News & Analysis Event Summaries

Acclaimed Journalist Anne Applebaum and Women Human Rights Defenders Discuss Implications of US Actions in Venezuela

January 16, 2026

• Helen Rocker

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The people of Venezuela are uncertain about their political, social, and economic future following the United States’ military operation on January 3rd, which resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife on charges of drug trafficking and narco-terrorism. Meanwhile, much of the world is concerned that the consequences of President Trump’s abrogation of the rules-based international order—from justifying spheres of influence in foreign policy to acknowledging that he is not guided by international laws—may lead to more serious consequences for peace and security around the world.

To meet this moment of uncertainty, the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS) held a virtual conversation with acclaimed journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner, Anne Applebaum, and courageous Venezuelan women human rights defenders, Daneli Hernandez and Sairam Rivas. Applebaum was a recipient of GIWPS’ annual Hillary Rodham Clinton Award in 2025, and Hernadez and Rivas accepted the award on behalf of women political prisoners in Venezuela. This timely conversation, moderated by Executive Director of GIWPS Ambassador Melanne Verveer, focused on the far-reaching implications of the United States’ actions in terms of Venezuela’s democracy and its people, the international rules-based system, and global peace and security. 

A People-Centered Approach to Democracy in Venezuela

Free and fair elections are a necessary component of a vibrant democracy, said Applebaum at the outset of the discussion, noting that the Trump administration has not called for a democratic transition in Venezuela, and to-date has backed Maduro’s Vice President, Delcy Rodríguez, effectively keeping the Maduro regime in place while insisting that the United States is ‘running’ Venezuela.

“The fact that their initial instinct was to hand the country over to its current dictators is worrying because it indicates a lack of interest in the people of Venezuela and the welfare of Venezuela,” she said. 

After the capture of Maduro, Trump claimed that Venezuela’s opposition leader María Corina Machado does not have the ‘respect’ of the Venezuelan people to govern the country. The panelists rebuked that assertion, affirming that Machado is recognized not only in Venezuela but around the world as the leader of the opposition movement. 

Applebaum highlighted the achievements of Machado in building a coalition movement that appealed to a wide range of Venezuelans. While she was barred from running for president by Maduro after she won more than 90 percent of the vote in the primary elections, Machado backed the campaign of Edmundo González Urrutia, who rightfully won the 2024 elections and the respect and trust of vast numbers of Venezuelans who are ready to see their country transition to democracy. 

Hernandez and Rivas expressed hope that Thursday’s meeting between Machado and Trump, which took place at the same time as the discussion, would result in Trump changing tone and accepting Machado as the extraordinary leader she has proven herself to be. It is unclear if anything tangible came out of Machado’s meeting with Trump.

Applebaum noted that by snubbing Machado’s leadership and expressing no regard for democracy in Venezuela, the Trump administration has maintained conditions that have the potential to breed further unrest, injustice, and impoverishment of Venezuelans, deterring Venezuelans living abroad from coming back to their country.  

“What we want is a Venezuela where people can come home,” said Applebaum. 

Under these conditions, many inside Venezuela continue to live in fear of speaking out and advocating for their civic and human rights, and have faced renewed crackdown and increased surveillance by the regime since Maduro’s ouster. 

Free the Political Prisoners 

Daneli Hernandez and Sairam Rivas, who both have loved ones imprisoned for their political advocacy and public support of the opposition movement, spoke about the forced disappearance, torture, and complete repression of activists and grassroots civil society leaders under Maduro’s regime. They underscored that the release of political prisoners is a prerequisite for a successful democratic transition in Venezuela. 

“With political prisoners still in jail, it is impossible to build a transition,” warned Rivas. 

While the Venezuelan government has begun releasing some political prisoners, the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela declared on Monday that the numbers “fall short” of international standards and called for the “immediate and unconditional release of all people being held in arbitrary detention,” specifically highlighting the immense trauma experienced by the families of these prisoners. 

Hernandez noted that simply releasing prisoners is not enough. Even after they are released, political prisoners still must stand for trial, are often denied access to social media or other civic rights, and are guaranteed no safety. Rivas and Hernandez noted that for political prisoners to be truly free, the country must be free of repression, surveillance, intimidation, and political violence. 

“We have more political prisoners than those in jail,” said Rivas, emphasizing that many Venezuelans are self-regulating their behavior out of fear of government retaliation. 

Rivas and Hernandez, both staunch human rights defenders, are hopeful that this moment presents an opportunity to build a strong social movement and organize Venezuelan civil society. Families of political prisoners are already protesting outside of detention centers and demanding the release of their loved ones and all those arbitrarily imprisoned. The speakers called on the international community to apply further pressure on the Venezuelan government to release all political prisoners and halt their violent repression of activists and grassroots civil society leaders. They also encouraged the audience to continue talking about the situation in Venezuela and the realities on the ground. 

“We need to make sure the world knows what is happening in Venezuela,” declared Hernandez, noting the imprisonment of activists and civil society leaders, as well as the economic and social crisis the country continues to face. 

Implications for the Rules-Based International Order

Applebaum situated the recent events in Venezuela as part of a disturbing global reality, one in which American foreign policy is based not on collective security and nurtured alliances, but on spheres of influence. Trump’s ambitions to assume control of Greenland suggest that the Administration’s motivation for its actions in Venezuela is more about exerting power and control in the Western Hemisphere than creating a better future for the people of Venezuela.  

According to Applebaum, Trump’s rejection of international norms, redesign of American foreign policy, and claim that he is only bound by his ‘morality’ have far-reaching implications for the rules-based international order. Notably, other world leaders may feel emboldened to act in disregard of international laws and standards to advance their own regional interests. 

Applebaum warned that Trump’s “spheres of influence” approach to foreign policy ignores a critical fact: other countries will begin hedging away from the United States, and there will be significant backlash, the consequences of which will be intimately felt by Americans themselves. If other countries begin to form their own alliances and avoid working with the United States, and similar patterns are replicated across the world with other great powers, we may be headed towards “a more brutal and war-torn world,” said Applebaum.

In closing, Applebaum urged the audience to remain vigilant and engaged and to focus their efforts on defending democracy at the local level. “Democracy always begins at the local level, and there is always something you can do locally,” urged Applebaum. Applebaum encouraged the audience to look to the example of those around the world who are risking their lives and bravely fighting back in the face of the most extreme repression and injustice.