Maduro’s fall came as he tried to negotiate for his survival, offering oil access and anti-drug cooperation to the U.S. Instead, a dramatic U.S. strike over Caracas ended with him and his wife in custody aboard a U.S. aircraft. While Trump hailed the operation, Venezuela’s remaining leaders condemned it as a colonial attack. With Maduro detained and the country’s power structure shaken, Venezuela now faces a precarious future between hope for change and the dangers of a widening power vacuum.
