John Polga-Hecimovich
Associate Professor of Political Science, U.S. Naval AcademyVisiting Researcher, Universidad de Salamanca (2022–23)
Commentary
Op-eds & analysis
Op-eds, analysis, and podcast appearances.
20264
- Coercive U.S. trade policy and Brazil's strategic pivotGIS Reports · Apr 2026
- The election of Jose Antonio Kast and what comes next for ChileGIS Reports · Mar 2026
- Peru's presidency up for grabs but congress still in chargeGIS Reports · Jan 2026
- In Venezuela, the US has removed a dictator, but shows little sign of building a democracyUSAPP Blog, London School of Economics · Jan 2026
20258
- Weak in Battle, Dangerous in Resistance: Venezuela's Military Preparedness and Possible Responses to U.S. ActionWar on the Rocks · Dec 2025
- In Brief: How Actors Within Venezuela Are Responding to U.S. PressureWar on the Rocks · Nov 2025
- Organized crime and security in Latin AmericaGIS Reports · Jul 2025
- What Did BRICS Members Achieve at Their Rio Summit?Latin America Advisor, Inter-American Dialogue · Jul 2025
- Latin America caught between the U.S. and ChinaGIS Reports · May 2025
- How Will Ecuador's Indigenous Voters Swing the Election?Latin America Advisor, Inter-American Dialogue · Feb 2025
- Bolivia's political chaos signals an economic meltdownGIS Reports · Jan 2025
- What Issues Are Driving Ecuador's Presidential Race?Latin America Advisor, Inter-American Dialogue · Jan 2025
202410
- How Much of a Threat Is Tren de Aragua in the U.S.?Americas Quarterly · Dec 2024 · with Charles Larratt-Smith
- Implications of an EU-Mercosur trade dealGIS Reports · Nov 2024
- Who Has the Edge in Uruguay's Runoff Election?Latin America Advisor, Inter-American Dialogue · Oct 2024
- Venezuela: Maduro's totalitarian turnGIS Reports · Sep 2024
- Who Has the Edge in Ecuador's Election Next Year?Latin America Advisor, Inter-American Dialogue · Aug 2024
- Mexico: How Sheinbaum will follow the AMLO actGIS Reports · Jul 2024
- El Salvador's Bukele consolidates unchecked powerGIS Reports · May 2024
- Will a Bicameral Congress Improve Peru's Stability?Latin America Advisor, Inter-American Dialogue · Apr 2024
- Ecuador: Organized crime threatens the stateGIS Reports · Apr 2024
- What Do Protests Mean for Ecuador's Mining Industry?Latin America Advisor, Inter-American Dialogue · Apr 2024
202311
- Would Reforming Peru's Congress Improve Stability?Latin America Advisor, Inter-American Dialogue · Dec 2023
- Mexico takes stock of five years of AMLOGIS Reports · Nov 2023
- Can Ecuador's Next President Make the Country Safer?Latin America Advisor, Inter-American Dialogue · Nov 2023
- What does the rise of Javier Milei mean for Argentina?GIS Reports · Oct 2023
- Central America's dysfunction grinds onGIS Reports · Aug 2023
- What Would BRICS Expansion Mean for Latin America?Latin America Advisor, Inter-American Dialogue · Aug 2023
- Muerte Cruzada and Ecuadorian DemocracyGlobal Americans · Jun 2023
- Muerte cruzada y la inestabilidad presidencial en América LatinaInternational IDEA · May 2023
- President Lasso's fight for survivalGIS Reports · May 2023
- Peru's cycle of instability continuesGIS Reports · Feb 2023
- Is Corruption in Uruguay Shaking the Public's Trust?Latin America Advisor, Inter-American Dialogue · Jan 2023
20229
- Postelection Brazil: The house is still dividedGIS Reports · Dec 2022
- China's evolving economic footprint in Latin AmericaGIS Reports · Nov 2022
- Are Ecuador's Indigenous Groups Gaining Power?Latin America Advisor, Inter-American Dialogue · Nov 2022
- Scenarios in Chile after a failed constitutionGIS Reports · Oct 2022
- En defensa de los partidos políticosZoom Electoral, International IDEA · Sep 2022
- Nicolás Maduro strengthens his hold over VenezuelaGIS Reports · Sep 2022
- Colombia seeks radical change by electing Gustavo Petro as presidentGIS Reports · Aug 2022
- The Russian invasion and Latin AmericaGIS Reports · Jun 2022
- Brazil heads for a Bolsonaro-Lula showdownGIS Reports · Jan 2022
20217
- Pedro Castillo still stands on shaky groundGIS Reports · Nov 2021
- Ecuador's Return to the PastAULA Blog, American University · Jul 2021 · with Francisco Sánchez
- Chile's year of changeGIS Reports · Jul 2021
- President Bukele's play for powerGIS Reports · Jun 2021
- The pandemic helps Maduro dig in deeperGIS Reports · Mar 2021
- Coup or No Coup: Conceptualizing the Capitol AttacksFruits and Votes · Feb 2021
- What's at Stake in Ecuador's Presidential Vote?Latin America Advisor, Inter-American Dialogue · Jan 2021
20209
- The Pandemic in Venezuela: Challenges and Side EffectsReVista, Harvard Review of Latin America · Nov 2020
- Las elecciones, el 'Sunshine State' y VenezuelaAgenda Pública (Spain) · Sep 2020
- Las sanciones económicas en Cuba y Venezuela (special issue coordinator)Foro Cubano · Aug 2020
- Ecuador's 2019 Local ElectionsFruits and Votes · Jun 2020
- Ecuador: Growing Political and Economic Repercussions of COVID-19AULA Blog, American University · May 2020
- Why the United States' maximum pressure approach toward Nicolás Maduro is unlikely to stabilize VenezuelaUSAPP Blog, London School of Economics · Apr 2020
- Will Correa's Graft Conviction Upend Ecuador's Politics?Latin America Advisor, Inter-American Dialogue · Apr 2020
- Venezuela & COVID-19 GeopoliticsLatin American Intersections podcast · Apr 2020 · with Brian Fonseca and Michael Scadden
- Venezuela: ¿Estado débil o fallido?Agenda Pública (Spain) · Feb 2020
201914
- Politicization and the Institutional Legitimacy of the Venezuelan Armed ForcesPanoramas, University of Pittsburgh · Oct 2019
- Ecuador: President Moreno's Pyrrhic VictoryAULA Blog, American University · Oct 2019
- End of Violent Mass Protests in Ecuador? Austerity Package CanceledWarcast podcast, War on the Rocks · Oct 2019
- The parliamentarization of presidentialism—or just another presidential crisis?Global Americans · Oct 2019
- A Transition from Above or from Below in Venezuela?Georgetown Journal of International Affairs · Aug 2019
- Las nuevas sanciones económicas de los Estados Unidos contra VenezuelaForo Cubano · Jul 2019
- El impacto de las sanciones económicas de EE.UU. sobre VenezuelaAgenda Pública (Spain) · May 2019
- Venezuela Crisis with John Polga-HecimovichHeinz Journal podcast, Carnegie Mellon University · May 2019
- What do military service members think about diversity — especially gender diversity — in their ranks?The Monkey Cage, The Washington Post · May 2019 · with John M. Carey and Yusaku Horiuchi
- Ecuador: Moreno Reverses Another Correa PolicyAULA Blog, American University · Apr 2019
- Why Venezuela's oil money could keep undermining its economy and democracyThe Conversation · Feb 2019 · with Scott Morgenstern
- Juan Guaidó y Venezuela… ¿evitan el golpe de estado?Oraculus (Mexico) · Jan 2019
- AMLO ante la crisis venezolana, una falla política y moralInfobae · Jan 2019 · with Rafael D'Armas
- Two Presidents: Optimism and Caution for VenezuelaLatin American Intersections podcast · Jan 2019 · with Michael Scadden
20186
- Ecuador: Lenín Moreno's Balancing ActAULA Blog, American University · Nov 2018
- China & VenezuelaLatin American Intersections podcast · Jul 2018 · with Michael Scadden and Brian Fonseca
- The 'Real Venezuela' Is Exactly What You ThinkPanoramas, University of Pittsburgh · Jun 2018
- Venezuelan Politics, Military, and Election ResultsLatin American Intersections podcast · Jun 2018 · with Michael Scadden
- Constitutional Change in Ecuador: Improving Democratic Accountability—and Constraining a RivalConstitutionNet, International IDEA · Mar 2018
- Ecuador: Referendum Marks Critical Juncture for Moreno and CorreaAULA Blog, American University · Feb 2018
20177
- Las municipales y panorama 2018Venezuela Global podcast · Dec 2017 · with José de Bastos and Mariano de Alba
- Getting Rid of the PresidentPresidential Power blog · Jun 2017 · with Aníbal Pérez-Liñán
- Ecuador: Moreno's Victory Probably Not EnoughAULA Blog, American University · May 2017
- In Venezuela's Political Prisoner Revolving Door, Maduro Is the DoormanGeorgetown Journal of International Affairs · Apr 2017
- Cómo funcionaría un gobierno de coalición en Ecuador4 Pelagatos (Ecuador) · Mar 2017 · with Andrés Mejía Acosta
- Ecuador votes on Sunday. These are 5 things you need to knowThe Monkey Cage, The Washington Post · Feb 2017
- A Return to Political Instability for Ecuador?AULA Blog, American University · Feb 2017
20163
- The Venezuelan MessUnderstanding Latin American Politics podcast (Gregory Weeks) · Nov 2016
- How Venezuela Got Into This MessCouncil on Foreign Relations · Oct 2016 · with Matthew M. Taylor
- Brazil's impeachment process is not a coup (or, how I learned to stop worrying and love impeachment)Latin America Goes Global · Apr 2016
20151
- How Did Venezuela's MUD Get Its Supermajority?Latin America Goes Global · Dec 2015
20131
- Party Nationalization after the 2013 Ecuadorian Legislative and Presidential ElectionThe Monkey Cage · Mar 2013 · with Jason A. Eichorst
20101
- ¿Cómo se mide la moralidad de las acciones de WikiLeaks?Gurú Político (Mexico) · Dec 2010
20091
- Asamblea y transparenciaDiario Hoy (Quito) · Aug 2009
Press archive
274 interviews and quotations in 122 outlets, 2016–present. Titles appear in the language of publication.
Selected outlets
The New York TimesThe Wall Street JournalThe EconomistReutersThe Washington PostNPRBBCThe GuardianBloombergDWEl MundoLa NaciónCNN en Español
202652
- France 24 (Colombia)Television¿Cómo podría cambiar la agenda política de Trump tras las elecciones de medio término?
- France 24 (Colombia)Television¿Qué implicaciones tiene la gira de Marco Rubio por Colombia, Ecuador y Perú?
- La Presse (Montréal)An oil deal that raises fears of corruption
- Encyclopædia BritannicaBackground interview: How do criminal organizations form and rule in Latin America?
- G4Media (Romania)A salvat Trump Venezuela? Experții despre ‘Pax Americana la Caracas’
- El Independiente (Spain)Qué hay detrás del idilio entre Delcy Rodríguez y Donald Trump
- The Morning DispatchVenezuela’s Deadly Earthquakes, Six Months After Maduro
- CBC News (Canada)TelevisionCBC’s Deana Sumanac-Johnson speaks to John Polga-Hecimovich about the Venezuela earthquakes
- La Nación (Argentina)Los desafíos colosales que le esperan al próximo presidente de Perú
- The Wall Street JournalVenezuela’s Prisons Are Still Full of Military Rebels Despite U.S. Pressure
- The Miami Herald (Andrés Oppenheimer)Venezuela’s opposition leader Maria Corina Machado should return home — now
- The Wyoming StarVenezuela After Maduro. The Long Shadow of the White House
- La Presse (Montréal)Une loi d’amnistie de portée limitée
- Instituto de Iberoamérica, Universidad de SalamancaRadio & podcasts¿Qué está pasando con las relaciones entre Estados Unidos y América Latina?
- La Presse (Montréal)Machado tente d’amadouer Trump avec une médaille
- Rzeczpospolita (Poland)Interview: John Polga-Hecimovich: Wenezuela może się stać nowym Wietnamem
- The Wall Street JournalU.S. Tries a New Playbook: Regime Management, Not Regime Change
- on The Insider Podcast, War on the RocksRadio & podcastsAssessing the Capabilities of Venezuela’s Military and Armed Groups
- DW News (Germany)TelevisionWhere Venezuela Goes Next
- CNN en EspañolTelevisionDirecto USA with Ione Molinares
- La Presse (Montréal)Le pétrole vénézuélien sous contrôle américain «indéfiniment»?
- Kyiv Independent (Ukraine)'Embarrassing' — We asked 3 experts why Venezuela's Russian-supplied air defenses were AWOL
- La Presse (Montréal)Trump est-il vraiment «aux commandes»?
- La Presse (Montréal)Les scénarios possibles pour la suite
- NPR (via KOSU)Radio & podcastsNicolás Maduro: A former bus driver and Chávez mentee who was overthrown by the U.S.
- The New York TimesTrump Plunges the U.S. Into a New Era of Risk in Venezuela
- El Independiente (Spain)Trump pretende que Delcy Rodríguez haga de puente entre el chavismo y la democracia
- CNN en EspañolTelevisionAtaque de EE.UU. a Venezuela: ¿por qué capturó a Maduro y qué sigue?
202559
- Rzeczpospolita (Poland)Wenezuela: klucz do kontroli światowego rynku ropy
- El Mundo (Spain)Qué supone el gran jaque petrolero de Trump a Maduro
- The Wyoming StarSeizing the Skipper. The Future of Maduro’s Venezuela.
- El Independiente (Spain)María Corina Machado frente a Maduro: momento decisivo en Venezuela
- The Wall Street JournalThe Reason Venezuela’s Maduro Won’t Resign Peacefully
- BBC World ServiceRadio & podcastsNewshour: Venezuela boat strikes
- The Wall Street JournalThe Web of Venezuelan Generals Accused of Fueling the Cocaine Trade
- La Presse (Montréal)Les États-Unis voudraient précipiter un coup d’État au Venezuela
- La Jornada (Mexico)Oficiales presentan a Trump opciones para acción militar contra Venezuela
- El Espectador (Colombia)La campaña de máxima presión: los riesgos de un aumento militar de Estados Unidos
- Het Laatste Nieuws (Belgium)Nu Trump grootste oorlogsschip ter wereld inzet: trekken VS ten strijde tegen Venezuela?
- Dnevno (Croatia)Oči svijeta uperene u američku ratnu grdosiju, u sjeni se kuha novi rat
- The New York TimesHow Venezuela’s Military Might Respond to U.S. Attacks
- l'Opinion (France)Argentine: Javier Milei, une victoire qui n’étonne pas
- El Independiente (Spain)Donald Trump a la ofensiva en Venezuela: Maduro tiene que irse
- The Wall Street JournalHow Venezuela’s Maduro Became Coup-Proof After Years of Military Purges
- Rzeczpospolita (Poland)Donald Trump chce odsunięcia Nicolása Maduro
- France 24 (Colombia)TelevisionLa guerra contra las drogas está entrando en una fase más militarizada
- Noticias Caracol (Colombia)Television¿En qué va el despliegue militar de Estados Unidos en el mar Caribe, cerca de costas de Venezuela?
- Les Echos (France)Un Venezuela exsangue encerclé : au risque du chaos regional
- El Independiente (Spain)Venezuela: Washington usará ‘todo su poder’ contra el narcotráfico
- Píldoras Digitales (Uruguay)Radio & podcastsVenezuela: From democratic collapse to authoritarian consolidation
- El Independiente (Spain)Venezuela, una nación secuestrada
- The Wall Street JournalEcuador Re-Elects Leader Fighting War on Gangs Smuggling Cocaine to U.S.
- El Mundo (Spain)El Tren de Aragua: sangre en Sudamérica y exageración en EEUU
- Razón de Estado con Dionisio Gutiérrez (Guatemala)TelevisionDionisio y John Polga: ¿Qué tan duro les pegará POTUS a los narcos?
- CNN en EspañolTelevisionTrump y Groenlandia, with Pepe Gil Vidal
- France 24¿Quién le teme a Donald Trump?
- La Nación (Argentina)Maduro está aislado y debilitado como nunca: ¿cuánto oxígeno le queda?
- Correio Braziliense (Brazil)Quatro anos depois do ataque ao Capitólio, democracia está em risco nos EUA
202420
- Clarín (Argentina)Donald Trump felicitó a Milei: 'Tu trabajo en Argentina es increíble'
- SBS World News (Australia)TelevisionSix foreigners arrested in Venezuela
- DW News (Germany)TelevisionThe Day with Phil Gayle: Edmundo González flees to Spain
- El Independiente (Spain)La deriva de Maduro: el poder con balas pero sin votos
- The Wall Street JournalEcuador Follows El Salvador in Arresting Gangs and Retaking Prisons
- Razón de Estado (Guatemala)TelevisionDionisio y John Polga: Solo los ciudadanos rescatan la democracia
- ABC Radio National (Australia)Radio & podcastsUnrest continues in Ecuador as chief prosecutor fatally shot (RN Breakfast)
- The Wall Street JournalEcuador is at War with Drug Gangs, President Says
202319
- Razón de Estado (Guatemala)TelevisionDionisio y John Polga: AMLO, el gorila de Caracas y los brujos de Managua
- El Mundo (Spain)La popularidad invencible del dólar en Ecuador
- 0264 Noticias (Argentina)Ecuador definirá a su presidente en ballotage
- The Wall Street JournalEcuador Assassination Reflects Rapid Rise of Violent Cocaine Trade
- El Mundo (Spain)Un magnicidio contra las urnas en Ecuador
- El Mundo (Spain)El narco tiñe de sangre Ecuador y debilita al Gobierno
- El Mundo (Spain)Las 'islas' que esquivan la izquierda en América Latina
- El Independiente (Spain)Diez años sin Hugo Chávez: Maduro aguanta en un país devastado
- Razón de Estado (Guatemala)TelevisionJohn Polga, Roberto Wagner y Edgar Ortíz: Brasil, insurrección y crisis política
- El Mundo (Spain)Del Capitolio a Brasilia: América, el mayor polvorín del planeta
202225
- El Mundo (Spain)Perú, una trituradora de presidentes
- El Mundo (Spain)Pedro Castillo se enfrenta a su tercer juicio político
- Razón de Estado (Guatemala)TelevisionJohn Polga y Ezequiel Parolari: Brasil, elecciones y polarización
- La Nación (Argentina)En medio de las protestas, la oposición suma presión a Lasso y pide su destitución
- El Mundo (Spain)Máxima presión contra el presidente Lasso
- La Nación (Argentina)El giro en Colombia refuerza el proyecto de una 'patria grande'
- Los Andes (Ecuador)Cumbre de las Américas: una trinchera para la nueva Guerra Fría
- El Mundo (Spain)Cumbre de las Américas: una trinchera para la nueva Guerra Fría
- El Mundo (Spain)El voto de castigo provoca un tsunami político en América Latina
- The Wall Street JournalWill Sanctions Force Putin to Back Down in Ukraine? History Suggests It's Unlikely
202127
- El Mundo (Spain)La moción de censura contra Pedro Castillo tensa Perú
- The State of Venezuela PodcastRadio & podcastsCubazuela: How Castro Conquered an Entire Nation, with Rafael Struve
- The Floridian (Miami)Venezuelan's Regime Bypasses U.S. Sanctions With Help From 'Axis of Evil'
- El Nuevo Herald (Miami)¿Están los aliados de Maduro ahora dispuestos a darle la espalda?
- NPR Morning EditionRadio & podcastsIn An Attempt To Ease Sanctions, Venezuela's Maduro Reaches Out To U.S.
- La Nación (Argentina)Lasso asumió en Ecuador decidido a sepultar la herencia Correa
- Global FinanceMillionaire Ex-Banker's Surprise Win In Ecuador
- La Nación (Argentina)El fantasma de Chávez se mete en la campaña peruana y Castillo intenta esquivarlo
- La Nación (Argentina)Los golpes en las urnas hunden en el desconcierto a la izquierda regional
- El Mundo (Spain)Ecuador gira a la derecha
- El Mundo (Spain)Ecuador y Perú examinan a su clase política en las urnas
- Vistazo (Ecuador)Segunda vuelta de tres (print only, pp. 16–20)
- The Washington PostHow experts define the deadly mob attack at the U.S. Capitol
- NTN24 (Colombia)Television'Absolutamente ridículo': Trump sobre procedimiento de juicio político en su contra
202012
- The Wall Street JournalMexico Passes Law Curbing Operations of Foreign Security Agents
- El Independiente (Spain)Cómo será el mundo con Biden
- The New York TimesLatin America Is Facing a 'Decline of Democracy' Under the Pandemic
- En Segundos (Dominican Republic)Politólogo estadounidense pide proteger la integridad electoral de las municipales
- Hoy Digital (Dominican Republic)Experto advierte a políticos RD peligro para democracia la desigualdad social
- Diario Libre (Dominican Republic)Experto afirma en el país retrocede la democracia, según estudios
- Voice of America Russian ServiceRadio & podcastsОно вам надо? Воскресный выпуск Александра Герасимова (on the re-election of Juan Guaidó; 40:43 mark)
201934
- Associated PressAP Explains: Did a coup force Bolivia's Evo Morales out?
- The New York TimesWhat You Need to Know About the Unrest in Chile
- Radio Študent (Slovenia)Radio & podcastsGiljotina je v rokah staroselcev (on the Ecuador protests), interview with Žiga Smolič
- The Wall Street JournalEcuador's President Leaves Capital Amid Antiausterity Protests
- Associated PressIn Venezuela, Guaidó questions Maduro claims about US talks
- El Comercio (Ecuador)Poderes informales
- El Nacional (Venezuela)Cualquier plan para sacar a Maduro tiene que considerar el día después
- Noticiero Digital (Venezuela)Polga-Hecimovich: Remover a Maduro es fácil, el problema es el día siguiente
- The Wall Street JournalViolence Erupts in Venezuela as Guaidó Calls for Uprising
- BBC Radio 4Radio & podcastsThe World Tonight with Ritula Shah (on the Venezuela crisis)
- The Wall Street JournalMaduro Loses Grip on Venezuela's Poor, a Vital Source of His Power
- La Tercera (Chile)Trump transforma a Venezuela en un asunto de política interna de EE.UU.
- Noticiero Digital (Venezuela)China le ha prestado a Venezuela 67 mil 200 millones de dólares desde 2005
- The Epoch Times BrasilComo o espectro do comunismo está governando o nosso mundo – Capítulo 9
- La Razón (Mexico)Los militares y el cambio de régimen
- El Confidencial (Spain)Todos los ojos en el ejército: así son y así piensan las Fuerzas Armadas Bolivarianas
- NPR All Things ConsideredRadio & podcastsVenezuela's Opposition Leader, U.S. Embark On Risky Strategy For Military Uprising
- Financial TimesMove on Maduro revives memories of US regional interventions
- WTOP 103.5 FM (Washington, DC)Radio & podcastsVenezuelan-Chinese relations (afternoon news)
20188
- Lapham's QuarterlyTime Lords: A History of Authoritarian Time Changes
- Voice of AmericaCrisis de Nicaragua genera migración masiva a Costa Rica
- Expresso (Portugal)Uma onda de raiva
- The Miami HeraldEcuador's Correa barred from presidency in national referendum
201712
- La Tercera (Chile)Los golpes de Estado en el siglo XXI son cada vez menos frecuentes
- The Wall Street JournalVenezuela debt crisis may offer political upside for Maduro
- The New York TimesAs Maduro's Venezuela Rips Apart, So Does His Military
- WLIE 540 AM (New York)Radio & podcastsUn Nuevo Despertar
- KBIA 91.3 Missouri Public RadioRadio & podcastsGlobal Journalist: Ecuador election tests Correa's legacy
- W Radio (Caracol 1260 AM, Miami)Radio & podcastsEl Show de Julio Sánchez Cristo
- WLRN Miami (NPR)Radio & podcastsFIU Conference Makes Clear U.S. Needs More Hemispheric Strategy Than A Wall
- El Nuevo Herald (Miami)Crisis venezolana tiene efectos nocivos en el hemisferio
- El Nacional (Venezuela)Ecuador elige presidente en un panorama fragmentado
20166
- The Wall Street JournalVenezuela's Move Spurs Crisis of Democracy
- The Providence JournalEditorial: A change in Brazil
- El Nuevo Herald (Miami)¿Golpe en Brasil, o en Venezuela?
- The Miami HeraldWhat happened in Brazil was not a 'coup,' not even close
- The AtlanticIs a Coup Taking Place in Brazil?