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It’s Not the Oil. It’s Florida.

President Donald Trump delivers remarks at a press conference at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, following Operation Absolute Resolve in Venezuela leading to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Saturday, January 3, 2026.
January 12, 2026

Esam Boraey, PACS/Migrations

Esam Boraey, graduate student with our Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies and Migrations Program, argues that the U.S. capture of Nicolás Maduro was driven less by concerns over oil or narcotics than by U.S. domestic politics.

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