U.S. Warships in the Caribbean, Dozens of Attacks on Boats, a “Closed” Airspace – and in Caracas, President Maduro Is Mobilizing Militias. Is an Invasion happening?

FUNKE-War Reporter Jan Jessen talks in this episode of the podcast In Crisis Mode with a German who has lived in Caracas and a Latin America expert about daily life, the 2024 elections, drug-related accusations, international law, oil—and the question of what could really happen next.

Guests:

Dr. Claudia Zilla – Senior Fellow, Americas Research Group, Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, Berlin

Jörg Bütefür – Geographer, Venezuela expert since 1988, lived in Caracas 2018–2024

🧭 Chapter Overview

1 – Escalation in the Caribbean

USS Gerald R. Ford, attacks on boats, airspace warning, Trump–Maduro phone call, OPEC assistance

2 – Daily Life in Caracas

Security, “We’re taking the city back,” risk perception, prices and incomes

3 – Drug Allegations and the “Sun Cartel”

Transit hub rather than producer; loose networks rather than a hierarchical cartel

4 – Elections, Opposition, Sanctions

2024 not competitive; regime logic based on incentives, repression, and apparatuses

5 – Economy and Humanitarian Situation

Stabilization vs. multidimensional poverty, weak basic services

6 – Region, International Law, Oil

Uncoordinated region, illegal attacks on boats, dependence on oil – U.S. as buyer

7 – Maduro Scenarios and Outlook

Exile, arrest, targeted killing? Trust, risks—and why democracy must emerge from within

🤝 More Information

Federal Foreign Office

Current travel and safety advice for Venezuela.

🔗 Website: auswaertiges-amt.de

📬 Contact & Feedback

Questions, criticism, suggestions? Write to us:

✉️ krisenmodus@funkemedien.de

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Every two weeks, on Wednesdays.

In Crisis Mode is a podcast by the FUNKE Media Group.

This episode was made with AI.