In the wake of Maduro’s capture, governments across the continent are facing uncomfortable questions about deterrence and autonomy.
Early on Saturday morning, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States had attacked Venezuela and captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. It is hard to exaggerate the historical significance of these events.
Whatever one thinks of Maduro’s catastrophic rule—or of Trump’s stated objectives to “run” the country and take control of its oil reserves—the use of overt U.S. military force against a South American government marks a profound rupture of regional precedent. Its consequences will extend far beyond Venezuela itself.
Many analysts have described the U.S. military strikes on Venezuela as the first direct U.S. military intervention in Latin America since Panama in 1989. However, that framing understates the significance of what has just occurred in Caracas. Latin America is not a single strategic space; ties between South and Central American countries can be limited.
