Why Is Putin Silent on Venezuela?
Nina L. Khrushcheva
suspects that the Trump administration’s recent actions may have shaken the Russian leader’s confidence.
| CARVIEW |
Select Language
HTTP/2 200
cache-control: no-cache, no-store
pragma: no-cache
content-type: text/html; charset=utf-8
content-encoding: gzip
vary: Accept-Encoding
server: Microsoft-IIS/10.0
request-context: appId=cid-v1:fc335572-9002-41ec-b17d-9d29fc97b815
set-cookie: AntiForgery.PsOpinion=CfDJ8Ep6akpssXZOhWr4ZX80dVqtD8wCGWDWeEeWZaVNmZQWbAxOGt4R6riYw-vd5Juf0EX1fQAjdJNgCdyvwj1u3KRk9YlbQDt8FeEZDp3CCPXAbt5e-K5koA9BdVau_enGxfPz9jJ-sZGiNpo1oxlrtRw; path=/; secure; samesite=lax
set-cookie: XSRF-TOKEN=CfDJ8Ep6akpssXZOhWr4ZX80dVqoLxkQa6uqKIqu-IcSocQ7J9JE51UxVlpXLZVJHUi4qrbXhaqYZO89xFJZZhVyDkOn41r7BV9XNcijqKA1kYYOKImUiAaHEdws5TJBSKme_Y8nGTR0AmNGzojQPtv3KoM; path=/; secure; samesite=lax
x-frame-options: SAMEORIGIN
alt-svc: h3=":443"; ma=86400; persist=1
x-frame-options: SAMEORIGIN
strict-transport-security: max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains; preload
x-xss-protection: 1; mode=block
x-content-type-options: nosniff
content-security-policy: default-src https:; script-src https: 'unsafe-inline' 'unsafe-eval' blob:; frame-src https: data:; style-src https: 'unsafe-inline'; img-src https: data: blob:; media-src https: data: blob:; font-src https: data:; connect-src https: wss: blob:; child-src https: blob:; object-src 'none'
referrer-policy: strict-origin-when-cross-origin
expect-ct: enforce, max-age=86400
permissions-policy: camera=(), microphone=()
date: Sun, 18 Jan 2026 04:14:08 GMT
PS - The World's Opinion Page - Project Syndicate
Skip to navigation
Skip to main content
View all
Access provided by
PS - The World's Opinion Page
-
The AI Takeover of All Media Is Coming
Charles FergusonAI is coming for “content,” meaning everything from advertising and novels to movies to journalism. The result, starting very soon, is likely to be horrific, wonderful, depressing, and exciting all at once.
explains how the technology will reshape everything from advertising and movies to music and journalism. -
Trump Is Putting Venezuelan Democracy on Hold
Piotr H. KosickiNicolás Maduro’s removal initially raised hopes that Venezuelans would finally regain control over their political future. Instead, US President Donald Trump has chosen to preserve the Chavista power structure, sidelining pro-democracy advocates and leaving opposition leader María Corina Machado with little influence.
calls for civic mobilization as the White House prioritizes regime continuity over popular sovereignty. -
Trump’s Petrostate Dilemma in Venezuela
Terry Lynn Karl explains why the US intervention could put its goal – control of vast oil reserves – out of reach.Further reading
-
As Climate Diplomacy Stalls, the Economics Are Racing Ahead
Julie McCarthy points out that market forces, not politicians, are driving the developments that really matter.Further reading
-
Navigating the Trump-Powell Feud
Mohamed A. El-Erian thinks the Trump administration's latest attack is a line in the sand for the central bank's independence.Further reading
-
The Biggest Questions About Venezuelan Oil
Anas Alhajji parses the US president's motivations for seizing and controlling the country’s vast crude reserves.Further reading
-
How to Feed Ten Billion People
Yurdi Yasmi shows that humanity already has the tools and knowledge to end and prevent hunger. -
The Fight Over the Fed
Featured in this Big Picture
PS editors , Gabriel Chodorow-Reich , Gary Gensler , Şebnem Kalemli-Özcan , Anne O. Krueger , Mohamed A. El-ErianThe US Federal Reserve’s independence is widely understood to be vital to the economy’s well-being, by insulating monetary policy from political imperatives. But, following the launch of a criminal investigation of Fed Chair Jerome Powell by President Donald Trump’s minions at the Department of Justice, it is hanging on by a thread.
-
A New Age of Nuclear Proliferation?
Mohamed ElBaradei thinks new technologies and geopolitical tensions are pushing the world to the edge of the abyss.Further reading
-
PS Quarterly: The Year Ahead 2026 is here
Our annual flagship magazine, PS Quarterly: The Year Ahead 2026, is here. To gain digital access to all of the magazine’s content, subscribe to PS Digital Plus or PS Premium now.
Subscribe Now
-
-
A Gangster’s-Eye View of Global Power
Jayati Ghosh urges international cooperation that does not depend on the US to counter the threat posed by a rogue America. -
Trump’s Anti-Moral Morality
Peter Singer examines the historical roots and contemporary flaws of America’s turn to “might-makes-right” foreign policy. -
The Last Days of Fed Independence?
Anne O. Krueger warns that politicizing monetary policy raises the cost of bringing prices back under control.
PS Quarterly
Subscribe to PS Premium to secure
The Year Ahead 2026 magazine
Latest
-
The Biggest Questions About Venezuelan Oil
Jan 16, 2026 Anas Alhajji parses the US president's motivations for seizing and controlling the country’s vast crude reserves.
-
Trump Is Putting Venezuelan Democracy on Hold
Jan 16, 2026 Piotr H. Kosicki calls for civic mobilization as the White House prioritizes regime continuity over popular sovereignty.
-
As Climate Diplomacy Stalls, the Economics Are Racing Ahead
Jan 16, 2026 Julie McCarthy points out that market forces, not politicians, are driving the developments that really matter.
-
The Fight Over the Fed
Jan 16, 2026 PS Commentators unpack what’s at stake in the escalating feud between Donald Trump and the Federal Reserve.
-
Trump’s Petrostate Dilemma in Venezuela
Jan 16, 2026 Terry Lynn Karl explains why the US intervention could put its goal – control of vast oil reserves – out of reach.
Trending
-
Why This Time Is Different for Iran
Jan 9, 2026 Vali Nasr points out that the Islamic Republic is facing a perfect storm of external and internal threats to its survival.
-
The Trump Doctrine in Venezuela
Jan 4, 2026 Richard Haass explains why the US military intervention and arrest of Nicolás Maduro will play well in Beijing and Moscow.
-
What Now for the “Rules-Based Order”?
Jan 9, 2026 Daron Acemoglu thinks international relations will need to be rebuilt on a new philosophical and institutional foundation.
-
America’s New Age of Empire
Jan 9, 2026 Joseph E. Stiglitz thinks the rest of the world should plan for the worst and pursue a policy of containment of the US.
-
The Economic Roots of Iran’s Protests
Jan 9, 2026 Djavad Salehi-Isfahani sees a society caught between internal reform it does not trust and external pressure it increasingly fears.
OnPoint Subscriber Exclusive
OnPoint is our suite of subscriber-exclusive content. Get long-read commentaries, thematic deep dives, interviews with world leaders, and much more. Learn more.
-
The AI Takeover of All Media Is Coming
Charles FergusonAI is coming for “content,” meaning everything from advertising and novels to movies to journalism. The result, starting very soon, is likely to be horrific, wonderful, depressing, and exciting all at once.
explains how the technology will reshape everything from advertising and movies to music and journalism. -
Yankee Go Home, Again
Jorge G. Castañeda fears that the capture of Venezuela’s president augurs a new era of US intervention in Latin America. -
Trump’s Special Military Operation in Venezuela
Stephen Holmes assesses a policy made possible by the destruction of mechanisms intended to discipline US presidents' power.Further reading
-
Israel Unbound
Vali Nasr considers the regional risks associated with the country's narrow-minded pursuit of military supremacy.Further reading
-
PS Commentators’ Predictions for 2026
PS editors asked PS contributors to identify national and global trends to watch for in the coming year.Further reading
-
PS Commentators’ Best Reads in 2025
PS editors ask Project Syndicate contributors to select the books that most influenced their thinking over the past year.Further reading
The Year Ahead 2026
Not since the end of World War II has the lack of clear global leadership or anything resembling an “international community” been so apparent. Donald Trump's return to the White House has confirmed that the world we once knew is on its way out.
- Lea Ypi The Year That Could Be
- Joseph E. Stiglitz Trump and the End of American Hegemony
- Yvette Cooper Building Peace Together
- Radosław Sikorski “Never Again,” Again
Sustainability Now
Sustainability Now brings together leading voices in all of the domains involved in combating climate change, each addressing specific facets of the challenge.
-
As Climate Diplomacy Stalls, the Economics Are Racing Ahead
Julie McCarthy points out that market forces, not politicians, are driving the developments that really matter. -
The AI We Need for Sustainable Infrastructure
Bertrand Badré & Saurabh Mishra see great potential to improve how the world builds things, but only if the construction sector gets on board.Further reading
-
Europe’s Carbon Market Must Look Ahead
Günther Thallinger & Ludovic Subran urge policymakers to stand by a proven approach that has guided polluting industries toward cleaner practices.Further reading
Opinion that Moves
Economics & Finance
Politics & World Affairs
Human Development
Sustainability Now
Innovation & Technology
Culture & Society
The African Century
Africa’s economic rise is a world-changing development, but the sources of its emerging strength – and lingering weaknesses – are little understood. W…
Press Released
Today’s media landscape is littered with landmines: open hostility from illiberal and autocratic regimes, mounting censorship in countries such as Hungary, Turkey,…
The Ocean Imperative
Oceans cover over 70% of the planet’s surface and account for 97% of its total water supply; they produce half the oxygen that we breathe and absorb o…
Log in/Register
Please log in or register to continue. Registration is free.