A president is kidnapped, the government remains, and we’re told it isn’t regime change. We pull back the curtain on what our guest calls “regime changeover,” a strategy that uses spectacle and lawfare to force leverage without admitting occupation. From sanctions that harden national unity to a reworked indictment against Nicolás Maduro that quietly retreats from early cartel claims, we dissect how narratives are built, sold, and then reshaped when facts don’t fit the script.

We get specific about why Venezuela resists the usual playbook. The Bolivarian civil-military structure blunts elite-driven coups, and a hybrid economy makes redistribution politics both urgent and volatile. When sanctions stall, pressure shifts to the shadows: covert action, destabilization, and the threat of a managed civil war. But force carries a heavy price. Without the will to occupy, Washington risks isolating itself across Latin America and the Global South while strengthening alternative alliances. That’s where heavy crude and strategic minerals enter the story—these aren’t just commodities; they’re logistical lifelines for militaries and power systems in a world edging toward multipolar confrontation.

The regional map matters. Cutting fuel flows to Cuba raises the stakes, inviting Russian or Iranian lifelines and reviving Cold War optics—tankers instead of missiles. Meanwhile, the financial track turns sanctions into profit centers, enabling distressed-asset deals and court-enabled seizures that move wealth under the veneer of legality. At home, executive overreach and headline diplomacy make lasting agreements harder, not easier. Durable deals rely on predictability and trust; tweets and tariffs deliver neither. We close with a clear takeaway: if the policy toolkit is limited to pressure and spectacle, the outcome is shrinking leverage, hardened resistance, and a region looking elsewhere for partners.

If this perspective challenges how you’ve seen Venezuela, Cuba, and U.S. foreign policy, share the episode, leave a review, and subscribe so you never miss future deep dives. Your feedback shapes what we dig into next.

It’s been quite some time since I have responded to “mail” so I have curated five questions to address:.

References:

Soryu (16SS) class Attack Submarine – SSK

Robert Gaudi African Kaiser: General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck and the Great War in Africa, 1914-1918

David Smith The East Africa Campaign 1914–18: Von Lettow-Vorbeck’s Masterpiece (Campaign, 379)

RAND wish-casting on drones in 2015.

Slaughterbots (2017)

Slaughterbots: if human: kill() (2021)

How are Drones Changing Modern Warfare?

Sun Tzu The Art of War

Carl von Clausewitz On War

Miyamoto Musashi A Book of Five Rings: The Classic Guide to Strategy

H. John Poole The Last Hundred Yards: The NCO’s Contribution to Warfare

Christian Brose The Kill Chain: Defending America in the Future of High-Tech Warfare

Qiao Liang & Wang Xiangsui Unrestricted Warfare: China’s Master Plan to Destroy America

My Substack

Email at [email protected]

A pre-dawn post, a capital in darkness, and a president in cuffs aboard a U.S. ship—what started as a “one-night raid” is already morphing into something far bigger. We unpack how the strike on Venezuela unfolded, why the official story leaves key gaps, and what it means when the White House says, without hesitation, that we’ll “run the country” until a “judicious transition.” If that sounds like regime change and occupation, it’s because that’s exactly how it’s being sold.

We walk through the mechanics of the operation—air defenses knocked out, a citywide blackout, special operators intercepting Maduro before a reinforced bunker—and the uncomfortable questions that raises about access and complicity. Then we pull the legal thread: the Article II claim that troops were inserted first and then “defended” with airstrikes, the decision to bypass Congress entirely, and the attempt to rebrand a cross-border assault as “law enforcement.” War powers aren’t a suggestion, and treating sovereignty like a paperwork issue invites blowback that won’t stop at Venezuela’s borders.

The promises don’t get sturdier from there. “Oil will pay for it” clashes with reality: a battered energy sector, massive capital needs, sabotage risks, and the legitimacy crisis that follows any U.S.-installed authority. We map potential power paths—opposition figures abruptly dismissed, Delcy Rodríguez floated for continuity—and ask the hard question: if negotiation was possible, why bomb first? Along the way, we hit the regional shockwaves, from casual warnings aimed at Cuba and Colombia to the mismatch between cocaine narratives and the fentanyl crisis that actually kills Americans. Expect migration pressure, market risk, and a new precedent great powers will cite when it suits them.

COI #863, Kyle Anzalone breaks down the latest news in Venezuela, Ukraine, and Israel.

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Scott interviews Jason Jones from the Vulnerable People Project about why American Christians are wrong to see the Israeli government as an ally.  

Discussed on the show:

Jason Jones is a film producer, author, activist, popular podcast host, and dedicated human rights worker. And he is the founder and president of The Vulnerable People Project. Subscribe to his Substack.

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For more on Scott’s work:

Check out The Libertarian Institute: https://www.libertarianinstitute.org

Check out Scott’s other show, Provoked, with Darryl Cooper https://youtube.com/@Provoked_Show

Read Scott’s books:

Provoked: How Washington Started the New Cold War with Russia and the Catastrophe in Ukraine https://amzn.to/47jMtg7 (The audiobook of Provoked is being published in sections at https://scotthortonshow.com)

Enough Already: Time to End the War on Terrorism: https://amzn.to/3tgMCdw

Fool’s Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan https://amzn.to/3HRufs0

Follow Scott on X @scotthortonshow

And check out Scott’s full interview archives: https://scotthorton.org/all-interviews

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Incorporated https://rrbi.co Moon Does Artisan Coffee https://scotthorton.org/coffee; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom https://www.libertyclassroom.com/dap/a/?a=1616 and Dissident Media https://dissidentmedia.com

You can also support Scott’s work by making a one-time or recurring donation at https://scotthorton.org/donate/https://scotthortonshow.com or https://patreon.com/scotthortonshow

On Jan 3, 2026 the US sent forces into Venezuela to arrest Maduro and in the process sent a message to the world-global power dynamics have changed.

The Delta Doctrine

Headlines shout certainty, but the fine print tells a different story. We dig into three flashpoints—Gaza, Venezuela, and Ukraine—where big claims mask unresolved terms, blurred red lines, and mounting risks that rarely make the chyron.

First, Gaza. The soundbite that Hamas “agreed to disarm” collapses a phased, conditional process into a false binary. Negotiators accepted a ceasefire and hostage exchange while leaving timelines, enforcement, and political conditions open. We unpack what mediators said at the time, why U.S. officials flagged unanswered questions, and how that gap has been spun to score points rather than secure peace. We also trace the hard consequences of policy on the ground: repeated ceasefire violations, shrinking aid access, and the removal of key medical providers that keep Gaza’s fragile health system alive.

Next, Venezuela. A blast at a port and public hints of U.S. involvement revive core questions about war powers, oversight, and evidence. If covert authorities stretch to sabotage without debate or proof, what guardrails remain? We connect seizures, blockades, and lethal operations across the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific to a pattern that Americans would call war if the roles were reversed. The strategic risks and constitutional stakes are real—and largely missing from mainstream coverage.

Finally, Ukraine. Reports of a 91-drone strike aimed near a Putin residence signal a dangerous turn in a drone campaign shaped by foreign tech, training, and intelligence. We examine what Western involvement might mean, why Moscow’s response could escalate rapidly, and how Kyiv’s desperation intersects with waning European funds and shifting U.S. support. Peace requires specific end states, not slogans: territory, security guarantees, sanctions relief, timelines. Without that clarity, each strike narrows the space for diplomacy.

Continue reading We

One thing I’ve learned studying the history of South Africa is that forced integration is as evil as forced segregationIf you want video go to tommysalmons.com

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Scott interviews Larry Johnson about Ukraine’s alleged assassination attempt against Putin, why European leaders seem so set on continuing the war in Ukraine, Trump’s naval buildup near Venezuela, the risk of a terror attack in the US and more.

Discussed on the show:

Larry C. Johnson is a former CIA officer and intelligence analyst, and a former planner and advisor at the US State Department’s Office of Counter Terrorism. Follow his analysis at Sonar21.

Audio cleaned up with the Podsworth app:

https://podsworth.com

Use code HORTON50 for 50% off your first order at Podsworth.com to clean up your voice recordings, sound like a pro, and also support the Scott Horton Show!

For more on Scott’s work:

Check out The Libertarian Institute:

https://www.libertarianinstitute.org

Check out Scott’s other show, Provoked, with Darryl Cooper https://youtube.com/@Provoked_Show

Read Scott’s books:

Provoked: How Washington Started the New Cold War with Russia and the Catastrophe in Ukraine https://amzn.to/47jMtg7 (The audiobook of Provoked is being published in sections at https://scotthortonshow.com)

Enough Already: Time to End the War on Terrorism: https://amzn.to/3tgMCdw

Fool’s Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan https://amzn.to/3HRufs0

Follow Scott on X @scotthortonshow

And check out Scott’s full interview archives: https://scotthorton.org/all-interviews

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Incorporated https://rrbi.co Moon Does Artisan Coffee https://scotthorton.org/coffee; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom https://www.libertyclassroom.com/dap/a/?a=1616 and Dissident Media https://dissidentmedia.com

You can also support Scott’s work by making a one-time or recurring donation at https://scotthorton.org/donate/https://scotthortonshow.com or https://patreon.com/scotthortonshow