The successful US operation to arrest former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro on Saturday and the newest wave of protests in Iran spark feelings of cautious optimism, but it is too early and even dangerous to decide that these developments will bring meaningful change.
If public discourse prematurely decides that these events have succeeded, it can lead to something worse.
Numerous reports poured out from Venezuela of explosions and military action on Saturday, until US President Donald Trump confirmed that Maduro was captured, shifting Venezuela into a constitutional scramble within hours. The Supreme Court quickly named Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as acting president.
Across the globe, social media footage of protests in Iran – that sparked in late December over economic turmoil – shows that they are continuing to grow.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made a rare public appearance Saturday and acknowledged, in a statement on X/Twitter, that the regime had failed to address legitimate grievances.
Clashes with security forces have left protesters dead, and facilities have been set on fire.
Despite uncertainty, these moments offer hope. The Jerusalem Post doesn’t tend to take sides in countries’ internal affairs; however, it reaffirms that the citizens of Venezuela and Iran are entitled to democratically elected governments that serve rather than exploit them.
In Venezuela, free and fair elections now appear possible for the first time since 2013, alongside potential reunions with exiled relatives.
In Iran, protests are rising at a fragile moment for the regime. The Post’s Yonah Jeremy Bob notes that, unlike during past protests, the security forces meant to extinguish them are at their weakest point in decades. Following Israel’s June 2025 strikes on Tehran, Iran lost more than 30 top military and IRGC commanders – as well as most of its nuclear program, half its ballistic missiles, and 80% of its air defense.
The regime’s grip is also threatened by economic collapse. Tehran is becoming increasingly financially unsustainable.
The government has mandated blackouts and limited water use, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian even announced that they are considering moving the capital.
Without enough brute force to suppress the people, this very well may be the tipping point that topples the regime.
That being said, with great hope also comes great risk and responsibility. History has shown time and time again that a vacuum of power, when not properly addressed, can be filled by something much worse. Iran itself is one of the greatest examples.
While the protesters had the absolute best of intentions in 1979, when Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was overthrown, they replaced him with the oppressive regime of today, which is literally sucking its own citizens dry of resources in order to fund terror proxies around the world.
Many countries, including Israel, have already commended the United States and Trump for the successful operation. Trump said the US would oversee a peaceful transition in Venezuela, with Rodríguez playing a key role.
However, within hours of being sworn in, Rodríguez insisted Maduro remains president and called for his immediate release. She also claimed the arrest was a false pretense to seize Venezuela’s resources, even suggesting Israeli involvement. “The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is the victim of an attack with Zionist undertones,” she said Saturday, convening a National Defense Council. “It’s truly shameful.”
This rhetoric isn’t new. Maduro had previously accused Zionists of trying to “hand this country over to the devils.”
So while it’s tempting to breathe a sigh of relief each time these regimes stumble, the people of Venezuela and Iran and their Jewish communities are not out of danger.
More praise for these developments will surely follow. Many public figures and politicians have already given congratulations, echoing former US president George W. Bush’s “Mission Accomplished” banner. But the mission isn’t accomplished, not yet.
That is why it is crucial, as we enter the new year in such critical stages, to take action and not to be passive. While it’s hard to imagine something worse than the oppressive Islamic Regime, history has shown us that the enemy you know is sometimes better than the enemy you don’t.
Listen to the people of Venezuela and Iran. Find out their wants and needs, and if the leaders of these political changes and protests are actually meeting them. Continue to read Iran and Venezuela’s local news and keep the discourse alive. If we don’t, something even worse could fill the vacuum right under our noses.