Early on Saturday, US special forces attacked Caracas and took President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores from their home. The USS Iwo Jima and Guantanamo Bay took them to New York, where they had to appear in court at noon ET on charges of narcoterrorism and cocaine trafficking. Donald Trump, the President of the United States, said that the US is now “in charge” of Venezuela and warned other countries that they might take more action.
The Supreme Court of Venezuela named Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as interim president to make sure that the government kept running smoothly after Maduro was removed. Rodríguez first spoke out against the “barbaric” US raid, but then he changed his mind and said he would “cooperate” with the US in the face of threats of more strikes. Opposition leaders like Edmundo González want the military to help with the transition to democracy, and the streets of Caracas are still tense with long lines but no major fights.
The operation did not go through Congress, which Democrats criticized but Republicans praised, and there were calls for new elections. The goal is to bring Venezuela’s oil industry back to life with US help, and an oil embargo will be in place to make sure this happens. Experts point out the dangers of instability, draw parallels to Iraq’s imperialism, and note how the opposition is split.
Trump warned Colombia’s Gustavo Petro, Mexico, and Cuba, while tensions stayed high and crude oil prices fell. Protests against the US action broke out all over the world, and the UN was worried about the “dangerous precedent.” Venezuela declared a national emergency, but Maduro’s government is still united.
