The Last Word with Matt Cooper War Games: How Previous US Administrations Saw An End To The Maduro Regime
Jan 12, 2026
Douglas Farah, President of IBI Consultants and a former Washington Post journalist, shares his insights on U.S. military war games involving the Maduro regime. He discusses how simulations at the Pentagon predicted chaos in Venezuela under various scenarios. Farah critiques the U.S. intervention strategy, highlighting issues like humanitarian neglect and unrealistic claims of control without troops. He also warns that the current U.S. approach risks international alliances and the stability of Europe.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
What War Games Actually Do
- War games are tabletop exercises that model multiple collapse scenarios and their political, economic, and military aftermaths.
- Douglas Farah says they map contingencies like popular uprisings, regime implosions, and continuity of power centers.
Decapitation Doesn’t Mean Collapse
- Farah notes planners model scenarios where a leader is removed but the regime's power structures persist.
- He links that to Venezuela's current situation with an acting president but continued regime networks.
Narrow Oil Focus Risks Humanitarian Collapse
- The current operation appears narrowly focused on oil with little planning for humanitarian fallout or nationwide control.
- Farah warns this will likely trigger mass migration, food insecurity, and loss of medical and fuel supplies.