United States

Venezuela

Energy

Venezuelan acting President Delcy Rodriguez announced on June 15 that the country had signed a memorandum of understanding with GE Vernova to increase Venezuela’s power generation capacity, Reuters reported the same day.

Venezuela, U.S.: Venezuela Signs Deal With GE Vernova to Partially Recover Power Grid

Military & Security

Politics

U.S. President Donald Trump announced in a June 12 Truth Social post that the United States Southern Command had conducted a kinetic strike against members of the Venezuelan transnational criminal group Tren de Aragua, killing the group's leader, Hector Rusthenford Guerrero, also called Nino Guerrero.

U.S., Venezuela: Trump Announces U.S. Strike Killed Top Leader of Tren de Aragua

Economics

The U.S. Department of the Treasury relaxed its licenses on Venezuela, allowing contracts to recognize Venezuela's sovereign regulatory authority, as well as its permitting, labor, environmental, health and safety rules, though U.S. law will still control interpretation, payment obligations and enforceability, Bloomberg reported on June 10.

U.S., Venezuela: U.S. Treasury Eases Restrictions on Venezuela's Licenses

Venezuela is expanding its troop presence in gold mining regions of Bolivar state, including deploying special forces from the Bolivarian National Armed Forces and conducting operations targeting illegally controlled mines in the Las Claritas mining region, Bloomberg reported on June 9.

Venezuela: Military Expands Operations Against Criminal Groups in Key Mining Region

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello ruled out dialogue between the Venezuelan government and the opposition in a response to opposition leader Maria Corina Machado's proposal to negotiate a democratic transition with the interim government, El Pais reported on June 8.

Venezuela: Interior Minister Rules Out Government Dialogue With Opposition

India

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez in New Delhi as India seeks to strengthen energy cooperation amid global supply disruptions, Bloomberg reported on June 4.

India, Venezuela: Modi Meets Rodriguez, Reinforcing Venezuela's Growing Role in India's Energy Strategy

The Venezuelan government deported Alex Saab, a businessman ​and ally of former President Nicolas Maduro, to the United States, El Pais reported on May 16.

Venezuela, U.S.: Venezuela Deports Maduro Ally to the U.S.

Venezuela's National Assembly approved a reform that will expand the number of Supreme Court judges from 20 to 32, El Pais reported on May 13. 

Venezuela: Regime Approves Reform To Expand Supreme Court

Assessments

Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez speaks with journalists following a session at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding the Essequibo region in The Hague on May 11. 

Risk-tolerant investors stand to benefit from unprecedented regulatory changes and direct resource access, but face the risk of reforms being unwound by a future Venezuelan government.


Venezuela's Outlook and Implications for Strategic Sectors, 6 Months After Maduro's Capture

Media

Cuba

Mexico

Iran

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

China

Taiwan

Forecast Webcast

U.S.-Iran Relations

Join our analysts for this webcast recording exploring key topics identified in RANE's 2026 Second-Quarter Geopolitical Forecast.

2026 Second-Quarter Forecast Webcast

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (right) and Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil (left) attend a meeting in Beijing on May 12, 2025.

Global Trade

U.S.-China Relations

U.S. pressure on the new Venezuelan government will briefly cool China's engagement in Latin America and could renew trade tensions with Washington, though Maduro's removal is unlikely to affect China's calculus regarding Taiwan.

Assessing China's Response to the U.S. Capture of Venezuela's Maduro

Nigeria

Colombia

Greenland

Israel

Europe

Norway

Ukraine

Russia

Pakistan

Cyber

Environment, Science & Technology

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Social Issues

Science & Technology

RANE's Top 10 Risks for 2026 highlights high-impact, low-probability risks and trends from the annual forecast presented in more extreme terms.

RANE's Top 10 Risks for 2026

Benin

Uganda

Canada

Denmark

The Greenlandic flag on Jan. 8, 2026, on the roof of Tivoli Castle in Copenhagen, Denmark. Ukraine security talks and a Gaza peace plan will be in the spotlight at Davos.

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Elections in Uganda and Benin, Canada's Carney Goes to China

Join our analysts for this webcast recording exploring key topics identified in RANE's 2026 Annual Geopolitical Forecast.

2026 Annual Geopolitical Forecast Webcast

Brazil

Guyana

Venezuela's National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez (C) gestures during the official picture of the new National Assembly in Caracas on Jan. 5, 2026. 

Venezuela's acting president is most likely to cooperate with the United States to keep the country's regime intact, but other, more volatile scenarios remain possible. 

Venezuela's Post-Maduro Outlook: Potential Scenarios

Snapshots

Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela's largest military complex, after a series of explosions Jan. 3, 2026, in Caracas amid U.S. strikes.

The detention of the Venezuelan president creates a power vacuum that risks triggering violent unrest while establishing a precedent for further U.S. interventionism in Latin America.

U.S. Capture of Maduro Could Lead to Instability and Unrest in Venezuela, Wider Region

Yemen

North Korea

South Korea

A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B fighter jet takes off from Jose Aponte de la Torre Airport on December 15, 2025 in Ceiba, Puerto Rico. If U.S. strikes escalate and cause significant casualties, it could make retaliatory measures -- including the arbitrary detention of U.S. citizens in Venezuela or the harassment of energy sector vessels in the region -- more likely.

The Weekly Rundown: South Korea's President Visits Beijing, U.S. Operations in Venezuela

Burkina Faso

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Madagascar

Mali

Niger

Rwanda

Paraguay

Egypt

Lebanon

Morocco

Palestinian Territories

Qatar

Syria

Turkey

Australia

Cambodia

Timor-Leste

Indonesia

Japan

Mongolia

Myanmar

Philippines

Thailand

Vietnam

Bulgaria

Afghanistan

Nepal

Flight routes.

As 2026 approaches, we look back at the previous year and consider the top five patterns and trends as measured by geopolitical impact.

2025: A Geopolitical Review

A U.S. military MQ-9 Reaper drone sits on a tarmac at Rafael Hernandez Airport in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, on Dec. 27, 2025.

The Trump administration will likely soon launch more strikes inside Venezuela following the reported CIA drone attack on a suspected drug port, though a U.S. ground invasion remains unlikely for the foreseeable future.

Trump Escalates Pressure on Venezuela With First Land Strike

Central African Republic

Guinea

Cyprus

Kosovo

The Bulgarian flag and the European flag waving in the wind.

The Weekly Rundown: Bulgaria Adopts the Euro, U.S.-Venezuela Tensions Persist

<p>Located in South America, Venezuela is bordered by Colombia, the Caribbean Sea, Guyana and Brazil. Colonized by the Spanish in the 16th century, Venezuela became an independent country in 1830. The northern portion of Venezuela is dominated by the eastern spur of the northern Andes. The mountains are cooler than the surrounding subtropical plains and host the majority of Venezuela&#39;s population. The country&#39;s core includes Lake Valencia and Caracas. Since the late 19th century, oil has been the driving force behind Venezuela&#39;s political and economic affairs. The first discoveries were made in the Maracaibo basin, and later discoveries revealed heavy, sour crude deposits in the Orinoco basin. The tropical Orinoco basin is largely unpopulated, with little significant infrastructure. Just to the south are the Guiana Highlands, which buffer Venezuela from the jungles of the Amazon River basin. As a Caribbean country, Venezuela lies within the direct sphere of influence of the United States. The United States is not only the largest military power in the region, but also the largest consumer market and a key destination for Venezuelan crude oil exports. As a result, Venezuela&#39;s primary geographic challenge is managing its relations with the United States. Venezuela has throughout history used its relationship with the United States to attract the foreign investment and technological development that resulted in the country&#39;s well-developed oil sector. But relations between the two countries don&#39;t always match the economic reality. Former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez built domestic and foreign policies around rejecting U.S. influence.</p>

Venezuela's Unraveling

Commodities: A Cautionary Tale

A Crude Recovery

SITUATION REPORTS

Venezuela, U.S.: Venezuela Signs Deal With GE Vernova to Partially Recover Power Grid

U.S., Venezuela: Trump Announces U.S. Strike Killed Top Leader of Tren de Aragua

U.S., Venezuela: U.S. Treasury Eases Restrictions on Venezuela's Licenses

Venezuela: Military Expands Operations Against Criminal Groups in Key Mining Region

Venezuela: Interior Minister Rules Out Government Dialogue With Opposition

India, Venezuela: Modi Meets Rodriguez, Reinforcing Venezuela's Growing Role in India's Energy Strategy

Venezuela, U.S.: Venezuela Deports Maduro Ally to the U.S.

Venezuela: Regime Approves Reform To Expand Supreme Court

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