Overview
- U.S. forces detained Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro on Jan. 3, after which President Trump spoke of rebuilding the country “in a very profitable way” and pursuing gains from its oil sales.
- Officials now indicate a willingness to deploy ground troops to secure oil interests, a posture they say was reinforced by the Venezuela operation’s success without U.S. fatalities.
- The past year featured repeated interventions, including a June 2025 strike on Iranian nuclear facilities and a December 2025 strike targeting extremists in Nigeria.
- Veteran advisers who once tempered decisions have departed as loyalists rose, and Trump has said only his own morality constrains him, with aides casting international law as a matter of definition.
- China has moved to capitalize by presenting itself as a defender of the global order, expanding zero tariffs for 53 African countries and visa waivers, while tightening rare-earth exports to Japan in a step that could disrupt supply chains.