Not even a week into 2026, United States armed forces captured the sitting President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. After more than a decade of Maduro’s autocratic rule, the international community reacted with shock to this intervention. While many were aware of the United States’ growing tensions with Venezuela, few thought that President Trump would order the extraction of a rival country’s leader, a move that some have decried as a brazen kidnapping. Unlike other attempts to capture American enemies, like Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussian, the operation occurred quickly with little loss for the United States. Now that Maduro is gone, multiple issues have arisen regarding the legality of this action, its potential imperialistic repercussions, and the future of Venezuela.
Background
Venezuela has been trapped in authoritarian rule for years. Ever since the rule of Hugo Chavez and the socialist Bolivarian Revolution, citizens have been living under a corrupt, repressive dictatorship. Maduro’s reign has continued much of Chavez’s legacy, including an oppressive government and widespread human rights abuses, economic collapse, and the silencing of political opposition. Although he remained in power after the controversial 2018 presidential election, doubts about their freedom and fairness have led the international community to view him as an illegitimate leader. International sanctions both before and after this crisis contributed to Venezuela’s hyperinflation, mass poverty, and political instability throughout Maduro’s time in power.
Ironically, Venezuela has one of the largest oil reserves of any nation despite its relative poverty. Venezuelan oil was once open to companies, including American corporations, but Chavez forced foreign investment out of the country by nationalizing its oil. The U.S. and the Trump Administration have made their stance on this event very clear: top Trump advisor Stephen Miller claimed that Venezuela “had stolen oil from American companies” shortly after Maduro’s capture. Like Iran, Iraq, and other past military interventions, oil became a key motivation for American action in the months and days leading to Maduro’s seizure.
Build up to Capture
The Trump administration has antagonized Venezuela almost since its first few hours in action. On the first day of his in office, Trump signed an executive order that would become the blueprint to name several drug cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations”. One month later, the president formally listed eight Latin American criminal organizations as foreign terrorist organizations, placing them on similar levels of threat as Al-Qaida or ISIS. Naval forces in the Caribbean also increased throughout August, ostensibly as a deterrent to Venezuelan “narcoterrorism.”
On September 2nd, 2025, the Pentagon under Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth carried out the first of several lethal strikes against alleged drug-carrying boats in the Caribbean, killing all 11 on the vessel as the boat burst into flames. These strikes continued throughout the rest of 2025, destroying several boats with American drone-strikes as part of Operation Southern Spear. With boats bursting into flames and casualties increasing, the administration came under fire as the strike’s legality came into question. Many senators and human rights groups called the strikes a violation of domestic and international law since these alleged drug traffickers never were even given a trial. Republican senator Rand Paul responded to the strikes by saying, “We can’t just want to kill people without having some kind of process,.” and “We’re just going to blow up ships? That just isn’t who we are”. Contrarily, the Trump administration would defend the strikes as an act of defense. Vice President JD Vance would say, “Killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military”. Despite questioning from both sides, Republicans in Congress would still mostly remain on his side.
The strikes would continue and the American military would even start capturing oil tankers on the Venezuelan coast. Tensions were growing day after day, with each supposed boat blown up in a drone strike, alleged drug dealers killed, and oil tankers seized. These tensions would only rise further after a CIA drone strike on a Venezuelan port. On New Year’s Day, Maduro on state television announced to his people Venezuela was open to negotiations with the United States. He would also emphasize to Venezuelans this rise of American aggregation was to oust him from power and to access the nation’s oil reserves. Only two days later, he would be proven correct.
The Capture of Maduro
Throughout 2025, the Trump administration and the Pentagon were conceiving a plan for a night time capture of Maduro. American intelligence was studying everything they could about Maduro, from his daily schedule down to the minute. The military was also preparing. Elite troops were training with replicas of Maduro’s residence made from information gathered by U.S. intelligence. According to Trump, they were even prepared with “massive blowtorches” to cut through steel walls if those measures had to be taken. The build up of forces, and consistent collection of any info they could get on Maduro, and countless hours of preparation within the administration would all come together on January 3rd during Operation Absolute Resolve.
At night, the U.S. army would strike in Venezuela. Several key military locations were bombed in Caracas. Explorations would wake several residents and cause panic across the capital. Most of the city would lose power. American armed forces would storm the Venezuelan president’s compound, fighting his forces until they eventually found Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and captured them. The two would then be flown out of Caracas and on to the USS Iwo Jima where they were planned to be brought to New York City.
Trump on TruthSocial would soon make an announcement of the successful capture and strikes, additionally adding there would be a news conference at Mar-a-Lago at 11AM. More information would come out from Senator Mike Lee of Utah, who announced that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has spoken to him and said that Maduro “has been arrested and will stand trial on criminal charges in the United States”. Maduro would be put on trial for narco-terrorism, which he was previously indicted for in 2020 during Trump’s first term. This would be further elaborated on by Attorney General Pam Bondi, announcing on social media the two would, “soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.” The Justice Department later that day would release a new indictment for Maduro and Flores. Trump would also tell Fox News that the U.S. would “be involved very much in it very much” in determining the fate of the South American nation, a hint to a later announcement he would make.
Back in Venezuela, vice president Delcy Roderigez would demand a proof of life soon after the capture of the president around 5AM. During the strikes, citizens of Casacas would run out into the streets in panic and others would bunker in their homes as at least seven blasts occurred around the city, hitting urban areas. Two Venezuelan civilians were killed and more than 112 others would be injured. Several of Maduro’s guards and other forces would be killed including several Cuban military forces meant to protect Maduro.
Mar-a-Lago Announcements and Trial
In West Palm Beach, Trump met with several members of his administration including Secretary of State Rubio, Secretary of Defense Hegseth, CIA Director John Radcliffe, Head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine, and top Trump advisor Stephen Miller would start the press conference in Mar-a-Lago. Notably however, VP Vance was absent. Trump would speak first, bragging about the operation, claiming it was an assault “not seen since World War II” and that it was “one of the most stunning, effective and powerful displays of American military might and competence in American history”. A little into his speech Trump claimed the U.S. is “going to run” Venezuela, a shocking announcement. Despite saying this, there was no sign the U.S. had taken over the nation’s government. Venezuelan VP Rodriguez at that time was acting as leader though it wasn’t official. He later added they “were not afraid to put boots on the ground” and that it “wouldn’t cost him anything” though past occupations have proven this statement false. Trump would bring up the false claims that Venezuela is a major source of fentanyl transferred into the U.S. as justification. In reality, cocaine is the major drug that flows out of Venezuela which then is smuggled through drug traffickers to Europe. Another major reason would also be revealed by Trump: oil. The president said the U.S. was planning to undo Hugo Chaez’s nationalization of Venezuela’s oil and was planning to sell it to other nations as the industry is rebuilt with U.S. companies.The other figures with Trump would make their once announcements Caine would discuss the build up to the capture. Hegseth would say Maduro “F’d around and found out” which can only be assumed was an attempt to be intimidating. Trump ended the conference while leaving many things uncertain.
Maduro would later arrive by plane in New York City. He was and is still being held in the infamous Brooklyn Jail, now being housed with other famous inmates like Sean “Diddy” Combs and R. Kelly. Maduro and his wife would plead not guilty to the charges brought against them. The two’s attorney in the past have successfully defended the founder of WikiLeaks, Jullian Assange. However, even with a good attorney, the odds are not in their favor. Looking at the past, another brutal Latin American dictator, Manuel Noriega of Panama, was also captured, put on trial, and was prosecuted, a fate Maduro and Flores will also most likely face. The trial is ongoing and will probably take years according to some.
The Question of Leadership
Despite saying in the Mar-a-Lago conference that the U.S. and key figures would run the country. Rubio would walk back on the president’s claim, saying that the U.S. would not run the country, but would enforce an oil blockade on the nation through force. These contradictory plans for Venezuela confused the public more and the fate of the country appeared to be a mystery. For now, it seems VP Delcy Rodriguez will proceed as acting president of Venezuela while obeying the Trump administration as it breaths down her neck.
Rodriguez would be officially sworn in on January 5th, starting her reign as acting president of Venezuela. In her first national speech as acting president, Rodregiez would criticize the U.S., describing the capture as a “stain on our relations”. Trump would tell The Atlantic that Rodriguez will “if she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro”. Despite the obvious tension between the two, they have demonstrated they are willing to work together. Rodriguez’s short term in power has seen the release of political prisoners, attempts to restart U.S. relations, and the start of oil deals.
Reactions
In the United States, there were several mixed reactions. Some Venezuelans living in the U.S. would celebrate the overthrow of Maduro, a sign their home country could be moving towards democracy. Others would protest throughout the country, seeing this not as a liberation, but another attempt by the U.S. to take control of a foreign nation for strategic purposes. Many democratic politicians like Chuck Schumer, Bernie Sanders, and Zohran Mamdani would condemn the attack. Other politicians backed up the Trump administration like Lindsey Graham and Mike Johnson.
In Venezuela, the government denounced the attacks and demanded Maduro be released. Opposition leader and Nobel Prize Winner Maria Corina Machado would praise Trump’s action in Venezuela though Trump said he wouldn’t support her as leader because she “didn’t have the respect” to lead the country.
Internationally, many were divided by the American intervention. Venezuelan allies and American enemies would fully denounce the capture. Russia, China, and Iran would state their disapproval. Some American allies including France, Spain, Columbia, Uruguay, Brazil, the United Kingdom, and Mexico would denounce it. The UN would also denounce the intervention Other allies, such as Ukraine, Argentina, and Israel were completely fine with the removal of Maduro. A few stated they were fine with the removal of the Maduro authoritarian regime, but worried at the consequences that could follow. French president Emmanual Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed their happiness at the news of Maduro’s fall, but did not support the actions taken by the United States.
Critics of the attack cited that Trump did not get approval from Congress and that kidnapping a foreign leader was illegal under international law. Others saw this going against Trump’s promise of “no new wars” and the potential this situation has to descend into another forever war like Iraq. Supporters of this intervention cited Maduro as a cruel and illegitimate leader, and Venezuela will now have the chance to establish a democratic government. Supporters also see this as an opportunity to stop the drugs that come out of the nation, and limit the influence of Russia and China in the region.
The Donroe Doctrine and American Imperialism
After the capture of Maduro, worries of a new age of American expansionism would grow internationally. Trump invoked his Donroe Doctrine, a policy based off of president James Monroe’s namesake Monroe Doctrine. The Monroe Doctrine was a policy that opposed foreign intervention by European powers in the Western Hemisphere. The Donroe Doctrine differs from this, instead of a policy of no intervention by others in the Western Hemisphere, it’s a policy of only American intervention in the western hemisphere.
Worries of this new imperialist doctrine would soon grow across the Western Hemisphere. Potential threats to Cuba would grow after Trump said they were “ready to fall”. Iran was threatened by Trump over their violent crackdown of protesters, though the protests have stopped with no action taken yet by the United States. Other nations in Latin America including Mexico and Columbia were the targets of vague warnings by the Trump administration. However, none of these would compare to Trump’s threats to Greenland.
Trump has always been interested in the frozen Danish controlled island, but fears would return once again after Steohen Miller’s wife, Katie Miller, would post on social media an image of Greenland with an American flag over it to signify ownership of it. This would start a crisis on the western alliance between the U.S. and the EU. After Trump made it clear he was fine with using any means, even invasion of a NATO ally, to place an American flag on Greenlandic soil, Denmark and their European allies would attempt to fight back. Eyes would be taken away from Venezuela to Greenland as the situation escalated everyday, with Denmark and seven other countries would send a various amount of troops and Trump using his traditional method of tariffs as retaliation. Greenlanders and others across Europe and the U.S. would protest against the potential invasion. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that an American invasion of Greenland would mark the end of the NATO alliance. Luckily for now, the citation has calmed after Trump backed down during the World Economic Forum’s annual Davos meeting.
While talks are ongoing, this new policy of American expansion and imperialism is still scaring many internationally. Recently, Trump posted an AI image of him in the Oval Office with European leaders, with a map behind him showcasing Venezuela, Greenland, and even Canada with American flags, showing this may only be the start to more American interventions across the world.
This situation is still developing and much can still occur. Other conflicts have already risen following the capture. The U.S. has already captured Russian flagged oil tankers off in the Venezuelan controlled seas. It’s unclear whether Trump will be able to get what he wants from the nation. ExxonMobile has brought up concerns that Venezuela’s oil might be “uninvestable”, but it still seems Trump and American oil companies like Chevron will still be going through with their plans. Rodriguez and Washington still have fragile relations that can very easily break down. It’s also unclear whether this is all that will happen in Venezuela or Trump is actually going to put those boots on the ground like originally promised. Even though Maduro might be gone for now, it’s important to note that his authoritarian system is still in place, even as Trump tries to influence the government.
Past U.S interventions have been terrible for those who found themselves invaded. Iran, Chile, and several others were invaded and governments overthrown for U.S. interests. They became horrific dictatorships that complied with American interests, so were allowed to stay. Others like Libya, Iraq, and Afghanistan had full collapses of their government, leaving them unstable and trapped in violent wars. Hopefully, the situation calms, and Venezuela will not have to face these fates. It currently seems like Venezuela is in a similar situation to Panama, who was able to recover from their invasion better than the others already listed. Panama was able to transition to democracy, have sanctions against them lifted, and recover from economic and political ruin. Venezuela could become something like post Noriega Panama, or have further U.S. action turn them into a Pinochet ruled Chile or a Libya in civil war, but only time will tell.
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