:20]

• On U.S. Motivation and Profiteering:

  "The Trump people stand to make a lot of money from efforts like this." – Bob Buzzanco [19:59]
  "Of course, of course." – Acuña (in agreement) [20:04]

• On Future Strategy:

  “If Trump is able to successfully remove the Chavistas from power in Caracas… they’re going for Cuba. Marco Rubio wants Cuba. This is the US political establishment wanting to destroy the left in Latin America, similar to the coup d’etats and the military dictatorship of the 1960s and 70s.” – Acuña [34:08]

Important Timestamps

• [01:39] – Acuña describes the shock, fear, and failure of air defenses in Venezuela
• [06:18] – Discussion on probable inside betrayal and misinformation warfare
• [08:49] – Profile of Delsy Rodríguez, new acting president
• [12:53] – Contextualizing Venezuelan opinions of Maduro, polarization
• [16:57] – In-depth look at U.S. sanctions and their human cost
• [20:27] – Acuña debunks the "Cartel de los Soles" narrative
• [23:23] – Nationalization of oil, historical context
• [26:49] – Oil infrastructure, brain drain, and economic decline
• [27:47] – Sanctions’ death toll estimates
• [28:54] – Fragmentation and collapse of the opposition
• [31:43] – Lack of international outrage, complicity of the EU
• [34:08] – Likelihood of Cuba being targeted next
• [36:32] – China/Russia’s limited support compared to Soviet era
• [40:40] – Role and readiness of armed colectivos and Chavista military
• [42:00] – Revolutionary ideology of the Venezuelan military

Conclusion

This episode provides an unfiltered, on-the-ground account of Venezuela’s current crisis, dissecting U.S. narratives, internal power realignments, the resilience of Chavismo, and the broader implications for Latin America and U.S. policy. Dr. Acuña’s analysis is both cautionary and rooted in deep experience, warning of the human and geopolitical costs of U.S. militarism and foreign intervention.

Find Dr. Rodrigo Acuña’s work:
Just Google "Rodrigo Acuña" for his website, documentary “Venezuela: The Cost of Challenging an Empire,” newsletter, and articles. [43:56]