Venezuela is a good prize for Washington, but this may be just the first step.
After the unprecedented US operation against Venezuela and its president, new facts have become known. Some of them were published in the US media, and some were told by the US president at a press conference and posted on social networks.
Thuswise, it is known that inside the Venezuelan leadership there was a CIA insider who worked in conjunction with the net of agents who were deployed there ways earlier. If we add to them the work of US geospatial intelligence, as well as a single data processing node where US intelligence agencies and other departments are connected (the CIA venture company Palantir was engaged in software development), this allowed not only to collect and process information about the movement of the first person, but also to make a simulator of Nicolas Maduro’s place of residence and practice its capture. Although the US Air Force attacked radars and air defense systems to secure the approach of the assault group by helicopter, it is not clear why other types of weapons were not used and the perimeter of the presidential residence was not properly protected. Note that during the full moon, military helicopters that make a lot of noise are a good target. But according to Trump, only one American helicopter was damaged, and the special forces suffered no losses at all. This suggests that there were (and still are) people working for the interests of the United States among the Venezuelan military.
Without question, the accusation against Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, of organizing drug trafficking in the United States and illegal possession of weapons is a farce. The lawyers have yet to figure this out. Let’s just add that even the New York Times noted that “Trump’s attack on Venezuela is illegal and unwise,” pointing out in the publication that the nominal justification was the accusation of “narco terrorism,” and at the same time, Trump pardoned Juan Orlando Hernández, who was involved in drug trafficking, as president of Honduras from 2014 to 2022
The news outlet also notes the unconstitutionality of this operation, since the US Congress was not notified of it. Consequently, even the semblance of a democratic procedure was violated. And from the point of view of political realism, this adventure does not correspond to the long-term interests of the United States in the region and the world. For once again, Washington has trampled on international law, showing that only military force is a real instrument of world politics.
Trump himself justified the use of military force and the killing of Venezuelans (the exact number of victims of the January 3 strikes is not yet known) by the need to cover up agents authorized to arrest Maduro, for which about 150 aircraft and special forces were involved.
As for the real drug trafficking, another American edition – The Washington Post warned back in 2023 that fentanyl production superlabs in Canada (some of them were discovered several dozen kilometers from the US border) were an immediate threat to the United States.
But despite these facts, Canada‘s role in drug trafficking has been consistently hushed up, and only Mexico has surfaced before. Probably because Canada is a member of NATO and a partner of the United States in air defense (the NORAD system).
In his news conference, Trump also mentioned Cuba, Venezuela’s closest ally. The American president mentioned oil supplies from Venezuela, hinting that they would no longer be available. And that the United States wants to help the people of Cuba, where the situation is similar to Venezuela. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has Cuban roots, added that this should be perceived in Havana as a warning or threat. To this can be added the obviously defiant statement that Maduro and his wife will first arrive at the US base in Guantanamo Bay (which is located in Cuba) and only from there they will be flown by special plane to New York. This scenario was fully executed in a few hours.
Trump has also openly stated that Venezuela will now be under external control until there is a leadership approved by the United States. Donald Trump called Venezuelan oil the property of the United States. If Caracas does not agree with this, new attacks on Venezuela may follow. However, Trump has made it clear that they can do the same with other countries and their leaders. This is reminiscent of George W. Bush‘s ultimatum when he declared a “global war on terror“ following the terrorist attacks in New York in September 2001.
It was said about the Monroe Doctrine again in the new version, which actually means that all countries in the Western Hemisphere are required to obey orders from Washington.
The majority of the world community took the US aggression for granted. Although Russia, China, Cuba, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, and Iran condemned the US actions, the EU’s general position on the US aggression consisted of the usual phrases about the need to comply with the UN Charter and peaceful transition. And the UN Security Council did not even convene for an emergency meeting on Venezuela, although there was information in the media that this body would hold a meeting on Monday. However, the UN Security Council can do little, since the United States will simply veto any decision.
Nicolas Maduro. If they consider that he is no longer the current head of the republic, then it will be necessary to hold new elections within a month. The opposition, led by Edmundo Gonzalez and Maria Machado, has already prepared to seize government buildings. It is quite possible that the confrontation between the Chavistas and the fifth column will escalate into street violence, which will again be used by Trump as an argument for launching new strikes to punish the “undemocratic government.” At a press conference, Donald Trump referred to Marco Rubio, who allegedly had a conversation with Delcy Rodriguez and she allegedly agreed to do what she would be told.
So far, there are no signs of readiness on the part of Venezuela to carry out retaliation, which may mean the progressive dismantling of the system that Hugo Chavez began to build in the 1990s. The United States will thus disable one of the key players in the ALBA bloc (Ecuador was previously eliminated, and more recently, Bolivia) and destroy the real center in Latin America for promoting a multipolar world. Finally, the interests of Russia, China, and Iran, Venezuela’s key partners so far, are also at risk. Diplomatic statements, even in the harshest tones, will clearly not be enough to preserve them.
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