Venezuela in the News and at Stevenson

On the morning of January 3, 2026, the U.S. launched a surprise military attack on Venezuela. 

The operation, commanded by President Donald Trump, bombed the capital city of Venezuela and resulted in the abduction of President Nicolas Maduro and the First Lady Cilia Florez. The U.S. is currently in active tension with Venezuela, and President Trump has declared that the U.S. is planning to “run the country” until things are resolved, though many are unsure of what that entails. 

The event, a violation of both U.S. and international law, has caused immense distress and debate across the globe, and this discourse has inevitably landed at Stevenson as well. Though many members of our school community may only have started hearing about this issue recently, there are some members of our community who have had greater proximity to Venezuela than the rest. Junior Aleja Diaz, a boarding student from Colombia, shares, 

“I was 8 years old when I first noticed what was happening in my country and besides it. From 2010-2018, Colombia’s President was Nobel Prize winner Juan Manuel Santos. Before Venezuela's situation became even more dire, Colombia was fighting its own battles. Violent groups like the FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia) controlled various rural zones in our country…It was common to use drug trafficking, kidnapping, and killing to scare the rest of the country into doing nothing…My parents had explained the situation to me and my brother the best they could...”

On January 14, Profe Ilich Rodriguez Gomez, a Spanish teacher, voiced his perspective and fielded questions about these recent news events during a community conversation in the Atwood Common Room. Rodriguez is from Venezuela himself, and he offered insight into the situation from an academic and personal point of view. In attendance were 13 students and 4 teachers, and they asked questions about the reason behind the US attack against the country and what the proof behind the allegations of drug cartels around Caracas was. In his responses, Rodriguez described the conflict between Venezuela and the U.S. as being driven in part by competing economic and geopolitical interests, particularly surrounding oil. He suggested that U.S. media coverage does not offer a full picture and was critical of recent actions by the U.S. government: “[the U.S. is acting] like superman.” When it comes to his own news consumption, he prefers independent media, such as “streamings or newsletters in general,” he said. 

Diaz spoke to a family friend who shared the following testimonial about the events of January 3rd: “I was in my home, but at one o'clock when I was going to my bed I started hearing the airplanes. I saw everything, I was there, I was in bed. When I saw the airplanes, inside me I was awake. I heard first the airplanes. Then the helicopters passed over my building. Seconds later I saw the bombing. I woke up all my family and then I broke down. My father told me it was the United States.” 

Around the world and in Stevenson, there are many perspectives regarding this conflict between Venezuela, the United States, and neighboring countries. People are curious, and they are engaging in civil discussion.