Maduro is gone. What happens now?
January 12, 2026
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GZERO World with ian bremmer
Hosted by Ian Bremmer, GZERO World is an award-winning, nationally syndicated PBS television program featuring the most influential leaders and thinkers in the world.
The United States has pulled off a stunning operation in Venezuela, capturing longtime strongman Nicolás Maduro and bringing him to New York to face federal charges. For President Trump, it was a dramatic show of force, executed without US casualties and framed as proof that American dominance in the Western Hemisphere is back. But once the dust settles, far bigger questions remain. What happens when a regime falls but the system behind it stays intact, and who takes responsibility for what comes next?
On GZERO World, Ian Bremmer is joined by Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego, who warns that the White House has no clear plan for Venezuela’s future. Gallego describes a “wait and see” posture amongst the GOP members Congress, growing concern about deeper US involvement, and bipartisan efforts to reassert congressional authority through War Powers Resolutions. He also raises alarms about spillover effects, including fears that after Venezuela, other places like Greenland could be next. “After we saw what happened in Venezuela,” Gallego says, “we can’t really take any chances that these guys are going to do something really crazy there.”
Later, Bremmer speaks with political theorist Frank Fukuyama, who argues that removing Maduro was never going to be enough. Venezuela’s authoritarian system, he explains, doesn’t revolve around one man but a broader criminal network that remains firmly in place. “Let’s not kid ourselves,” Fukuyama says. “This is a nation-building exercise.” Drawing lessons from Iraq and Afghanistan, he warns that legitimacy, not military success, is what determines whether a country can hold together. Without it, the risks extend far beyond Venezuela, threatening regional stability, NATO cohesion, and the global order the US once helped sustain.
GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, the award-winning weekly global affairs series, airs nationwide on US public television stations (check local listings).
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Every week on GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, Ian explains the key global stories of the moment, sits down for an in-depth conversation with the newsmakers and thought leaders shaping our world.
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