While Maria Corina Machado's fight for democracy has been recognized on the international stage, the Venezuelan crisis seems to be entering a phase of direct confrontation.

María Corina Machado, a civil society opposition leader, has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize while living in hiding in Venezuela. The Norwegian Nobel Committee praised her " civic courage " and her contribution to "keeping the flame of democracy alive in the face of growing darkness ." The prize recognizes her struggle for a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.

For many Venezuelans, both inside and outside the country, this prize recognizes their own struggle, waged since 2013 despite enormous human costs. The laureate emphasized the peaceful nature of their resistance , recalling that peaceful demonstrations have often been met with gunfire, assassinations, and brutal imprisonments. An opposition leader, Machado had been disqualified by the Maduro regime. She ceded her place in the July 2024 presidential elections to Edmundo Gonzalez, now in exile in Spain despite his victory at the polls. Despite increased repression and arrest warrants issued against her and her supporters since the 2024 elections, Maria Corina Machado continues to work from Venezuela and embody " the hope for a different future." 

Washington's position on Venezuela  has hardened in recent months. President Donald Trump wants to put pressure on Nicolás Maduro's regime. He recently confirmed that he had authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela , justifying this decision by the need to stop the flow of drugs and illegal migrants into the United States.

Since the beginning of September, the United States has attacked at least half a dozen vessels in the southern Caribbean, claiming they were carrying drugs. The confrontation could escalate further, as Donald Trump has raised the possibility of a ground military intervention to directly target drug trafficking networks. In reality, Washington's pressure on Caracas is primarily part of a strategy focused on securing oil supplies.

Machado herself described the Maduro regime as a transnational criminal organization involved in narco-terrorism, gold, mineral, and arms trafficking. In an interview with Grand Continent, she stated that Venezuela has become “the hub of global crime,” with the presence of Russian, Cuban, and Iranian agents. She emphasized the need for international allies , starting with the United States government and President Trump, to confront the regime with a real threat. Faced with this pressure, the Maduro regime announced the mobilization of troops and preparations to declare a state of emergency in the event of an attack.

Venezuela, once the richest country in Latin America, is now facing one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, outside of war contexts.

The migration crisis is the most visible humanitarian issue: nearly eight million people have fled the country in a decade, an exodus rivaling that of Syria. Those who remain live in conditions similar to war zones, with collapsed healthcare systems and widespread hunger. Forty percent of the population suffers from moderate to severe food insecurity. The economic collapse has been brutal, with GDP plummeting by 74% between 2014 and 2020.

If Washington chooses military escalation, a new wave of displacement could ensue, worsening an already critical situation. A peaceful transition remains the optimal scenario, allowing for the unblocking of humanitarian access and economic recovery. As Maria Corina Machado states, Nicolás Maduro must understand that "with or without negotiation, the time has come to relinquish power".