S2E58: Trump’s Venezuela strike: The good, bad & the ugly

Jan 15, 2026

33:15

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We dissect the abduction of a sitting president and predict what might come next.

Synopsis: Every third Friday of the month, The Straits Times gets its US Bureau Chief to analyse the hottest political and trending talking points.

Was it all about oil? Transnational crime cartels? Or China? In this episode, US Bureau Chief Bhagyashree Garekar chats with Hoover Fellow Joseph Ledford and veteran oil analyst Carl Larry to understand Washington’s real game in Venezuela.

Dr Joseph Ledford is a Hoover Fellow and the Assistant Director of the Hoover History Lab at the Hoover Institution. His research focuses on the exercise of American power, especially in the Western Hemisphere.

Mr Carl Larry is a Sales Manager at Enverus MarketView with over 25 years of experience in the oil and gas sector, covering financial, commercial, and physical aspects of the market.

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:31 The 3 goals of the US military operation in Venezuela

3:45 So, was it about oil?

6:31 Is the world going to get cheaper petrol now?

7:54 Why does the US not want China as a ‘neighbour’?

16:42 Why was Machado not made president?

21:26 Will the US’ shale miners be hurt?

23:58 Lessons from Iraq and clues for Asia

26:45 How will the US recover from the reputational hit?

Read Bhagyashree Garekar’s articles: https://str.sg/whNo

Bhagyashree Garekar’s LinkedIn: https://str.sg/gD6E

Host: Bhagyashree Garekar (bhagya@sph.com.sg)