The United States on the 3rd (local time) finally carried out a military intervention by airstriking Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, and capturing President Nicolás Maduro. This is the second overseas use of direct military force by the second Trump administration, following the strike on Iran's underground nuclear facilities in June last year.
On the surface, the operation was billed as a crackdown on drug cartels, but the prevailing analysis is that it is underpinned by the "Donroe Doctrine," aimed at blocking China's influence in Latin America and cementing U.S. hegemony.
U.S. President Donald Trump at the start of the year declared war on Venezuelan drug cartels including TrendeAragua (TdA), and has maintained military pressure. U.S. forces struck suspected drug-running vessels around the Caribbean more than 30 times, leaving over 105 dead, and last month expanded the strike zone to land by attacking Venezuelan port facilities with drones.
The United States went further by launching a surprise airstrike on the capital, Caracas, and moving to arrest President Maduro. U.S. foreign policy experts say this reflects a judgment that a hardened leftist regime is difficult to topple with a naval blockade or economic sanctions alone. Trump had earlier designated the Maduro regime as a "foreign terrorist organization" and hinted at the possibility of ground operations.
Diplomatic circles view the airstrike as a signal that the Trump administration's new foreign policy, the "Donroe Doctrine," has entered the implementation phase. The Donroe Doctrine is a concept that inherits and expands the 19th-century "Monroe Doctrine," which excluded European interference and defined the Americas as the United States' exclusive sphere of influence. It is in the same vein as the White House's National Security Strategy (NSS) released last month, which placed the Western Hemisphere as the top strategic priority.
This is seen as a move to keep China in check, as it has expanded its influence in Latin America by increasing investment in Venezuela, Panama and Cuba. It is a strong warning that the United States will no longer overlook China's expansion of power in the Western Hemisphere, its own backyard.
Some also speculate that the operation targeted Venezuela's oil resources, the world's largest reserves. Trump has accused the Maduro regime of diverting revenue from illegally held oil fields to finance terrorism, a remark that can be interpreted as contemplating the restoration of interests once held by nationalized Western major oil corporations.
Strong backlash to the U.S. airstrike is expected. The Venezuelan government immediately said it would bring the matter to the U.N. Security Council, and neighboring countries such as Colombia and Cuba issued critical statements. In particular, since last September's strikes on suspected drug vessels sparked controversy over "war crimes" due to civilian casualties, analysts say that if civilians or U.S. troops are killed or injured in this airstrike, it could become a political burden for the Trump administration ahead of the November midterm elections.