GIGA Talk
23.02.2026
16:00 Uhr (MEZ)
17:30 Uhr (MEZ)
It took the US military just a few hours to remove Maduro from power. However, Trump’s boastful assertion that the United States will “run the country” is certain to induce a tug-of-war between many actors for months and years to come. As the United States has placed its bets on the old elite of long-time Maduro loyalists to guarantee stability and US interests, what chance is there for a democratic opening in the country? Will the Venezuelan government enter into a new phase of “coercive negotiations” with the United States, or will the country become a long-term de facto US protectorate? Given that the military raid on Venezuela comes as part of the US claim to the Americas – North and South – as its exclusive zone of influence, what will the implications be for the region? And what will its immediate effects be on Cuba, which has lost not only its closest political ally but also its key source of oil? With the economy spiralling and the threat of the United States stepping up its pressure growing, how will Cuba’s socialist regime – and the island’s people – brace themselves for the deep crisis to come? Speakers: Jesús Renzullo is a Research Fellow at the GIGA Institute for Latin American Studies and has been following events in Venezuela closely for years. Prof. Dr. Bert Hoffmann is a Lead Research Fellow at the GIGA Institute for Latin American Studies and will return from a visit to Cuba shortly before the GIGA Talk. Moderator: Prof. Dr. Merike Blofield is Director of the GIGA Institute for Latin American Studies and a professor of political science at the University of Hamburg.
GIGA Berlin Office, Friedrichstraße 206, 10969 Berlin
English
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