US Sanctions More People in Maduro's Inner Circle

Is this maximum pressure campaign against Maduro crucial for U.S. national security, or is this Iraq 2.0 in the making disguised as a war on drugs?
US Sanctions More People in Maduro's Inner Circle
Above: Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro brandishes a sword during a rally on Dec. 10, 2025. Image credit: Jesus Vargas/picture alliance/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

Maduro runs a narcoterrorist cartel that floods America with drugs, and harbors Iranian drones and Russian military personnel while brutally crushing democracy. Regime change isn't optional when the actions of a rogue government ultimately affect the U.S. — it's the only path to ending mass migration, the inflow of drugs and hostile foreign influence in the Western Hemisphere.

Establishment-critical narrative

This is Iraq all over again, dressed up in familiar talking points about limited strikes and precision operations — now as part of the so-called war on drugs. The press is laundering another war just like in 2003, while U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean positions for regime change that'll fracture an already collapsing state and trap America in a new endless conflict nobody voted for.

Metaculus Prediction



The Controversies



Go Deeper


Establishment split

CRITICAL

PRO



© 2025 Improve the News Foundation. All rights reserved.Version 6.19.1

© 2025 Improve the News Foundation.

All rights reserved.

Version 6.19.1