Venezuela, US military intervention and cartel power vacuums, with Cesar Alvarez

In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, host Robert Dougherty is joined by Cesar Alvarez, lecturer at Charles Sturt University on terrorism and security studies, to unpack the security, geopolitical and cartel criminal dynamics surrounding recent US military operations in Venezuela.

Alvarez worked for Canberra-based national security think tank Australian Strategic Policy Institute and provided technical advice to the Terrorism Prevention Branch of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. He has also served as a consultant and adviser to the Counter-Narcotics Directorate and the Doctrine and Planning Office of the National Police of Colombia.

He holds a master of policing, intelligence and counter-terrorism with a degree of master of international security studies from Macquarie University. He also holds a bachelor's degree of government and international relations from Externado University of Colombia. Alvarez is the founder and director of public diplomacy organisation Australia-Colombia Dialogue.

During the podcast, the pair discuss a range of topics, including:

• An overview of Venezuela's evolution into a key hub for transnational organised crime and drug trafficking.
• The role of the Cartel de los Soles and the deep entanglement between criminal networks and the Venezuelan state.
• Historical shifts in Latin America's criminal landscape following the fall of the Medellín Cartel, led by Pablo Escobar, and the Cali Cartel, run by the Rodríguez Orejuela brothers.
• The impact of Colombian coca cultivation, peace processes with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, and unintended consequences of counter-narcotics policy.
• The strategic, psychological and geopolitical implications of the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
• Likely internal power struggles within criminal organisations following Maduro's removal.
• The future of drug trafficking routes across Colombia, Venezuela and global markets, including Europe and Australia.
• Whether US actions in Venezuela set a precedent for other authoritarian leaders in Latin America.
• The potential implications for countries such as Cuba, Nicaragua and Colombia amid shifting regional politics.
• How the most recent changes in US policy may reshape Latin American security dynamics in the coming years.

Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect team