Global & US Headlines
US Special Forces Seize Maduro in Caracas Raid, Trump Declares Interim American Rule
On 3 Jan 2026, a 30-minute U.S. operation codenamed “Absolute Resolve” air-struck Caracas, extracted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady-MP Cilia Flores, and Trump immediately announced Washington would administer Venezuela until a future hand-over.
Focusing Facts
- Pentagon brief: 150 U.S. aircraft (F-22, F-35, B-1) plus special operators entered Venezuelan airspace at 22:46 EST on 3 Jan 2026 and removed the couple before 23:20, with zero U.S. fatalities reported.
- At a Mar-a-Lago press conference on 4 Jan 2026, Trump said: “We are going to run the country until such a time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” and warned of a ready “much larger” second strike.
- Maduro and Flores were flown to the USS Iwo Jima and transferred to the Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn, to face SDNY indictments for narco-terrorism and cocaine-importation conspiracies.
Context
Washington has not snatched a sitting head of state since the 20 Dec 1989 invasion of Panama that captured Manuel Noriega (indicted June 1988, flown to Miami 3 Jan 1990). Both actions cite drug charges and invoke the Monroe Doctrine; both skirt explicit congressional war authorization. The raid fits a century-long pattern of U.S. coercive regime change in its hemisphere, from the 1904 Roosevelt Corollary occupations to the 1965 Dominican intervention, now turbo-charged by precision strike and social-media theatrics. Whether this moment endures hinges on oil flows and regional acquiescence: if U.S. control persists, it may inaugurate an openly neo-protectorate model; if international backlash coalesces, it could instead accelerate multipolar balancing reminiscent of the post-Suez 1956 erosion of colonial interventions. In a 100-year lens, the event tests the still-dominant—yet contested—U.S. claim to unipolar enforcement powers amid rising great-power pushback from China and Russia, and may set precedent for drug-war–justified extra-territorial seizures of sovereign leaders.
Perspectives
Right-leaning or pro-Trump media
e.g., The Star, ProtoThema English — Present the raid as a stunning, justified display of U.S. military prowess that toppled an illegitimate drug-running dictator and will bring prosperity once American oil firms enter Venezuela. By echoing Trump’s triumphalist language and ignoring civilian deaths or international law questions, these outlets reinforce an America-first narrative that flatters their conservative audiences and the administration.
Mainstream U.S. and international news agencies
e.g., Associated Press via San Jose Mercury News, RocketNews — Highlight the unprecedented nature of abducting a sitting head of state, stressing unclear legal authority, reported civilian casualties and mounting global condemnation. Focusing on legality and human-cost angles can magnify controversy and political accountability, but may understate that many Venezuelans and regional leaders cheered Maduro’s removal.
Global-South outlets outside the West
e.g., Asian News International, Channels Television — Frame the operation chiefly as a law-enforcement success against narco-terrorism, lauding its ‘spectacular’ execution while noting wider geopolitical ripples. Relying on U.S. and expert talking points can downplay sovereignty concerns and resource motives, reflecting these countries’ strategic interest in strong U.S. ties rather than in Venezuelan autonomy. ( Asian News International (ANI) , Channels Television )