Venezuela's Shadow Over MENA: Perceptions and Precedents

MEI Vice President for Policy Ken Pollack joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj to explore what the precedent set by the Trump administration's military capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro could mean for US policy in the Middle East — particularly in light of ongoing anti-regime protests in Iran. The conversation unpacks the reverberations of Operation Absolute Resolve, Washington's options for and potential consequences of responding to the Iranian regime's brutal crackdown, regional perceptions of recent US actions and stated objectives, and broader questions around the direction of the Trump administration's evolving grand strategy. Recorded on January 14, 2026.

You can listen to Venezuela's Shadow Over MENA: Perceptions and Precedents online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Venezuela's Shadow Over MENA: Perceptions and Precedents is an episode from Middle East Focus by Middle East Institute.

This episode is 01:08:36 long.

This episode was published on Jan 15, 2026.

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