– Venezuela has become a proving ground for the emerging world order.
By: JIANLI YANG – Jan 6, 2026
“The fundamental question remains: Will Trump make concessions to China on the South China Sea, particularly Taiwan, in exchange for Xi Jinping’s concessions on Venezuela and the Western Hemisphere? Or will he pursue a simultaneous, confrontational strategy across all theaters? The coming months will provide the answer.”
The U.S. operation in Venezuela, culminating in the capture of Nicolás Maduro, sent shockwaves across the global system. When President Donald Trump declared shortly afterward that energy — specifically oil — was central to the mission and that the United States would now “run the country,” he was not merely signaling regime change. He was announcing the operational revival of a new Monroe Doctrine, echoing earlier assertions of U.S. hemispheric primacy that date back to the 19th century and were periodically reasserted during the Cold War.
That declaration carries consequences far beyond Caracas. It is, above all, a direct challenge to China — the external power with the deepest economic, strategic, and technological entanglement in Venezuela. Whether Washington succeeds in reshaping Venezuela will depend as much on managing Venezuelan politics as on navigating a prolonged, high-stakes confrontation with Beijing in the Western Hemisphere.
The immediate euphoria in Washington risks obscuring a sobering reality. Deciding to capture a leader is one thing. Managing the aftermath of a collapsed petro-state — while navigating its deep-seated strategic ties to China — presents an entirely different level of complexity.
Venezuela today is not merely a country in political transition; it is an institutional ruin. Decades of Chavismo have produced a deeply entrenched system that fuses party, military, state enterprises, and informal armed groups. Even without Maduro, the regime’s networks remain embedded throughout the armed forces, intelligence services, state-owned companies, and social control mechanisms.
Any U.S.-backed transitional authority will face immediate legitimacy crises, fragmented opposition forces, and the possibility of asymmetric resistance. Washington will not merely be midwifing a political transition; it will function, at least temporarily, as an emergency administrator for a society in near systemic collapse, with inflation, infrastructure decay, and mass emigration… [Continue Reading]
Source: https://www.nationalreview.com/2026/01/beijings-long-game-meets-washingtons-gamble/