Notice:
This event occurs in the past.
On the Kidnapping of a President, with Aaron Kappeler (University of Edinburgh)
Monday, January 26, 2026 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm
- Hybrid event
- B454, Loeb Building, Carleton University
- 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6
Presentation Abstract
Shortly after Venezuela’s President, Nicolás Maduro, was kidnapped, along with his wife Cilia Flores, on January 3rd, Donald Trump stated that the US would “run” Venezuela until such time as a “safe, proper and judicious transition” could be guaranteed. But the prospects for a smooth transition are slim to none, as virtually all of the scenarios facing Venezuela today are undemocratic and unpopular. In this talk, I explore the degeneration of the Bolivarian Revolution and how it set the stage for US intervention and Trump’s radical attempt to transform Venezuela’s relations with other nations through direct control of its petroleum resources.
Speaker Bio
Aaron Kappeler is Lecturer in the Anthropology of Development at the University of Edinburgh. His research focuses on agrarian reform, natural resource politics, energy, and environmental struggles in Latin America. He has carried out fieldwork in state enterprises and cooperatives across Venezuela. His latest project explores indigenous land tenure and the redistribution of extractive rents. Before joining the University of Edinburgh, he was Visiting Assistant Professor at Union College, Postdoctoral Fellow in the Institute for Advanced Study at Central European University, and Course Instructor at the University of Toronto.