Max Stephanou
On 3 January 2026, US forces carried out a military operation which removed the Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro, from power. This latest act of aggressive American foreign policy was justified by President Donald Trump, claiming Maduro was an ‘outlaw dictator’ and that America will instead ‘run the country until […] a safe, proper and judicious transition’. While the approval rating for Maduro has been as low as 20%, there is an ongoing debate over the legality of the American operation and whether it undermines Venezuelan sovereignty. The true intention of the intervention has also come under question with the US President’s will to have ‘United States oil companies […] go in’.
IT IS DIFFICULT TO DENY THAT THE VENEZUELAN PEOPLE WERE LONGING FOR LIBERATION
Maduro came to power following his victory in the 2013 presidential election, which his opposition argued was undemocratic, with intimidation tactics reported on the day of the election. The Venezuelan Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Maduro government’s electoral victory, citing insufficient evidence from the opposition – this would be the first of three elections which controversially fell in President Maduro’s favour.
In 2016, Maduro was first granted the power to govern by decree as a result of an ‘economic emergency’. This power was meant to be in place for only 60 days and ended up lasting until the US invasion in January 2026. During this period, Maduro grew more authoritarian, with a UN report in 2025 claiming that since 2014, his government had engaged in political persecution that constituted crimes against humanity. With almost 7.7 million Venezuelans having fled under Maduro, it is difficult to deny that the Venezuelan people were longing for liberation and, in President Trump’s words, ‘want to go back to their country’.
The US’s primary concern with the Maduro presidency, however, has been based on his alleged links to ‘narco-terrorism’ and drug trafficking. In 2025, the US Navy struck a Venezuelan vessel in the Caribbean on these grounds. Trump claimed that Maduro was ‘responsible for trafficking colossal amounts of deadly and illicit drugs into the United States’ in his speech following the January operation, though The Independent reports these claims to be largely inaccurate.
AMERICAN RELATIONS WITH THE NEW PRESIDENT ARE FAR FROM PERFECT
In the aftermath of the attack, Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro’s Vice-President, was sworn in as acting president, assuming office on 5 January. As acting President, Delcy has proposed an amnesty law for political violence since 1999 and plans to close El Helicoide prison, where political prisoners were allegedly tortured. While the Venezuelan opposition has raised concerns that Maduro’s allies remain in power, Rodriguez’s actions have been received positively by Venezuelans as well as President Trump. The opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, last week said that the presidency ‘should be decided in elections by the Venezuelan people’, making it clear that despite steps taken by Rodriguez, free and fair elections are necessary for Venezuelan liberation.
American relations with the new President are far from perfect, with Rodriguez stating that she’s had ‘enough already of Washington’s orders over politicians in Venezuela’. With Venezuela being the country with the world’s largest oil reserves, the true intention of American intervention raises suspicion. Since 1976, Venezuelan oil reserves have been controlled by the state, but with recent American pressure, Rodriguez has allowed for the privatisation of the oil sector, aligning with President Trump’s plan to restore Venezuelan oil output with the help of American companies.
Similar to US intervention in Iraq, oil is the crux of American concern despite the guise of liberating the people. With no statement from President Trump on the prospect of free elections, it is not far-fetched to assume there is no real concern for Venezuelan freedom. Furthermore, the American pressure placed on the Rodriguez presidency suggests Washington is attempting to establish a puppet government that serves American interests.
THE INTERVENTION IN VENEZUELA IS SIMPLY THE LATEST EXAMPLE OF AMERICAN IMPERIALISM
The American claim to Venezuelan oil originates in the development of oil fields, credited to US companies. Since nationalising oil in 2005, this has been used as the primary justification for US sanctions. Following the January regime change, Trump has issued a license for private oil companies to resume operations in Venezuela. While Trump claims this will benefit Venezuela, the future for the country is unclear. Restrictions have been placed on this license, namely prohibiting transactions with China, a major buyer before the intervention. This move by the White House, then, seems to serve American interests in seeking to undermine Chinese dominance over world trade.
Since the turn of the century, the US has upheld a policy of interventionism around the world. The American military has fought in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, and Somalia, among many other smaller operations. The intervention in Venezuela is simply the latest example of American imperialism. In maintaining global hegemony, Washington undermines the sovereignty and right to self-determination of countries in crisis like Venezuela. On 5 January 2026, many speakers voiced their concerns to the UN Security Council, claiming the sovereignty of states is at stake and that international law has been ignored. Disregarding Maduro’s authoritarianism for a moment, one speaker argued America unlawfully kidnapped a head of state and conducted an armed attack on a sovereign state.
TRUMPIAN INTERVENTIONISM WON’T STOP HERE
America is not new to enforcing unlawful regime change abroad, considering American involvement in Bolivia in 2019 and Libya in 2011. With American imperialism going mostly unchallenged and President Trump growing more aggressive, the future of the international order is troubled. With Trump’s intention to ‘run the country’ having not yet materialised, only time will tell how far America will go. In the aftermath of the Venezuela attack, Trump tightened the blockade on Cuba, attempting to oust the communist government in power. It seems Trumpian interventionism won’t stop here, and more independent states will be forced to fall under American influence.
For Venezuela’s internal affairs, the future is uncertain. Since Delcy Rodriguez assumed her role as president, she has become less compliant with Washington, and we can expect this to continue. Frustration with America’s influence in Venezuela will only worsen, and it seems Rodriguez is ready to defend her nation’s sovereignty. Yet with free elections being talked of, this could change if Machado (who has publicly thanked President Trump for the military operation) is victorious. The Venezuelan crisis is far from over as a power vacuum begins to form, but one thing is clear: if Venezuelan sovereignty is to return, the US must stop meddling in their internal affairs.
Max Stephanou
Featured image courtesy of Jorge Salvador via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
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