María Corina Machado, a Venezuelan opposition leader, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to promote democratic rights in her country. The prize was announced on October 10, 2025, in Norway. Machado, who has faced persecution under Nicolás Maduro’s regime, expressed gratitude for international recognition, stating: “We have risked everything—our families, our lives, everything. The people of Venezuela have desperately asked for real, strong support. Finally, it’s reaching us.”
The Nobel Committee highlighted her persistent activism against Maduro’s government, which has been accused of human rights violations, including torture and extrajudicial killings. Machado, who has remained in hiding due to political repression, has also publicly supported U.S. President Donald J. Trump, praising him as a “visionary” and the “biggest opportunity we’ve ever had” to end Maduro’s authoritarian rule. She credited Trump’s policies, such as revoking licenses for energy companies operating in Venezuela, with weakening Maduro’s grip on power.
Tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela have intensified, with Trump authorizing military strikes against drug cartel smuggling operations in the Caribbean. Congressional efforts to limit these actions under the War Powers Act failed, while the U.S. has increased its military presence in the region, signaling potential further intervention.
