The reported capture of Venezuela's socialist president, Nicolas Maduro, by invading United States forces has sent a profound shockwave of fear and consternation across the international community. This illegal and unprovoked coup represents a direct assault on sovereign territorial rights and upends decades of established international norms. For many observers, it signals the chaotic and dangerous application of a new world order: one dictated unilaterally by Donald Trump.
A Reckless Assertion of Power
This direct military attack on Venezuela constitutes an extraordinary and dangerous assertion of unfettered American power. It comes in the same week President Trump threatened military strikes against Iran's anti-western regime, following months of escalating US pressure on Caracas. That pressure included lethal attacks on boats allegedly linked to drug trafficking.
Trump has publicly justified the action as necessary to stem the flow of illegal narcotics and migrants into the US. However, critics accuse him of coveting Venezuela's vast oil and gas reserves, a suspicion fuelled by previous illegal US seizures of Venezuelan oil tankers. Analysts suggest Trump's primary motives are a personal animosity towards Maduro and a desire to revive the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine, re-establishing a US sphere of influence across the Western Hemisphere.
Global Repercussions and Regional Alarm
The coup has been met with outrage and alarm by regional leaders. Colombia's President, Gustavo Petro, who has recently clashed with Trump, was swift to condemn the action. Many fear they could be the next targets of Washington's aggressive new hegemony. Cuba's left-wing government, which relies heavily on Venezuelan support, has particular cause for concern, especially given US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's open desire for regime change in Havana.
The event chillingly recalls the 1989 US invasion of Panama and the arrest of its then-leader, Manuel Noriega. Authoritarian regimes worldwide will be watching Trump's next moves closely, as will Washington's democratic allies. While Iran condemned the coup, Russia's Vladimir Putin may see a twisted precedent in Trump's actions, which mirror his own illegal invasion of Ukraine. For China's Xi Jinping, who recently conducted military drills targeting Taiwan, Trump has potentially set a template for future aggression.
Chaos in Caracas and a Legacy of Blood
The immediate aftermath in Venezuela remains dangerously uncertain. While the Caracas government has been decapitated, other senior regime figures are urging resistance and potential retaliation. Reports of civilian casualties are unconfirmed, but a power vacuum could trigger civil disorder or a military coup. The notion that exiled opposition leaders like Nobel peace prizewinner María Corina Machado will swiftly return to restore full democracy is viewed as naive.
This reckless action should finally dismantle Trump's misleading persona as a 'global peacemaker'. Since returning to office, his administration has conducted record numbers of airstrikes across the Middle East and Africa, from Yemen and Somalia to Iraq and Syria, often with loosened rules of engagement leading to civilian deaths. He has even refused to rule out action against Greenland, a territory of NATO ally Denmark.
Trump's Venezuela 'success' may encourage further unhinged interventions. Like a modern-day warmaker, he struts the global stage, creating havoc and letting slip the dogs of war. For the UK, the EU, and Western democracies, this illegal coup demands unequivocal condemnation. It is a direct challenge to the international order and a stark warning that the quest for a just and lasting peace is being set back by a president who appears to be building his legacy in blood.
