The Bizarre Partnership Between the U.S. and Venezuela
The U.S. and Venezuela have entered an unexpected period of cooperation following a series of devastating earthquakes in the region. Despite a history of intense hostility and diplomatic sanctions, American personnel are now providing critical humanitarian aid and logistical support on the ground.
Why it matters
This shift highlights how natural disasters can force geopolitical rivals into temporary, pragmatic partnerships, potentially altering long-term diplomatic relations.
Responding to the recent earthquakes pushed the two countries’ new relationship out into the open.
A woman looks at the destruction as people search through the rubble of collapsed buildings in Caraballeda, La Guaira State, on June 25. ( Federico Parra / AFP / Getty ) July 14, 2026, 3:59 PM ET Share Save James Story, America’s last chargé d’affaires in Venezuela before the embassy closed in 2019, left after the foreign minister passed along a message. The warning was stark, Story told me: If he stayed, he might be murdered.
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