Lecture at IMT Mines Albi: “Venezuela: America’s New Eldorado?”

Venezuela: Oil, Geopolitics, and the Shifting Global Balance of Power

Through this conference, participants will be invited to gain a better understanding of the profound political, economic, and energy-related changes currently taking place in Venezuela.

As the country with the world’s largest oil reserves, Venezuela has long been a major economic power in South America. However, severe social inequality, the rise of Chavism under Hugo Chávez, and the subsequent democratic and economic crisis have severely weakened the country.

The conference will focus in particular on:

   •    the evolution of the Chavista regime since Hugo Chávez came to power;
   •    the economic crisis that led to a massive collapse in national wealth;
   •    the emigration of a significant portion of the Venezuelan population;
   •    the geopolitical consequences of the U.S. intervention in January 2026;
   •    the new balance of power surrounding Venezuelan oil and the global energy transition.

Several months after President Nicolás Maduro was abducted during a U.S. special operation, this conference will examine the ongoing political realignments and the country’s economic outlook: Is Chavismo disappearing or undergoing a transformation? Has Venezuela become a new energy Eldorado for North American companies?