On January 3, 2026, the United States launched a military strike on Venezuela and captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. This conflict raises new questions about the historical relationship between the U.S. and Venezuela, the sovereignty and independence of countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, human rights, migration, narcotics trafficking, terrorism, and the oil industry. It also raises concerns across the Western Hemisphere, including possible U.S. interventions in Colombia, Cuba, Greenland, and Mexico, and about global security more widely.  This event includes faculty with expertise in the Latin American region and U.S. energy and foreign policy.

Participants:

Dr. Joanna Mitchell, Director, Latin American Studies and Professor of Instruction, Department of Modern Languages (moderator)

Dr. Patrick Barr-Melej, Professor, Department of History

Dr. Brad Jokisch, Professor, Department of Geography

Dr. Daniel Karney, Associate Professor, Department of Economics

Patricia Marcano Meza, Investigative Journalist from Venezuela and Fulbright Scholar at Ohio University

Details:

January 22, 2026 at 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM at Ohio University in Schoonover Center 145