As U.S. warships circle Venezuelan waters and a $50 million bounty hangs over Nicolás Maduro’s head, the world is watching to see if military pressure can crack one of Latin America’s most entrenched authoritarian regimes.
At Whale Hunting, we investigate the forces reshaping global democracy. As U.S. warships circle Venezuelan waters and a $50 million bounty hangs over Nicolás Maduro’s head, the world is watching to see if military pressure can crack one of Latin America’s most entrenched authoritarian regimes.
Now, we’re going inside the opposition movement to understand what these escalating U.S. threats actually mean on the ground. Through Clara’s interview with Pedro Urruchurtu – María Corina Machado’s international affairs coordinator, who spent over a year besieged in the Argentine embassy before escaping – we reveal how Maduro’s network of military elites and drug cartels maintains its grip on power despite international isolation.
This isn’t just about Venezuela. It’s about whether external pressure can force democratic transitions, how modern authoritarians survive superpower threats, and what it really takes to topple a regime that controls both the military and the cocaine trade.
A Note from Bradley: This story is part of our ongoing investigation into democracy movements worldwide. Whale Hunting is Brazen’s volunteer journalism effort that doesn’t pay for itself.
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