World Review: Gaza Ceasefire and Venezuelan Regime Change
A brief synopsis of this week's show
Each Friday morning, I host a video podcast called “World Review with Ivo Daalder” where journalists from major news outlets around the world join me to discuss the latest global news stories of the week.
This morning, October 10, we discussed the ceasefire in Gaza, the Nobel Peace Prize, and recent developments in Venezuela. Joining me this week were Nahal Toosi of Politico and Prashant Rao of Semafor. My thanks to Louisa Brög for helping to draft this summary.
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While I encourage you to watch or listen to the episode (and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!), here are a few interesting things I took away from our discussion:
The biggest story of the week was the announcement of a ceasefire in Gaza taking effect on October 10. Prashant, while admitting a reporter’s instinct for skepticism, argued it’s a day for hope: Israeli forces are pulling back to pre‑agreed lines, hostages are set to return home, Palestinian prisoners are to be released, and large‑scale aid should finally flow into Gaza. Key to this deal was timing and context. After the Israeli strike on Doha, an angry President Trump leaned on Prime Minister Netanyahu to finally end the war and accept a deal. The question remains whether this deal will last. The Israeli government remains divided, and support for a two‑state solution is weak on both sides. It will also prove difficult to fully “eliminate” a movement like Hamas. Our conversation suggested that the biggest hurdle will be implementation: with the U.S. aid machinery hollowed out and UNWRA in crisis, questions loom over who will monitor the ceasefire, staff a stabilization force, and sustain aid delivery, especially given the deep psychological and social trauma Gaza has endured.
Turning to Venezuela, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to opposition leader María Corina Machado Friday morning, sending a strong signal amid an evolving US posture toward Nicolás Maduro. Nahal discussed whether the administration is opening the door to a militarized, hemisphere‑wide “anti‑cartel” campaign that could create challenges for Maduro and may even result in de facto regime change. This new approach may be seen more favorably by Trump’s MAGA base, because it doesn’t involve a long-term military commitment, but it may risk backlash from other countries in the region, which have long feared a return to “Yanqui” imperialism.
Finally, in light of the upcoming publication of the administration’s National Security Strategy, we discussed what larger strategy might tie these different actions together. Are we in an “age of incoherence” where the different actions by the administration aren’t adding up? Or are we seeing the emergence of a more isolationist policy that looks at what to “defendthe homeland” against threats posed by drugs and immigration? We’ll have to see what comes out, but we agreed that the changes we are seeing today are likely to last longer than many around the world would like. Some of the change Trump has wrought — on tariffs and more — will likely prove much more sticky than people expect or hope.
That’s it for my quick takes of this week’s episode here on America Abroad. To get the full flavor, please listen to or watch the episode itself.