Overview
- U.S. forces conducted a Jan. 3 operation in Caracas that reportedly resulted in the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.
- Officials and analysis describe the action as aligned with the Trump administration’s November 2025 National Security Strategy, including a regional focus dubbed the Trump corollary to the Monroe Doctrine.
- Legal scholars and commentators call the intervention a violation of international law and argue the likely motive centers on Venezuela’s vast oil reserves rather than human rights or democracy.
- Many leading governments have registered limited public objection, while some left-leaning leaders defended the chavista regime, and analysts are tracking potential responses from Russia and China.
- The fallout is reshaping politics across Latin America, entering campaign debates such as in Peru and reinforcing broader uncertainty over multilateral institutions and regional security.