Venezuelan dissident outlines risks and opportunities as Venezuela enters post-Maduro era

With Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro extracted from Caracas connected Jan. 3, Venezuelans and the satellite are anxious to larn astir the aboriginal that awaits.

In a property league pursuing the Maduro cognition connected Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. is "going to tally the country" until a modulation tin beryllium safely made.

Isaias Medina, an planetary lawyer and erstwhile elder Venezuelan diplomat, said a peaceful modulation is captious for the 9 to 10 cardinal Venezuelans who are forcibly displaced and surviving successful exile. Medina, who resigned his diplomatic station successful protestation against Maduro's regularisation successful 2017, told Fox News Digital that exiled Venezuelans "have been preparing ourselves to spell backmost to rebuild our nation."

MARÍA CORINA MACHADO EMERGES AS TOP POTENTIAL SUCCESSOR AFTER MÁDURO’S FALL

People respond to the quality of the seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, aft U.S. subject actions successful Venezuela Saturday, successful Doral, Florida, adjacent Miami connected Jan. 3, 2026.   (Giorgio Viera / AFP via Getty Images)

With enactment from planetary organizations similar the Organization of American States, Medina said that the astir important adjacent measurement for Venezuela is to found a transitional authorities that tin reconstruct the regularisation of instrumentality and rebuild institutions that person been decimated nether the Maduro regime. Setting successful spot escaped and just elections is peculiarly important, Medina said, noting that it’s "a ineligible work owed to [Venezuela’s] people, due to the fact that connected their occupied territory, it was ne'er equitable oregon truly free."

Under Maduro, Medina said that "there was nary separation of powers, determination was nary regularisation of law, determination was not adjacent sovereignty." Instead, Medina said Venezuela had an occupied territory extensively influenced by violent and trafficking organizations Hamas, Hezbollah, the Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN) and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). He said that these groups were exploiting Venezuelan resources.

David Daoud, a elder chap astatine the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that truthful agelong arsenic Venezuela poses nary menace to U.S. nationalist security, the "ideal situation" for Venezuela "would beryllium American guidance for determined section action." 

FROM BUS DRIVER TO DICTATOR: NICOLÁS MADURO’S RISE AND FALL IN VENEZUELA

President Donald Trump speaks astatine his Mar-a-Lago club, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, successful Palm Beach, Fla, arsenic Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listen.  (Alex Brandon/AP Photo)

"The champion we tin shepherd Venezuela to beryllium is simply a productive subordinate of the household of nations, and that’s thing that we tin assistance with a softer touch, without boots connected the ground," Daoud said. "I don’t deliberation we request to beryllium successful the concern of trying to make Jeffersonian democracies anywhere."

Following Maduro’s ouster, Daoud said that the level of chaos allowed to beryllium wrong Venezuela volition find whether panic groups similar Hezbollah and Hamas volition beryllium capable to proceed operating there. "It would truly beryllium — does the time aft successful Venezuela make a unchangeable authorities that is capable to decently workout power implicit each its territory, is funny successful implementing the regularisation of law, is not corrupt. That would marque things very, precise complicated, if not impossible, for Hezbollah to operate, astatine slightest successful the mode it has been operating for a decade-plus, ever since the linkage betwixt it and the archetypal Chávez authorities came about."

MADURO’S FALL SPARKS SUSPICION OF BETRAYAL INSIDE VENEZUELA’S RULING ELITE

Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro gestures adjacent to his woman Cilia Flores arsenic they permission the Capitolio, location of the National Assembly, aft taking the oath during the statesmanlike inauguration successful Caracas connected Jan. 10, 2025. (Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images)

Going forward, Medina suggested that the state volition besides person to negociate guerrilla forces similar the colectivos, convulsive groups of Venezuelans who were equipped and trained with aged U.S. and Russian subject weapons. Medina said that having these guerrillas "return the weapons for freedom" could assistance to "unite the federation nether 1 banner of improvement and evolution… truthful that we tin person a state that truly meets the expectations, not lone of the riches that it has, but of the radical and the improvement of their acquisition and grooming and jobs, due to the fact that it has been wholly destroyed by design."

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Though the roadworthy up is uncertain, Medina is filled with hope. "What we person up of america is simply a large travel to beryllium capable to physique upon the ruins of what this authorities near us. But I deliberation we’re going to go stronger, and this is the moment. The clip has come," Medina explained.