TGL 30 | Earthquake in Venezuela - Henry Ziemer CSIS Fellow
TGL 30 | Earthquake in Venezuela - Henry Ziemer CSIS Fellow  
Podcast: WAC Houston
Published On: Thu Jul 09 2026
Description: Two powerful earthquakes. More than 50,000 people unaccounted for. A death toll still climbing. And a government blocking aid deliveries to maintain control. Venezuela was already one of the most fragile states in the Western Hemisphere. Now it's facing a catastrophe that is exposing and deepening every crack in its political and economic foundation. Maryanne Maldonado sits down with Henry Ziemer, Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), to break down what's really happening on the ground in Venezuela, and what it means for the country's political future, its oil sector, its $240 billion debt restructuring, and the surprisingly transformed relationship between Washington and Caracas. Because here's what's jarring: US Marines are now operating at La Carlota Air Base in downtown Caracas. The same country that burned aid trucks at its border in 2019 is now receiving American military assistance relatively freely. That's not a small shift. That's a geopolitical earthquake on top of a geological one. Hosted by Maryanne Maldonado | The Greater Loop: A podcast of the World Affairs Council of Houston Subscribe for global affairs content that connects the world to your world. Topics covered: Scale of the disaster: 2,000+ dead, 50,000 unaccounted for Why Venezuela's hollowed-out state made the earthquake so much deadlier The Chavista inner circle blocking aid — and what that means politically Two possible outcomes: regime entrenchment or democratic pressure US Marines in Caracas: how Washington-Venezuela relations transformed Venezuela's oil sector: how damaged, and what it means for energy markets The $240 billion debt restructuring, the largest sovereign debt in history Latin America's pro-US coalition and the Shield of the Americas test What Venezuela looks like in the years ahead