Think of this as the domino theory flipped on its head.
During the Cold War, Americans feared that if one nation fell to communism, its neighbors would soon follow. Today, a very different chain reaction appears to be underway — one where freedom spreads instead of tyranny, and dictators suddenly discover the exits.
What began in Venezuela may not end there.
After the Trump administration offered indicted narco-terrorist Nicolás Maduro a one-way trip to New York — an offer he wisely didn’t decline — reports suggest another long-entrenched despot is considering a similar escape plan.
As dramatic as Maduro’s removal from Caracas was, an even larger geopolitical earthquake may be forming in Tehran.
According to intelligence cited by a British newspaper, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is increasingly doubtful he can survive the growing unrest at home. The report claims that if his security forces falter or refuse to crush protests, the 86-year-old ayatollah is prepared to flee — possibly to Russia — with a small circle of aides and family members.
This possibility has hardly caught the Trump White House off guard. On the contrary, the capture of Maduro appears to be part of a broader pressure campaign, signaling to hostile regimes that the era of hiding behind borders is over.
Shortly after Maduro’s arrest, a message appeared on the State Department’s Farsi account featuring President Trump and a blunt warning: “President Trump is a man of action. If you didn’t know, now you know.” Subtlety, as usual, was not the point.
That same day, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that if Iranian authorities continue killing protesters “as they have done in the past,” the United States would respond forcefully. That statement alone likely sent Khamenei’s inner circle scrambling for contingency plans.
Russia, of course, has become the retirement home of choice for fallen strongmen. Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian dictator whose regime collapsed in late 2024, already enjoys asylum there after years of mass murder, much of it carried out with Iranian support. Assad and Khamenei were partners in terror against Israel and brutal enforcers against their own people. They would have plenty to discuss while counting stolen fortunes in Moscow.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo offered a broader perspective, noting that Maduro’s capture occurred exactly six years after President Trump ordered the elimination of Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani — the mastermind behind attacks that killed and maimed American troops.
Both operations, Pompeo argued, neutralized major threats to U.S. security. Maduro, he reminded readers, is a narco-terrorist who stole elections and turned Venezuela into a criminal hub. Removing him helps clean drugs off American streets and creates the conditions for a safer Western Hemisphere.
Pompeo concluded that the unraveling of these regimes is not only good for their people, but for America and the world. If handled correctly, he wrote, this moment could mark a historic turning point — one that reaffirms American strength and moral clarity.
That vision aligns with the belief in American exceptionalism and the idea, famously articulated by Ronald Reagan, that the United States remains a shining city on a hill.
Predictably, this view is absent on the American left, which reflexively condemns decisive action while portraying dictators as misunderstood victims. In that upside-down worldview, America is always the villain, and tyrants are somehow the oppressed.
Ironically, even immigrants fleeing those very regimes recognize the difference. Venezuelans who escaped Maduro’s rule understand what freedom looks like — even when it’s politically unfashionable to say so in places like New York.
In the end, history keeps proving a simple truth: strong leadership deters evil, clarity defeats chaos, and when America leads without apology, the world becomes a safer place.
