2 weeks ago, on January 3rd, 2026, the United States carried out a military operation in Caracas, Venezuela, that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The Trump administration has called this operation “Operation Absolute Resolve,” according to the U.S. This was already planned. There are many reports that there were no American casualties as a result of the operation. After this operation, President Maduro and his wife have been taken to New York to face federal criminal charges for supposed drug trafficking.
So Who was Nicolás Maduro, and Why Is He So Controversial?
Nicolás Maduro was the president of Venezuela for 12 years, coming to office after the death of former president Hugo Chávez. In his whole presidency, Nicolás Maduro has been called controversial due to strong evidence of him being involved in election corruption, human rights abuses, and the killing of his political opponents. Because of these things for 12 years, it is a big factor in Venezuela’s leaving Venezuela. For all these reasons, many countries and experts have called Maduro an authoritarian dictator and seen him as morally bad for the country of Venezuela.
Was this Operation Justified?
Many critics have agreed that the removal of Muduro was a positive thing, but have argued that the operation was still against international law and the three branches of government in the U.S., as the Trump administration conducted this operation without congressional approval. The Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has claimed that the mission did not need to be authorized by Congress because this was a short-duration law enforcement operation and cannot be characterized as a full-scale invasion. The Trump administration has seemed to give the reason for this operation as for regime change, helping the people of Venezuela, and ending the drug trafficking of Venezuelan boats. But many have argued that this is not the case. For one, if this were about ending drug trafficking, the Trump administration would attack Mexico right away, with evidence showing most drugs come there. Second, it seems that this is about oil, since Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world. And Venezuela was also partnering with America’s enemies, such as Iran, China, and Russia. One last thing, and even Trump supporters are concerned about this operation due to the lack of putting America first, that Trump, before coming to the Oval Office in 2025, promised “only America first.” And many are calling this the same Washington playbook that justified the Iraq invasion during George W. Bush, based on the false claim of weapons of mass destruction.
After math?
Ever since this operation, the U.S. has not seemed to change the regime since the vice president of Maduro, Delcy Rodríguez, has been sworn in as president. Many people believe Trump is giving a warning to Venezuela, and this could have gone worse, and they must treat their people right and their morals, such as killing more opponents and harming citizens. And if they continue their regime, the U.S. could do a much worse attack, maybe turning Venezuela into a complete Yankee.
