Scott Horton Show - Just the Interviews 1/9/26 Tom Eddlem on the Capture of Nicolás Maduro
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Jan 15, 2026 Tom Eddlem, a Libertarian writer and economist, delves into the complexities of Venezuelan politics and U.S. interventions. He discusses Maduro's controversial 2024 election and the historical context of the oil boom that enabled Chávez's rise. Eddlem critiques the failures of socialism in Venezuela's economy, emphasizing how sanctions and nationalization compounded the crisis. The conversation also touches on Trump's motives behind oil seizures and the implications for U.S. policy in the region, as well as the intersection of instability and financial gain.
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Oil Fueled The Illusion Of Chavista Success
- Venezuela's regime relied on high oil prices to sustain its socialist model and lost legitimacy after the 2014 oil collapse.
- Maduro resorted to electoral manipulation and electronic-vote tactics to remain in power as the economy imploded.
U.S.-Backed Alternatives Lacked Popularity
- The U.S. backed opposition efforts including Juan Guaidó and Maria Corina Machado but those efforts lacked sufficient popular support.
- Washington's cultivated alternatives often failed to dislodge the entrenched Chavista apparatus.
Doctors Fled And Mortgages Were Wiped Out
- Tom describes Venezuelan doctors emigrating because they couldn't make a living under socialism.
- He recounts a friend's mortgage wiped out by hyperinflation to illustrate currency collapse.
