Here’s a critical question being asked not just in Venezuela: Where is Maria Corina Machado?
It isn’t every day, of course, that the ousted leader of a sovereign nation appears in a New York court — nor that U.S. forces swoop into another country to bring a dictator to justice.
No one has more questions about what will happen next than the 70% of Venezuelans who voted for Edmundo Gonzalez in the July 2024 presidential election and by extension, Maria Corina Machado, the opposition leader recently awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her indefatigable fight for Venezuelan democracy.
Venezuelans with whom I have spoken are understandably thankful to have the scourge of Nicolás Maduro removed but are perplexed about what it means for them.
I’ve known Maria Corina for years. A former lawmaker, she has been an outspoken proponent of restoring democracy to Venezuela since the 1990s. She often drew the ire of Hugo Chavez and later, after Chavez’s death, of Maduro. After she won a 2023 opposition primary with more than 90% of the vote, Maduro’s regime blocked Machado from running for president. She first chose Corina Yoris, a respected civil society figure, to run in her place. Yoris, too, was blocked. So Machado supported Gonzalez, then a little-known former diplomat, to run in her place, and he shocked the regime by winning a stacked election.
Venezuelans with whom I have spoken are understandably thankful to have the scourge of Nicolás Maduro removed but are perplexed about what the surprise U.S. action taken Saturday means for them. Would they be putting themselves in harm’s way if they take to the streets to celebrate the downfall of a dictator, many wonder? Diosdado Cabello, the Maduro regime’s interior minister, remains in office, and he has threatened to unleash his motorcycle thugs, the colectivos, to attack anyone who celebrates Maduro’s ouster.
If the United States is now running Venezuela, as President Donald Trump has asserted, it should allow her a tranquil return to the country. For one thing, this would clarify whether the U.S. has effectively taken over or if Venezuela is still under the control of Maduro’s dictatorship. So would the release of those wrongfully detained by the Maduro regime.
According to the nongovernmental organization Foro Penal, there are more than 900 political prisoners in Venezuela that include democracy activists and military officers. Political activists such as Freddy Superlano (winner of the governor’s office in Barinas in 2021 but barred from assuming office), civil society leader Rocio San Miguel (an expert on civil-military relations) and my friend Juan Pablo Guanipa are in jail because they dared to think differently than the Maduro dictatorship. There are too many to name them all here, but now that Maduro is gone, why shouldn’t all political prisoners find their way home?
For a clear indicator of how things are going, look no further than the notorious intelligence service center, El Helicoide. The quandary before Acting President Delcy Rodríguez is how to mollify the U.S. while not incurring the wrath of Cabello. Trump initially on Saturday spoke warmly of Rodríguez but by Sunday evening had threatened to depose her, too. Cabello, for his part, dislikes both Rodriguez and her brother, Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly and the official responsible for the intelligence services that sow fear across the country.
In his press conference Saturday, Trump dismissed Machado, saying she does not have the respect of the people to lead. Actually, the return of the opposition leadership matters. Machado’s return would ignite the passions of Venezuelans thirsting for democracy. During Trump’s first term, the U.S. took the rare step of not recognizing a government. In early 2019, the U.S. supported Juan Guaidó, a 35-year-old National Assembly speaker, as the country’s legitimate president. The Maduro regime told Guaidó that he could not depart Venezuela. He nonetheless traveled to the U.S., where he attended the State of the Union address in 2019. His public return to Venezuela, on a commercial flight, tested the nerve of the Maduro regime and simultaneously rallied the hopes of ordinary Venezuelans. I and many other international diplomats went to the airport to receive him. What we witnessed was the return of a national hero. His action kept the flame of liberty alight even as the Maduro regime sought to snuff out dissent. Similarly, Machado’s return would ignite the passions of Venezuelans thirsting for democracy. It would show the world, particularly the Trump administration, that she has the support of the people and that Venezuela is ready for real change, not the window dressing of exchanging one dictator for another. Under the status quo, and the long history of oil assets being expropriated in Venezuela, it’s hard to imagine U.S. or other oil executives would feel comfortable making the massive investments necessary to increase Venezuelan oil production and rebuild the country. Politics is a contact sport in a settled democracy like the U.S. Building a democracy in the wake of an authoritarian regime is even more intense. It requires enormous courage and sacrifice. Few have fought as hard for democracy in Venezuela than Maria Corina Machado. Her place in her country’s pantheon of national heroes is assured. If she is going to be Venezuela’s next president, she needs to be seen. Without her leadership, the democratic opposition might fracture. But with it, the true potential of Venezuela could be unleashed.
James Story was U.S. ambassador to Venezuela from 2018 to 2023. A retired U.S. diplomat who has served in posts around the world, he is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and founding partner of Global Frontier Advisors. 
