The mistake that cost Maduro everything

Maduro is escorted off a helicopter en route to the federal courthouse in Manhattan in this file photo from Jan 5. Throughout the stand-off with the White House, Maduro remained consumed by defiance and hubris, a man who had overestimated his own powers and underestimated his opponents’ resolve, some of his close associates said. — Vincent Alban/The New York Times

AN armada of US warships and fighter jets sat menacingly off Venezuela’s waters, and the Pentagon had already devised plans to capture or kill the country’s ­leader.

But as 2025 ended, President Nicolas Maduro seemed surprisingly relaxed, ­celebrating New Year’s Eve at home in Caracas, the capital, according to several people close to him.