Analysis: Donald Trump has long promised to use US military might to achieve his foreign policy goals, writes 1News US Correspondent Logan Church from New York, where President Nicolás Maduro will soon face trial.
In the dead of the night, a fleet of American military helicopters began flying over Venezuela towards, its capital, Caracas, and the fortress that housed its President Nicolás Maduro.
Aircraft flew above them, providing cover if necessary – 150 craft in total. The US navy – including the world’s biggest aircraft carrier – lurked off the coast.
Operation 'Absolute Resolve' had been delayed for days, waiting for the perfect conditions.
It seemed to be worth the wait, with the Americans able to maintain the element of surprise as their soldiers flew over the capital, landing at the fortified property where Maduro and his wife were sleeping.
Operation 'Absolute Resolve' had been delayed for days, waiting for the perfect conditions. (Source: 1News)
There, forces protecting the Venezuelan president fired back, injuring an unknown number of Americans. One helicopter was damaged but remained flyable. Explosions were heard across the city — some understood to be Venezuelan air defence batteries being hit.
Maduro and his wife raced towards a safe room, but were unable to close the thick, steel door before the American military and law enforcement captured them, before flying them out of Venezuela towards the battleship Iowa Jima.
The pair are now en route to New York, to answer a raft of drug trafficking conspiracy charges, among others. The minimum penalty for Maduro – aged 63 — is 30 years in prison if convicted.
They’ll likely appear in court just down the road from where I’m writing this in the coming days.
Whatever your thoughts on the US president, it’s hard to deny that the military operation – which saw no American lives taken (or equipment damaged, for that matter) – was exceptionally executed.
In ordering the strike, Trump also carried out his promise of achieving "peace through strength", telling press at his Mar-a -Lago home in Florida, where he monitored the operation (describing it as like watching a TV show), said "this was one of the most stunning, effective and powerful displays of American military might and competence in American history".
Of course, the legal, political, and diplomatic implications are far more complicated.
To take the first of those. The Trump administration (as well as the Biden administration) had long considered Maduro to be a criminal. Charges were unsealed in 2020 when President Biden was in the White House. The latest charges add to that.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated that point at the press conference in Mar-a-Lago.
“It's largely a law enforcement [operation],” he said, asked about the legality of the raid.
“Remember, at the end of day, at its core, this was an arrest of two indicted fugitives of American justice. And the Department of War supported the Department of Justice in that job.”
The complication comes from the US Constitution, which states (and I summarise), that Congress needs to be notified – and ultimately approve – any use of the American military overseas.
That didn’t happen. Rubio confirmed he only told Congressional leaders after the raid took place.
“It's just not the kind of mission that you can pre-notify, because it endangers the mission,” he told reporters, before Trump jumped in.
“Congress has a tendency to leak. This would not be good. If they leaked, in general, I think it would have been maybe a very different result...Congress will leak and we don't want to leakers.”
Democrats – and some Republicans – have been quick to condemn this.
“Nicolas Maduro is a criminal and authoritarian dictator who has oppressed the people of Venezuela for years,” wrote Democrat House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
“The Trump administration has not sought congressional authorisation for the use of military force and has failed to properly notify Congress in advance of the operation in Venezuela. The promotion of security and stability in a region requires more than just military force as we painfully discovered in Iraq and Afghanistan,” he said.
“The House and Senate must be briefed immediately and compelling evidence to explain and justify this unauthorised use of military force should be presented forthwith.”
It’s too early to know what the political fallout from this might be.
But diplomatically, the implications of this raid are already being felt.
For those who don’t recognise Maduro’s legitimacy — which is much of the world, including New Zealand — how the US has gone about removing him from office has set off alarm bells.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters released a statement on the United States operation in Venezuela, saying New Zealand was "concerned by and actively monitoring developments" and expected all parties to comply with international law.
"New Zealand stands with the Venezuelan people in their pursuit of a fair, democratic and prosperous future."
This from France’s Foreign Minister, Jean-Noel Barrot: "The military operation that led to the capture of Nicolas Maduro contravenes the principle of non-use of force, which is fundamental to international law. France reiterates that no lasting political solution can be imposed from outside and that sovereign peoples alone decide their future."
Brazil’s President Lula de Silva went a step further.
"The bombings on Venezuelan soil and the capture of its president cross an unacceptable line,” he wrote on social media.
"Attacking countries, in flagrant violation of international law, is the first step towards a world of violence, chaos, and instability, where the law of the strongest prevails over multilateralism...The action recalls the worst moments of interference in the politics of Latin America and the Caribbean and threatens the preservation of the region as a zone of peace...the international community, through the United Nations, needs to respond vigorously to this episode."
The United Nations was also quick to condemn the American operation.
“These developments constitute a dangerous precedent,” said the UN in a statement.
“The Secretary-General calls on all actors in Venezuela to engage in inclusive dialogue, in full respect of human rights and the rule of law.”
The response from Venezuela’s allies, China and Russia, was also interesting.
The Russian foreign ministry has already called for Maduro to be released.
A China foreign ministry statement said: "China is deeply shocked and strongly condemns the use of force by the U.S. against a sovereign country and the use of force against the president of a country,".
But there is a suggestion, that Presidents Putin and Xi could see an opportunity here.
If the US can send its forces into another country, technically abduct its leader, put them on trial, and more importantly, get away with it in the eyes of the international community, what’s to stop Russia doing the same thing with Volodymyr Zelensky, who the Kremlin considers a criminal? Or China doing the same to Taiwan’s leaders, who they consider to be the heads of a breakaway province?
Finally, there is another factor in all of this.
Trump has made no secret of his desire to get his hands on Venezuela’s vast oil resources — the large proven oil reserves in the world. American money and companies constructed much of the country’s oil infrastructure in the late 20th century.
With Maduro gone, Trump today announced plans for American oil companies to take charge of them, possibly with the protection of the US military, and to sell that oil at home and abroad.
He said that would create wealth for Venezuela. It could also make a huge amount of money for US corporations.
“We're going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go and spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country,” said Trump.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth went a step further.
“President Trump is deadly serious about stopping the flow of gangs and violence to our country,” he told reporters.
“Deadly serious about stopping the flow of drugs and poison to our people. Deadly serious about getting back the oil that was stolen from us. And deadly serious about reestablishing American deterrence and dominance in the Western hemisphere.”
There are still many questions. How will the US govern Venezuela, a country of roughly 29 million people? Will the people respond to the Venezuelan opposition party’s call for a popular uprising? How will Congress respond when lawmakers return to DC on Monday?
Donald Trump promised "strength through peace", and while he nailed the "strength"part, peace might prove trickier.
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