January 9, 2026 — To kick off Season 2 of Around the World, hosts Dhruva Jaishankar and Rachel Rizzo recap what went down in Venezuela and the U.S. military’s capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife. They also discuss the revived tensions between the United States and Greenland, and touch on Israel’s recent recognition of Somaliland as an independent state.
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SNEAK PEAK
Dhruva Jaishankar: On this week's episode of Around the World.
Dhruva Jaishankar: So there were strikes against Venezuelan facilities, both military bases, port communications, antennas and such. This then led to a pretty targeted special forces operations with law enforcement officials, because again, Maduro is being tried. They went in straight and managed to get him in the middle of the night, and his wife, and extract them. it was a pretty daring military operation. It really showcases some of the unique capabilities of US military. There are not too many other military forces around the world that they're capable of doing such an operation. So seemingly effortlessly,
Rachel Rizzo: Greenland is an autonomous territory, but it is a part of Denmark. It's the largest island in the world. It is strategically located in the Arctic. Because of climate change, northern shipping routes, the seasons that those shipping routes can be used are becoming longer and China and Russia are working together to sort of consolidate control over those potential shipping routes. And so I think Trump wants to make sure that the United States is not only a player in this region, but is the dominant player in this region.
Dhruva Jaishankar: There has been some activism for some time, both by the people, by the de facto government of Somaliland, but also certain others to recognize it as an independent country. the United Arab Emirates has been amongst the most vocal in pushing for such recognition, not publicly, but certainly lobbying quite heavily to do that. For Israel, I think there is an added benefit. it's seeking greater recognition from different places. It's been attacked by Houthis in Yemen, who are just across the Red Sea from Somaliland. And so Israel obviously has an added incentive.
Welcome to Around the World
Dhruva Jaishankar: Hi, I'm Dhruva Jaishankar.
Rachel Rizzo: And I'm Rachel Rizzo. Welcome to the Around the World podcast. Your essential guide to understanding the forces shaping our world today. Every week, we cut through the noise to bring you clear, insightful analysis of the most important developments in geopolitics.
Dhruva Jaishankar: Whether it's security challenges across Europe, power dynamics in Asia, domestic updates from the United States, or regional updates in Latin America or the Middle East, we make sure you're up to speed on what's happening and more importantly, why it matters.
Rachel Rizzo: Thanks for tuning in. And also be sure to like and subscribe to the Around the World podcast on both Youtube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Rachel Rizzo: Hey Dhruva and happy 2026. How was your break?
Dhruva Jaishankar: Happy New Year to you too. Good. I was in New Mexico and enjoying being out West and now back in Washington, DC. And how are you?
Rachel Rizzo: Things are good. Just was in Utah with family, now back in New Delhi, and it has been a newsy six days, hasn't it?
Dhruva Jaishankar: Yes, absolutely. So we're starting season two of Around the World with what promises to be a very exciting year. Just a few things, I think, to watch out for. I mean, we're going to get into what happened in the last week and the last few days. But I think in the next few months and the rest of year, we'll be looking out for a possible Donald Trump visit to China in April.
Rachel Rizzo: Mm-hmm.
Dhruva Jaishankar: We'll have the FIFA World Cup here in the US in the summer, the 250th anniversary of the United States. Trump also plans to host the G20 leaders in Miami this fall. And we'll have perhaps one of the most consequential midterm elections in the United States in long time.
Rachel Rizzo: Absolutely.
Dhruva Jaishankar: And all of that will have international repercussions as well. And also, again, I think we'll be tracking some big uncertainties. I'm sure you've been following, of course, the Ukraine ceasefire talks.
Rachel Rizzo: Yep, it's a big one.
Dhruva Jaishankar: Which seem to be two steps forward, two steps back.
Rachel Rizzo: Always.
New Year, New Venezuela
Dhruva Jaishankar: And then we'll see also whether the US-China trade ceasefire holds until April and then again until the rest of the year. So a lot of things to watch out for. And then of course, these big uncertainties. And the first one we'll get into, I think, is Venezuela.
New Year, New Venezuela
Rachel Rizzo: And that is the big news topic of the last couple of days. I woke up here, I think I was going to bed here maybe on Sunday and started getting texts from people about the United States, the Trump administration specifically nabbing Nicolas Maduro, former, I guess now leader of Venezuela. So can you just give us a quick overview? What just happened in Venezuela and what's happening now?
Dhruva Jaishankar: So we had actually discussed Venezuela, I think on the third episode of the show, I think back in about October or so, and there was already a US military buildup underway in the Caribbean, the deployment of an aircraft carrier group to the region. But what we saw happen in the early hours of early in the new year was two and a half hour operation by US special forces led by the Army's Delta Force that went to Caracas following bombing, so a bombing campaign, targeted bombing campaign, nabbed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, brought them back to New York where they're facing now charges related to drug related charges in a US court. And so it's in some ways quite a pretty bold operation that came, you know, I can't think of a recent precedent like this against a head of state or government.
Rachel Rizzo: No, absolutely. And like you said, we did discuss this. I think it was on episode three, as you mentioned. So this wasn't completely unanticipated. But can you explain a little bit about the buildup and maybe a little bit more about some of the military actions that were taken, not just leading up to this, but actually in the operation?
Dhruva Jaishankar: So there were strikes against Venezuelan facilities, both military bases, port communications, antennas and such. It appears as if more than 30 Cuban soldiers who were there, Cuba had a good relationship with Venezuela, were killed in the operation.
Rachel Rizzo: Interesting.
Dhruva Jaishankar: The US says no American soldiers were killed. This then led to a pretty targeted special forces operations with and they were coordinating with law enforcement officials, because again, Maduro, being tried. It was a self-targeted operation where they went in straight and managed to get him in the middle of the night, him and his wife, and extract them. So brought them back to a US Navy ship and then from after that flew him back to New York to face charges. So it was a pretty daring military operation.
Rachel Rizzo: Yeah.
Dhruva Jaishankar: In some ways, think, much like the US bombing campaign against Iran's nuclear facilities last year. It really showcases some of the unique capabilities of US military. There are not too many other military forces around the world that they're capable of doing such an operation. So seemingly effortlessly, it was a high risk operation, but still the fact that it went off operationally quite successfully for the US is quite significant.
Rachel Rizzo: Yeah, I think you're right. And just setting the geopolitics aside, setting the decision aside, arguably it was a very successful military operation. What do you think this, what kind of signal would you say that this sends across the region now?
Dhruva Jaishankar: So Maduro and the government in Venezuela wasn't exactly popular in other parts of Venezuela. I partly the mismanagement of the economy had led to a big refugee outflow. And so in some ways it's being welcomed by Venezuelans abroad, including in the United States, who are quite a powerful political constituency. Also some in Latin America. I mean, for example, the Argentinian president Javier Mele, who is very aligned with the Trump administration, has been very enthusiastic. But at the same time, it's going to generate a lot of worries in other countries, particularly Cuba, with which the US has the most antagonistic relationship. But it's also been followed by some threatening rhetoric against Colombia and even Mexico. And so again, many others will be worried about the precedent it would set.
Rachel Rizzo: Can you also talk a little bit about maybe what this means about Trump's willingness to use force or what it says about his administration's approach, not just to foreign policy, but his approach to getting other states to potentially bend to his will? And maybe what signal does it send to states like Russia and China?
Dhruva Jaishankar: So, you know, one, I'd say two aspects to that. One is that a lot of people have characterized the Trump administration's worldview as isolationist. And I've been at least personally a little skeptical of that term because that suggests a real withdrawal from the world.
Rachel Rizzo: I agree, yeah. Yeah.
Dhruva Jaishankar: And instead, even in his first term, you saw his willingness to use force quite and quite daring, some would argue reckless, but certainly bold ways to use force to achieve certain decisive outcomes. And I'm thinking back to the assassination of Soleimani, Qasem Soleimani in Iraq, the Iranian al-Quds force leader six years ago, his use of like a really large weaponry against ⁓ ISIS and ISIL in Afghanistan in the first term. And then again, the bombing of Iran, Iran nuclear facilities and this, right? So there's been a track record of using force quite to achieve specific outcomes. And I think that, again, the isolationist characterization sometimes tends to gloss over that leading to people under underestimating the ability of the United States to use force under Trump. But it also, I think reinforces this view that might is right in this world in this day and age, know, so much for rules and norms.
Rachel Rizzo: Mm-hmm.
Dhruva Jaishankar: And if you're in Beijing or Moscow, I think it sends very mixed signals. It's been interesting to see some of the commentary emerging out of China and Russia in the last couple of days. On the one hand, it's a reinforces this view of spheres of influence. And at the same time, there's this grudging admiration of US capabilities. If you see the way Russia struggled in Ukraine, attempting something similar, change of government, a change of leadership there, again, shows the contrast in US capabilities.
Rachel Rizzo: Yeah, I think that's right. I think too that there's a lot of comparisons being made or lots of questions being asked about where or how Russia and China might be looking at this and how that might affect their own geopolitical decisions when it comes to, say, a Chinese decision to move against Taiwan, US decisions against Venezuela or Trump's decisions in the Western Hemisphere wouldn't magically decrease the costs that China would incur both militarily, politically, economically for a move on Taiwan. So whether they can look at it and say, well, the United States doesn't abide by international law, so we shouldn't either, but it doesn't change, I think, the calculus that much, I would say.
Dhruva Jaishankar: I think that seems to be the, there's been a lot of commentary on that exact issue over the last 48 hours.
Rachel Rizzo: Yeah.
Dhruva Jaishankar: And I think most of people who are sort of close followers of China and cross-strait relations believe that, it doesn't really change that much.
Rachel Rizzo: Mm-hmm.
Dhruva Jaishankar: If China wants to do something on Taiwan, they're going to do it anyway. There have been years of planning that has gone into this. For the most part, they don't believe the US is particularly law abiding anyway. They think there's a hypocritical double standards. So I think the general consensus is it doesn't make that much of a difference. Although I think some people are trying to use that argument to criticize the Trump administration's legality and appropriateness of the Trump action in Venezuela.
Rachel Rizzo: Yeah, that seems right. I think too that the big questions people are asking now, not just when it comes to Russia and China, but when it comes to the willingness of Trump potentially to use force elsewhere. And the Europeans are clearly on edge about this, given the comments that he's made about Greenland, for example. So I think this does bring in the question about whether or not Trump would be willing to assert that same kind of dominance over other countries that he deems not necessarily problematic in the same way as Venezuela, but as countries that are not bending to his will in a way that he would want them to.
Buying Greeland?
Dhruva Jaishankar: Yes. So actually I was going to pivot to you. fact, what, you know, the Greenland issue came up very early in the Trump term, Trump's second term, in his shortly after his inauguration. seemed to have died down for a little while, but is now back. Talk us through what does this mean for Greenland? Why is it back, back in focus?
Rachel Rizzo: Yeah, so I mean, the idea that Trump has wanted to purchase Greenland is not a new one. He first floated it back in 2019 during his first presidency. The idea then became sort of resurgent early last year in 2025 when he said again that the United States, quote, needs Greenland for national security reasons and then sent Vice President Vance on a visit there with the second lady. They received a very chilly reception from the locals, no pun intended. But then, like you said, the issue sort of died down last year. And even for me, as a person that was actually kind of watching this pretty closely, I sort of thought that that was going to be it. But with Trump, there's always a surprise around the corner. And when he was talking to reporters after the action in Greenland, he said yet again that the United States needs Greenland for national security. And he has thus far and continues to refuse to rule out the use of military force to acquire it for the United States. And so you've had comments from European leaders, from the Greenland prime minister, from the Danish prime minister. As most people know, Greenland is an autonomous territory, but it is a part of Denmark. And so a lot of issues, I think, are at play here. But the Danes, the Greenlanders, the Europeans are clearly concerned.
Dhruva Jaishankar: Yeah, and I saw one Katie Miller, who's the wife of Stephen Miller, who's the deputy national security advisors, tweet or put out on social media a map of Greenland with an American flag over it that triggered a response. And then there was a statement, think yesterday, was Tuesday of this week, which was it was a bunch of European leaders, Macron, Sanchez. was most of the top leaders sort of having unified position on Greenland and that any kind of it's up for Greenlanders to decide their future and Denmark and that this would threaten the need essentially implying this would threaten NATO as an alliance, right?
Rachel Rizzo: Absolutely.
Dhruva Jaishankar: But quick question. Why does Trump want Greenland?
Rachel Rizzo: So I think this is a really good question. mean, it's the largest island in the world. It's, I think, three times the size of Texas, if I'm not mistaken. It is strategically located in the Arctic. And there are a few things at play here. There are strategic issues at play. The US has ballistic missiles based in Greenland. We have space-based assets in Greenland. We have military personnel there as well. Because of climate change, for example, northern shipping routes, the seasons that those shipping routes can be used are becoming longer and China and Russia are working together to sort of consolidate control over those potential shipping routes. And so I think Trump wants to make sure that the United States is not only a player in this region, but is the dominant player in this region. It's also home to a lot of natural resources, albeit hidden under at some places, it's two miles worth of ice. So we're looking at things like critical minerals, lithium, cobalt, nickel. And so as this green transition continues and China continues to have most control over these critical minerals, Donald Trump wants to make sure that the United States sort of rests control of those critical mineral productions from China. And so this is where Greenland could really come into play here, although we are looking at years down the line and hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars of effort here. This is not a quick fix or something that would happen overnight. So lots of issues that play both economic, political, military, strategic.
Dhruva Jaishankar: And what I mean, look, we can never rule anything out, but what would you say is like the probability or possibility of any kind of US military action against Greenland? Again, this is a NATO part of a NATO ally, right? So.
Rachel Rizzo: Yeah, it is. And which means it's protected by NATO's Article 5, which states that an attack against one is an attack against all. What it doesn't say is what happens when one NATO ally attacks another, especially when that ally is the United States. We've had issues like that in the past with Greece and Turkey back in the day.
Dhruva Jaishankar: Greece and Turkey, yeah.
Rachel Rizzo: Yeah. But I think this would be, I mean, this you never say impossible, but it would be unprecedented. And like I said about China earlier, what happened in Venezuela wouldn't in turn decrease the costs that the United States would incur for some sort of military action against Greenland. And I think the Europeans, as they have stated many times, would be very serious about defending it, although a different conversation would be how and what sort of assets would they actually be able to use here. But I think when you look at the statements that the White House has made, you have to contrast them to some of the statements that say Secretary of State Marco Rubio has made in the last day or so to a closed door session of Congress. said that the United States is interested in quote, buying Greenland, not invading it. And so I think that the likelihood of military action against it is still low. But I do think that the likelihood of economic pressure against it is very high. I think it's clear that the United States doesn't need to own Greenland in order to strategically benefit from it. The Greenlanders don't want to be part of the United States, poll after poll says this. And also earlier last year, polls also said that this was not a popular idea in the United States as well. Also remember that Trump ran on a campaign of peace and you know, what happened in Venezuela, Iran, you can argue about that, but imagine really getting bogged down in some sort of military conflict over Greenland. What would that look like? That would put him on par with the very Washington elites that he continuously lambast. So I think it's unlikely, but I do think that this is not the end of this conversation. It's just the beginning and there's a lot to watch.
Dhruva Jaishankar: Yeah.
Recognizing Somaliland
Rachel Rizzo: I mean, just like moving from Venezuela and Greenland to an issue that is pretty niche, but you happen to be paying attention to this. Can you tell us what's going on with Somaliland?
Dhruva Jaishankar: Yeah, I think, you know, it's nice to use this podcast to sometimes shed light on things that are not like in the news, or in the US news and sort of top level.
Rachel Rizzo: Totally.
Dhruva Jaishankar: This past week or so, Israel became the first country to recognize Somaliland. And I will just explain a little bit like why and why, because it may seem random.
Rachel Rizzo: Okay, please.
Dhruva Jaishankar: Israel's foreign minister actually made a visit there. This is in the Horn of Africa, the kind of northeastern or easternmost tip of Africa. And for background, Somaliland has been a sort of de facto independent state for much of the past couple of decades. It has a separate colonial history from the rest of Somalia. If you look on a map, you'll see it as part of Somalia, but it was a British protectorate rather than an Italian one. And it has the strategic location on the Gulf of Aden just at the mouth of the Red Sea. It's had peaceful transitions of power. So it's self-governing, but it's been pretty economically backward and disadvantaged over time. There's not been a lot of investment there. And there are some reports now of mineral resource wealth, which has excited naturally that seems to be something everyone is chasing that's excited some interest in the region and and some renewed interest. But most of all, it's that strategic location right at the Gulf of Aden at the mouth of the Red Sea. And there's a port in Berbera in particular, which is of considerable interest.
Rachel Rizzo: So you mentioned right at the top of your comments that Israel recognized Somaliland. Why now?
Dhruva Jaishankar: Yeah, so there has been some activism for some time, both by the people, by the de facto government of Somaliland, but also certain others to recognize it as an independent country. And most recently, the United Arab Emirates has been amongst the most vocal in pushing for such recognition, not publicly, but certainly lobbying quite heavily to do that. This would be welcomed by some, including landlocked Ethiopia which wants to have access to the sea.
Rachel Rizzo: Mm-hmm.
Dhruva Jaishankar: It's a large country and a landlocked country in Africa. But for Israel, I think there is an added benefit. The Abraham Accords, it's seeking greater recognition from different places. It's been attacked by Houthis who are across in Yemen, who are just across the Red Sea from Somaliland. And so Israel obviously has an added incentive. At the same time, there's been resistance to recognition, particularly from the African Union, which has a sort of informal understanding amongst its members that it won't recognize breakaway regions, as many countries in Africa are worried about the precedent it would set.
Rachel Rizzo: Hmm. Yeah.
Dhruva Jaishankar: And for example, Ethiopia itself has been dealing with the issue of breakaway regions in Tigray. And there others, I think, who are opposed to it. Saudi Arabia is actually opposed to recognizing Somaliland. Somalia naturally is, because they claim it's still part of Somalia. Djibouti is opposed because Djibouti kind of has a monopoly right now on a major strategic port in the region. It hosts Chinese, American, Japanese, French bases. And so I think there's now been this renewed push by the UAE and Israel to recognize it and also to get others, the United States, the United Kingdom, India, amongst others, to recognize Somaliland as an independent country. But again, all of that has been complicated by other equities, the US, for example needs cooperation from some of the leaders in Mogadishu and Somalia's capital for counter-terrorism purposes and anti-piracy operations.
Rachel Rizzo: So something to keep our eye on and watch closely. It's interesting that you mentioned the precedent of recognizing breakaway regions. have, for those of us that watch Europe pretty closely, we have the same issue with Kosovo.
Dhruva Jaishankar: Yeah.
A country like Spain won't recognize Kosovo or independence because of the precedent that could, exactly. So you have those issues that are always there and it's gonna be interesting to see sort of how that plays out going forward.
Dhruva Jaishankar: Well, an eventful first week of the year in 2026 and a lot more to watch out for. have been protests in Iran, elections in Myanmar. Just today, there's been this issue of an oil tanker by the United States and reportedly a Russian submarine was dispatched to protect it. we're seeing, so again, a going on, lot for us to talk about in future episodes. But thank you to listeners for joining us this week.
Rachel Rizzo: Yep. And as always, as Dhruva said, thanks for joining us on the Around the World podcast and be sure to like and subscribe to our podcast on YouTube, on Spotify and listen to us on Apple Podcasts as well. We'll see you next week