US Strikes Venezuela, Captures Maduro, Takes Control, Drawing Criticism and Praise

Yesterday, the United States launched multiple strikes on Venezuela, taking control of the country, and an operation within the capital, Caracas, managed to capture dictator Nicolás Maduro.

The strikes took place around 2 am local time, when American forces launched missiles towards several locations in northern Venezuela, including the capital city of Caracas.

While the strikes were taking place, an undercover team of CIA agents in Caracas managed to sneak into Maduro's residence, capturing him and his wife before flying them to New York.

According to the New York Times, the team of Army Delta Force commandos had been tracking Maduro's movements since August, but the mission proved extremely difficult due to his unprecedented place of residence. The dictator alternated between six to eight houses, preventing the agents from finding out where his location would be for the night.

The commandos also practiced the mission with an exact replica of one of the residences, created in Kentucky for the sole purpose of the mission– named 'Operation Absolute Resolve.' Then, they were forced to wait for the day when confirmation was received that Maduro would be staying at that exact residence, prompting them to make their move.

The Venezuelan leader was successfully captured with no loss of American life– a huge win for Trump, who has maintained a strongly anti-Maduro stance since assuming office. Trump has attributed the downfall of Venezuela's once-promising oil industry to Maduro's administration, but more importantly, Trump claims that Maduro's authoritarian regime is the source of various drug cartels that have spread across Latin America and the United States.

According to American reports, Maduro and his wife worked together to facilitate the trafficking of cocaine for years, using their governmental power to kidnap, beat, and kill their opponents without making the information public.

Maduro arrived in New York City in a helicopter soon after the operation, where he was met with chants of "down with the dictator" and "dirty scumbag." Maduro and his wife are now being charged with narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.

The entire operation comes after the Trump administration had been consistently trying to build pressure on Maduro for months, primarily through the seizure of Venezuelan oil tankers in the Caribbean.

Soon after the strikes, President Donald Trump asserted that the US would "run the country" until further notice, giving them control of the Venezuela's gigantic oil reserves. Venezuela currently holds around 303 billion barrels of crude oil beneath its surface, making up around 20% of the world's total– the most of any country. However, according to OPEC, they only pump around 1 million barrels per day– a mere 0.8% of global oil production.

Meanwhile, Trump also claimed that he would send American companies into Venezuela to invest in building new oil infrastructure and turn the nation into a major oil-producing country once again.

In total, the United States stands to gain an incredible amount from these developments, due to the nation's proximity to Venezuela and their newfound control over the South American country's oil– which many have labeled as highly illegal.

Nevertheless, many people in Venezuela strongly supported US intervention prior to Maduro's downfall, as shown by the sentiments of Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado, but Machado has called for Venezuelan opposition leader Eduardo González to assume leadership– something that may not happen under Trump's assertion of control. According to various reports, González won the 2024 Venezuelan election by a significant margin, but Maduro allegedly skewed the results to secure his position as dictator.

Because of the complexity of the situation, various countries have shown mixed reactions to the United States' actions. Other authoritarian regimes, like Cuba, Belarus, and Russia, condemned Trump's actions, along with China and several other Latin American nations– particularly those whose relationships with the US have soured since Trump assumed office.

Mexico, Brazil, and other countries were quick to reject the American intervention, labeling it as a major violation of international law. Brazilian President Lula de Silva called it a "dangerous precedent for the entire international community," and Uruguay also took a similar stance– in particular, they pointed out the importance of respecting the Charter of the United Nations, but avoided mentioning Maduro.

Other nations, like Argentina, Israel, and Ukraine, supported Trump's decisions, emphasizing the Maduro regime's authoritarian policies and lack of democracy. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Trump's "leadership" as "bold" and "historic" and saluted his "decisive resolve" and the "brilliant action" of American forces.

Most nations shifted closer towards a middle ground, commending the end to Maduro's administration while expressing their concerns over the UN Charter and international law. Specifically, several countries, including France and other members of the European Union, highlighted the urgency of ensuring de-escalation of the situation and a proper democratic transition without further violation of the law.

However, the action that will be taken in the next few days is yet to be seen– whether the US will back out of Venezuela or stay involved is still unknown, and Maduro could be locked up in America for a long time.

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Image credit to a local witness