2026-01-03
21 分钟You're listening to a special edition of the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service.
Hello, I'm Oliver Conway.
We're recording this at 12.30 GMT on Saturday, the 3rd of January.
The US says it's captured the Venezuelan President,
Nicolas Maduro, after launching airstrikes on Caracas and other cities.
Venezuela has declared a state of emergency and condemned the attack as a colonial war.
In the face of this brutal situation and in the face of this brutal attack,
we have no knowledge of the whereabouts of the President, Nicolas Maduro.
We'll hear from Caracas and Washington and get reaction from our Chief International Correspondent,
Lee's Doucet.
He never has used the phrase regime change with Venezuela,
casting it as well as along with his top officials as being a national security threat.
It is clear that this is regime change in all but name.
From the banana wars of the early 20th century to Cold War proxy battles,
the US has a long history of military intervention in Latin America.
But not since the invasion of Panama nearly four decades ago,
as America unleashed the might of its armed forces in the region it considers its backyard.
That has all changed under President Trump, despite his vow not to get involved in foreign wars.
For months he's been agitating for the overthrow of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Since September, US forces have killed about 100 people on alleged drug boats in the region.