Following the dramatic removal of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from Caracas on January 3, both Venezuelans and the global community are keenly focused on what the future holds for the nation.

In a statement made shortly after the operation that ousted Maduro, President Donald Trump declared that the United States will oversee the country until a stable transition can be established. This intervention aims to guide Venezuela towards a new era of governance.

Isaias Medina, an international lawyer and former senior Venezuelan diplomat, emphasized the importance of a peaceful transition. For the millions of Venezuelans who have been forced into exile, such a transition is crucial. Medina, who resigned from his diplomatic role in 2017 as a protest against Maduro’s regime, shared with Fox News Digital that those in exile are preparing for the opportunity to return and help rebuild their homeland.

In Doral, Florida, near Miami, reactions were mixed as people processed the news of Maduro’s capture following U.S. military actions in Venezuela. This moment marks a significant turn in Venezuela’s tumultuous political landscape.

Looking ahead, Medina highlighted the critical need for support from international bodies like the Organization of American States in establishing a transitional government. This new government must prioritize restoring the rule of law and rebuilding institutions that have been significantly weakened under Maduro’s rule. Conducting free and fair elections remains a paramount goal, as Medina noted, stressing that it is a “legal obligation owed to [Venezuela’s] people,” given that their previous elections were neither fair nor genuinely free.

Under Maduro, Medina said that “there was no separation of powers, there was no rule of law, there was not even sovereignty.” Instead, Medina said Venezuela had an occupied territory extensively influenced by terrorist and trafficking organizations Hamas, Hezbollah, the Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN) and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). He said these groups were exploiting Venezuelan resources.

David Daoud, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that so long as Venezuela poses no threat to U.S. national security, the “ideal situation” for Venezuela “would be American guidance for determined local action.” 

President Donald Trump speaks at his Mar-a-Lago club, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Palm Beach, Florida, flanked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and War Secretary Pete Hegseth. (Alex Brandon/AP Photo)

“The best we can shepherd Venezuela to be is a productive member of the family of nations, and that’s something that we can help with a softer touch, without boots on the ground,” Daoud said. “I don’t think we need to be in the business of trying to create Jeffersonian democracies anywhere.”

Following Maduro’s ouster, Daoud said the level of chaos allowed to exist inside Venezuela will determine whether terror groups like Hezbollah and Hamas will be able to continue operating there. “It would really depend — does the day after in Venezuela create a stable state that is able to properly exercise control over all its territory, is interested in implementing the rule of law, is not corrupt. That would make things very, very complicated, if not impossible, for Hezbollah to operate, at least in the way it has been operating for a decade-plus, ever since the linkage between it and the original Chávez regime came about.”

Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro gestures next to his wife Cilia Flores as they leave the Capitolio, home of the National Assembly, after taking the oath during the presidential inauguration in Caracas on Jan. 10, 2025. (Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images)

Going forward, Medina suggested that the country will also have to manage guerrilla forces like the colectivos, violent groups of Venezuelans who were armed and trained with old U.S. and Russian military weapons. Medina said having these guerrillas “return the weapons for freedom” could help to “unite the nation under one banner of development and evolution… so that we can have a country that really meets the expectations, not only of the riches that it has, but of the people and the development of their education and training and jobs, because it has been completely destroyed by design.”

Though the road ahead is uncertain, Medina is filled with hope. “What we have ahead of us is a great journey to be able to build upon the ruins of what this regime left us. But I think we’re going to become stronger, and this is the moment. The time has come,” Medina said.