What Could Venezuela's Future Look Like?

With Nicolás Maduro removed from power, Venezuelan commentators and policy analysts across the political spectrum have weighed in on Venezuela's future path, including how to rebuild trust, what the real intentions of the US are, and how best to restore democracy.

Fixing Corruption: Colette Capriles (Center bias), a social psychologist at Simón Bolívar University, wrote for the New York Times Opinion (Left) that Maduro's removal, even by force, doesn't resolve Venezuela's deeper crisis of institutional collapse, social fragmentation and informal power networks. She argues authoritarianism has mutated the country into a decentralized system of corruption and coercion, warning that regime remnants could fuel prolonged chaos or insurgency. Capriles emphasized that rebuilding trust, capacity and social cohesion will be a slow and uncertain process rather than a quick political fix.

The Role of Democracy: In an opinion piece for The Economist (Lean Left), Harvard Professor and a former Venezuelan Minister of Planning, Ricardo Hausmann, wrote Venezuela's brief optimism following Maduro's removal quickly gave way to concern over US intentions and the sidelining of Venezuelan democratic agency. Hausmann criticized Trump's transactional, oil-focused rhetoric as both undemocratic and economically unrealistic, and argued that sustainable recovery depends on restoring democracy and rebuilding rights-based institutions rather than relying on force, oil wealth or external tutelage.

In contrast, Bret Stephens (Lean Right) argued leaving much of the regime intact is unrealistic and politically untenable. He said removing Maduro without dismantling the system that sustained him would betray Venezuelans and alienate both US conservatives and some liberals who support genuine regime change. Rather than emphasizing institutional restraint, Stephens proposes conditional options for Maduro's regime members–including exile, prosecution or amnesty–alongside a clear and near-term timeline for free and fair elections to establish a stable, democratically elected government.

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