

The US strike on Venezuela wasn’t just about Maduro—it’s part of a highly risky geopolitical matrix
On 3 January, the US carried out airstrikes on Caracas in the backdrop of heightened tensions in the Caribbean and its recent interdictions of vessels alleged to be carrying narcotics in Venezuelan waters. The White House framed this operation as a necessary move to dismantle narco-terrorist efforts and halt weapons being sold to anti-US forces. This large-scale operation included the ‘capture’ of Venezuela’s leader Nicolás Maduro and there is enough to suggest that its aims were wider than claimed.
US President Donald Trump claimed Caracas has been emptying Venezuelan prisons and mental wards into the US, a narrative critics say was weak justification for the use of force. The capture of Maduro indicates an attempt at regime change, consistent with a revamped US national security strategy that treats American primacy in the Western Hemisphere as a non-negotiable. Venezuela’s close relationship with the Kremlin, which includes hosting Russian military facilities in violation of the Monroe Doctrine under its left-leaning government, thus appears to have been a key trigger for US action.
The White House has stated that it seeks to oversee a “safe, orderly and judicious” transition of power in Venezuela, signalling continued US involvement in its political future. That Venezuela’s vast oil reserves may be in play as a factor is clear too. This may offer the US strategic gains, but carries heavy geopolitical and economic risks.
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