The Political Scene | The New Yorker

Why Is Trump Targeting Venezuela?

December 3, 2025·39 min·6-min readinterviewnews
Podzilla Summary (6 min)
TLDR
The Trump administration's military strikes on boats in the Caribbean, labeled as part of a war on narco-terrorism in Venezuela, are less about drug interdiction and more a performative, illegal exercise in gunboat diplomacy aimed at destabilizing Nicolás Maduro’s regime. According to Joh

Sign up to read the full summary

Free AI-powered recaps of every episode, delivered to your inbox.

Get Free Summaries →

Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.

Guest

J

Jon Lee Anderson

interview on The Political Scene | The New Yorker

Mentions

Books, people, and resources mentioned in this episode.

People

Jon Lee AndersonTyler FoggattPete HegsethNicolás MaduroJuan Orlando HernándezDaniel NoboaJuan Manuel Santos

Books

Can Trump's Peace Initiative Stop the Congo's 30-Year War?by Jon Lee Anderson

Companies

The New Yorker

Topics

AuthoritarianismCriminal JusticeForeign PolicyGeopoliticsInvestigative JournalismLong Form JournalismUs Politics

Listen to This Episode

Get summaries like this every morning.

Free AI-powered recaps of The Political Scene | The New Yorker and your other favorite podcasts, delivered to your inbox.

Get Free Summaries →

Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.