American special forces capture Venezuela’s president and his wife in a daring nighttime operation, returning the deposed first couple to the US to stand trial for alleged narcoterrorism. Meanwhile, protests in Iran over worsening living conditions, coupled with a cratered economy, threaten that theocracy’s future. GoodFellows regulars kick off 2026 by discussing both the precedent and the consequences of the move on Maduro, whether other nations (i.e. China) will invoke their own “Monroe Doctrines” to justify regional power grabs, plus the chances of similar fates awaiting Greenland, Colombia, or Cuba. 01:06 - The Path to the 2025 Venezuela Invasion 02:50 - Consistency in Trump’s Foreign Policy 05:08 - The Trump Corollary & The Monroe Doctrine 08:31 - Forecast: Civil War & Chaos 16:36 - Real-Estate Politik: The Strategic Value of Oil 20:45 - Greenland and Global Arctic Competition 26:05 - The Russian Mindset: A Ukraine-Venezuela Trade? 30:43 - Future Hotspots: Colombia vs. Cuba 39:07 - Iran: Economic Crisis and the Future of the Theocracy 47:33 - 2026 Outlook: The 250th Anniversary of the US Join our newsletter to be the first to watch the next GoodFellows episode: https://www.hoover.org/publications/goodfellows?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=gf_youtube&utm_content=01072026 __________ The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Hoover Institution or Stanford University. © 2026 by the Board of Trustees of Leland Stanford Junior University. 🔔 Subscribe for more discussions: @HooverInstitution 👍 Like and share this video! 🌐 Follow us on social media: • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HooverInstStanford • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hoover-institution-at-stanford-university • Instagram: https://instagram.com/hooverinstitution • TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hooverinstitution • X: https://www.twitter.com/HooverInst