Venezuela After Maduro with Cira Pascual Marquina and Chris Gilbert

<p>In this episode, I’m joined by returning guests Cira Pascual Marquina and Chris Gilbert, both Venezuela-based scholars and Chavista activists, to provide an update from on the ground six months after the United States’ illegal invasion and kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro in January. We discuss the current state of the Bolivarian Revolution, the challenges facing Acting President Delcy Rodríguez, and why it’s more important than ever for the Western left to stand in solidarity with Venezuela’s socialist project in the face of escalating U.S. imperialism.</p><p><strong>About the show:</strong></p><p><em>Return to Bandung</em> is hosted by Pranay Somayajula, an Indian-American writer, researcher, and organizer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His work explores themes of diaspora, (inter)nationalism, anticolonial politics, and the many lives and afterlives of empire. You can learn more about Pranay and read his writing on his <a href="https://www.pranaysomayajula.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">website</a>, as well as on his Substack blog, <a href="https://www.culture-shock.xyz/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"><em>culture shock</em></a>.</p><p><strong>Support </strong><em><strong>Return to Bandung</strong></em><strong>:</strong></p><p>If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to leave a review or rating, and subscribe to the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts! If you’re able, please also consider supporting my work—which encompasses both my writing and this podcast, as well as various other political education projects by signing up as a paid subscriber to my Substack or making a one-off contribution:</p><ul><li><p><a href="http://www.culture-shock.xyz/subscribe" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Become a paid Substack subscriber</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://buymeacoffee.com/returntobandung" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Buy Me a Coffee</a></p></li></ul><p><strong>Sources and helpful links:</strong></p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.codepink.org/emergencyfund" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">CODEPINK solidarity fundraiser for Venezuela earthquake relief</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/5xAahJqc9e8qLSOjLqpSoB?si=9387fc40c1bc4345" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"><em>Return to Bandung</em> episode with Chris Gilbert and Cira Pascual Marquina on defending Venezuela’s Bolivarian Revolution</a> (October 2025)<strong> </strong></p></li><li><p><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/6hfMWqx10lb9pArhQvMgsg" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"><em>Return to Bandung</em> episode with David Ramírez Álvarez on defending the Cuban Revolution</a> (May 2026)</p></li><li><p>Chris Gilbert — <a href="https://monthlyreview.org/articles/meszaros-and-chavez-the-philosopher-and-the-llanero/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Mészáros and Chávez: The Philosopher and the Llanero</a> (<em>Monthly Review</em>, June 2022)</p></li><li><p>Mark Weisbrot and Jeffrey Sachs — <a href="https://cepr.net/publications/economic-sanctions-as-collective-punishment-the-case-of-venezuela/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"><em>Economic Sanctions as Collective Punishment: The Case of Venezuela</em></a><em> </em>(Center for Economic and Policy Research, April 2019)</p></li><li><p>Celina Della Croce — <a href="https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/05/18/communal-consults-and-venezuelas-fight-for-the-future/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Communal Consults and Venezuela’s Fight for the Future</a><strong> (</strong><em>Counterpunch</em>, May 2026)</p></li><li><p><a href="https://orinocotribune.com/delcy-rodriguez-calls-for-wide-participation-in-march-8-communal-popular-consultation/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Acting President Delcy Rodríguez Calls for Wide Participation in March 8 Communal Popular Consultation</a> (<em>Orinoco Tribune</em>, February 2026)</p></li><li><p>Chris G