Venezuela Was the Test Case: How China and Russia Played the Long Game from The MiddleGround Mic

Venezuela Was the Test Case: How China and Russia Played the Long Game

14 minutes Posted Jan 5, 2026 at 5:00 am.

The Hidden Threats in Our Hemisphere03:10 The Role of Hugo Carvajal06:05 The Shadow Economy of Venezuela09:07 China and Russia's Strategic Interests12:10 The Consequences of Ignoring Authoritarianism15:05 The Call to Awareness and ActionNo slogans. No party talking points.Just uncomfortable facts and historical context.Support independent, long-form analysis:☕ BuyMeACoffee.com/TMGMNo left. No right. Just forward. This episode is brought to you by Brio. Most trimmers are built to fail after a year or two. Loose guards. Weak batteries. Uneven cuts. The Brio Beardscape V1 changes that completely with a ceramic blade system, powerful motor, long battery life, and the precision to hit the spots cheap trimmers always miss.Use code MIDDLEGROUND for 10% off your order.Brio Beardscape V1 Support the show

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China and Russia didn’t need an invasion to expand influence in the Western Hemisphere — they used debt, intelligence networks, surveillance technology, and state collapse instead.In this episode of The Middle Ground Mic, we break down how Venezuela became the testing ground for Chinese and Russian leverage, why former Venezuelan intelligence chief Hugo “El Pollo” Carvajal matters, and how narco-finance, foreign intelligence cooperation, and digital authoritarianism reshaped the region.This isn’t left vs right.It’s systems vs reality.Chapters:

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