Venezuela Post-Maduro: A New Face, the Same Machinery

By Matthew Cole

Maduro is out!

“The removal of the head of state was something that every household in Venezuela—and the more than 8 million Venezuelans who have been forced to migrate across the world—had hoped and prayed for," said Jesus Barrios a junior at Barry University majoring in finance.

For Venezuelans watching the chaos unfold on TikTok or X, it feels like the end of a long, dark chapter. But if you talk to the experts, the celebration might be premature. The reality is that while the head of the snake has been removed, the scales, the venom and the nest remain.

It is a "new head," but the same government—and for the United States, the focus isn't necessarily on democracy, but on the black gold beneath the Venezuelan soil.

Pictured: Nicolas Maduros Moros Photo Credit: Wikipedia

To pull back the curtain on what a post-Maduro Venezuela actually looks like, The Buccaneer sat down with two leading experts: Dr. Leah Blumenfeld, chair of the department of history and political science and economist Dr. Yun Wang.

"Nobody should expect wholesale change," Dr. Blumenfeld said. "Maduro is gone, but his government—his military leaders, his judicial appointments and his bureaucratic machinery—is still in place."

She points out a critical tension: While the media and the Trump administration focus heavily on "restoring democracy," the underlying subject is almost always oil and the private companies poised to benefit from a shift in power.

"We have to be wary of who is benefiting the most from the action," she cautioned.

This skepticism mirrors long-standing arguments regarding Iran; in both nations, critics argue that Western interest in 'democratization' is often a thin veil for securing stable access to massive crude reserves, prioritizing global energy markets over the internal human rights of the population.

Unlike Iran, according to Blumenfeld, Venezuela is now a powder keg of internal division. While both left-wing and right-wing supporters are at odds ideologically, they are united by a desperate need for better wages, welfare and an improved economy.

However, she expressed concern that despite being a sovereign state, it might lack the "cohesive power" as a people to reject the potentially malicious actions of outside influences. The worry is that the remaining Maduro-era officials might cut deals with the Trump administration that prioritize corporate interests over the welfare of the Venezuelan citizen.

If the political landscape is a maze, the economic landscape is a minefield. Many assume that once the political "bad actor" is removed, private infrastructure and oil giants will rush in, investments will flow and the economy will boom overnight.

Wang says, not so fast.

"The initial expectancy is that these private oil and infrastructure companies would rush in and take the opportunity," said Wang. "But there are massive issues that need to be addressed first—namely, the currency, the strength and stability of the domestic economy, and the socio-economic infrastructure."

Wang emphasizes that you can’t run an oil industry if the workers don't have functioning schools, hospitals, or a stable regulatory environment. The "brain drain" of the last decade has left the country’s human capital depleted.

When asked to project the future, Wang was blunt: "It’s hard to see, but it may not be an optimistic outlook."

His analysis extends beyond Venezuela’s borders. He notes that the issues with Central Bank policy and trade and investment flows are symptomatic of larger regional problems. Venezuela’s neighbors have faced similar cycles of debt and instability, and without a total overhaul of how the country manages its wealth, it is destined to repeat the mistakes of the past.

For the average student at Barry, the takeaway is clear: Don't let the simplified media narrative fool you.

The "Post-Maduro" era isn't a clean slate; it’s a complicated transition where the remaining government is still pulling strings behind the scenes.

As the U.S. government and corporate interests eye the world's largest oil reserves, the people of Venezuela are left caught between an old regime that won't leave and new "allies" who might only be interested in what’s under their feet.

Blumenfeld suggested the real test of sovereignty is whether the people can find the cohesion to demand an economy that serves them, rather than just the next set of oil magnates.

Yet, amid the complex talk of 'machinery' and 'conquests,' voices from the local Venezuelan community like Jesus Barrios offer a more hopeful perspective on the future.

“Through the stories of our parents, we understand that Venezuela was once a place full of opportunity, prosperity and pride—a truly magical country,” said Barrios, a junior majoring in finance. “In the future, I see a prospering Venezuela—one that regains its strength, restores its democracy, and once again becomes a place where its people can dream, grow, and thrive.”

History shows that the lens of "democratization" rarely stays fixed on one map for long. If the machinery of global influence successfully pivots from the shores of Venezuela to the oil fields of Iran, it leaves one lingering, speculative question for the next generation of leaders:

After Iran and Venezuela, where does the gaze of the "conquest" fall next?