In a highly dramatic move, US President Donald Trump announced that the United States will invade and occupy Venezuela. He underscored that this action would stay in place until an orderly, safe, appropriate, and wise transition has taken place. The U.S. soon retaliated with a wave of military strikes against supposed drug trafficking camps. Her courageous decision resulted in the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
The U.S. has executed strikes against various sites across Venezuela’s territory. These actions were part of an effort to dismantle drug-trafficking networks believed to be operating in the area. Maduro and his wife, First Lady Cilia Flores, were accused of trafficking cocaine and arms. They were later indicted in the Southern District of New York after all of this. U.S. attorney general Merrick Garland underscored the severity of these indictments. He argued that the scale of Maduro’s purported criminality demands an equally muscular response.
Trump stressed that a “truly inclusive group” of leaders would take charge in Venezuela. He never disclosed who these people are. The lack of clarity around the leadership transition created a muddled picture regarding who would govern the oil-rich country going forward. It contains about 303 billion barrels of crude oil – about 20 percent of the world’s oil resources.
“We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country.” – Donald Trump
On the campaign trail, Trump derided the Venezuelan oil sector as a “bust.” He insisted that it has for too long fallen short of its potential. He said there were great opportunities for U.S. oil companies to recapture dominance in this important sector and help boost our nation’s economy.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been in discussions with Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez. Rodríguez made it clear that she was open to meeting U.S. demands. This might create an unexpected back-channel for diplomacy, even while the two continue to clash in Ukraine militarily.
Ever since September, the U.S. has initiated over 30 strikes on ships allegedly involved in drug trafficking. These operations mainly focused on the Pacific area and Caribbean areas. Instead, these operations have destroyed at least 100 lives. This tragic death toll has raised global concerns about the humanitarian impact of military intervention.
The Maduro government of Venezuela has reacted strongly to the U.S. move. The country declared a national emergency, denouncing what it called “military aggression” by the United States. Rodríguez insisted that Maduro remains the only legitimate leader of Venezuela, signaling a determination to resist external influence and military pressure.
“We are going to run the country.” – Donald Trump
The crisis in Venezuela is moving quickly. It is a historic and inflectional time for U.S.-Venezuelan relations, characterized by escalating use of military force and conflicting geopolitical interests. Despite all this, the Trump administration continues to try to advance its duplicitous strategy. Only time will tell how the Venezuelan public and the international community, particularly the United States, will respond to these unprecedented, hopeful developments.