Will America Meet the Moment in Venezuela and Iran?

We may well have arrived at a geopolitical hinge point. Thanks to the American capture of Nicolás Maduro, the Venezuelan people have a chance to restore the constitutional order dismantled by the Chavistas, rebuild their once-thriving economy, and tackle the scourge of narco-trafficking.

But the potential implications go even further and intersect with another momentous event unfolding 8,000 miles from Caracas: the popular protests sweeping Iran and threatening the stability of the Iranian dictatorship. In both cases, America’s willingness to use hard power against dangerous anti-American regimes has opened up a path for their oppressed populations to take back their countries.

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Fed up with living under a murderous, corrupt, and incompetent government that can’t even fulfill the most basic needs of its citizens, the Iranian people are turning out by the thousands in cities and towns across the country to demand change. As in Venezuela, the tremendous potential and natural advantages of this country have been squandered and destroyed by this evil autocracy.

The Ayatollah’s theocratic regime has long been loathed by large segments of the Iranian population, who have taken to the streets in successive protest movements in 2009, 2017, 2019, and 2022. But as other Iran watchers will tell you, this time feels different.

Iran’s defeat in its seven-front proxy war with Israel has devastated its ability to project power, while Israel’s assaults on its military infrastructure and high command have revealed the Islamic Republic to be a paper tiger. Crucially, the destruction of Iran’s nuclear program by America and Israel dealt an enormous blow to the regime’s central survival strategy.

The Iranian people aren’t fooled by government propaganda; they see this weakness, and they’re rightly taking advantage of it. What’s more, there can be no doubt that the Iranian people will be emboldened by the downfall of the Ayatollah’s friend in Caracas; for his part, Khamenei has reportedly accelerated his contingency plans to join his fellow blood-soaked tyrant, Bashar al-Assad, in Moscow.

The parallel disintegration of these two regimes is a welcome development not just for the Venezuelan and Iranian people, but for America and the entire world. But what comes next is critical.

In both cases, we will only secure our interests by supporting democratic transitions for both countries so that stable, sustainable, pro-American governments can take root. Illegitimate, undemocratic governments are fundamentally less reliable and prone to the types of unrest and extremist takeover that threaten America. In contrast, democratic governments make more reliable partners because they are accountable to their people and must pursue policies that respond to the popular desire for peace and prosperity.

If we get this right, President Trump and his team could be responsible for ushering in an era of stability, prosperity, and American preeminence not seen since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Opportunities like this don’t come around often. Let’s make sure our strategy meets the moment.