"It's Not Regime Change, It's Regime Roulette": Ian Bremmer On US' Venezuela Op

Ian Bremmer, president of Eurasia Group and top global risk guru, said that Venezuela's regime change backed by the United States is a "regime roulette". In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Bremmer described the new administration in Venezuela as similar to the old one despite undergoing a "regime change".

"It's not regime change, it's regime roulette. Spin the dice and see what's next," Bremmer said regarding the shift in power dynamics in Venezuela.

He said that the US government essentially demands that Venezuela sever ties with Russia, Iran, Cuba and Hezbollah, provide preferred access to oil and critical minerals and stop drug exports to the US. "If the Venezuelan government does not do that, then the US will take military action against them the way they did against Maduro," he added.

House Speaker Mike Johnson had said that US actions in Venezuela are "not a regime change" operation. "This is demand for a change in behaviour," he said. "We don't expect direct involvement in any other way beyond just coercing the new, the interim government to get that going."

A special task force carried out a military offensive on Saturday, capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and transporting them to New York to face drug trafficking charges. At least 40 Venezuelans, civilians and soldiers, died in the operation. No Americans were harmed.

US President Donald Trump declared that the United States intends to "run" Venezuela for an unspecified period to secure American oil interests. Before the raid, US officials identified Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as an acceptable interim replacement.

The operation came after weeks of escalating US pressure.

In addition to the Venezuela operation, Trump is preparing to take the helm of an as-yet unformed Board of Peace to run postwar Gaza, involving the United States in yet another Mideast engagement for possibly decades to come.