Maduro’s Downfall a Setback for US Adversaries, Experts Say

The U.S. military operation is likely to have a ripple effect throughout the region, including at the ballot box, they say.

People walk by a mural depicting slain Iranian general Qasem Soleimani (L) alongside Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez (R), in Caracas, Venezuela, on Jan. 4, 2023. Federico Parra/AFP via Getty Images

The capture of Venezuelan socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro by the U.S. military on Jan. 3 could prove a blow for U.S. adversaries in the region, experts and former cabinet members of South American countries say.

“China and Russia [now] lose their main platform in Latin America, a platform they have invested in and protected since the beginning of the century,” Ernesto Araújo, Brazil’s former minister of Foreign Affairs, told The Epoch Times.