Dear John,
In the early hours of Saturday morning, as most of the hemisphere slept, U.S. military aircraft launched a coordinated strike on strategic targets across Venezuela. By dawn, what had been unthinkable just days before had become reality: the United States had unilaterally attacked a Latin American nation—an unprecedented act of aggression that our region has not witnessed in decades. This action is reckless, dangerous, and fundamentally at odds with international law and the principles of peaceful conflict resolution. The reverberations of this decision will be felt throughout Latin America and the Caribbean for years to come, undermining regional stability and trust in U.S. intentions across the hemisphere.
That's why this week's WOLA Weekly is going to look a bit different. Instead of our usual format, I want to speak to you directly about what this moment means for Venezuela, for the region, and for the work we do at WOLA.
As a Venezuelan, watching the images of bombs falling on Caracas has been devastating. These are not abstract geopolitical maneuvers. These are real explosions in neighborhoods I know, threatening lives of people I love, in a country already brought to its knees by years of crisis and a repressive and cruel authoritarian regime.
My worries now turn to the Venezuelan people, who find themselves caught in an impossible situation. In the wake of utmost confusion and a newly inaugurated de facto government that was sworn in just days after Maduro's removal, we fear for our partners on the ground who continue their brave work under increasingly dangerous conditions. We fear for the political prisoners who still have not been released and whose fate grows more uncertain by the hour. We fear for a nation now trapped in the midst of a transition without a transition—a people who are the true victims of this attack, facing violence from outside and authoritarianism from within.
This is a particularly complicated moment that demands we hold multiple truths at once. WOLA has been unwavering in our criticism of the Maduro regime, which held onto power illegitimately after stealing the 2024 elections. We have documented the systematic human rights violations, the dismantling of democratic institutions, and the humanitarian catastrophe that has forced millions to flee. That position has not changed. But condemning one injustice does not require us to remain silent about another. In a time of political polarization, where misinformation is weaponized and complexity is reduced to soundbites, nuance is more important than ever.
This is where WOLA comes in.
We were born 50 years ago out of a disastrous U.S.-backed coup in Chile in a moment when American intervention supported the brutal repression against its people. Our work ever since has been to promote U.S. policy towards Latin America and the Caribbean that favors human rights and democracy, not military force and destabilization. As a research and advocacy organization, we live in the nuance of these complicated situations. We understand that defending democracy means opposing both authoritarian regimes and the kind of interventionism that ultimately harms the very people it claims to help.
This week, WOLA has been working around the clock to respond to this crisis:
