Expert warns Trump’s Venezuela push and Maduro capture risk uncontrollable fallout

Time reports that Dominic Tierney, a scholar of war and regime change, warned that President Donald Trump’s push into Venezuela — including the capture of Venezuelan President Nicholás Maduro and repeated talk of the country’s oil — could produce unpredictable consequences.

Tierney said the use of force is hard to control and that labeling the operation a law-enforcement action narrows its scope rhetorically even as it may effect regime change. He noted the U.S. has repeatedly struggled to manage the political forces unleashed by such interventions and described America’s post‑1945 military record as poor. Tierney also suggested Trump is attracted to controlling resources but that motives such as hemispheric dominance and opposition to leftist governments may be more important, invoking a return to a “Donroe—rather than the Monroe—Doctrine.” He added that public support appears weak, citing one poll that split roughly into thirds for, against, and unsure.

Tierney warned the mission is dangerous and highlighted concerns about official competence, the lack of outreach to Democrats, minimal allied buy‑in, and scarce planning for the day after. He said it is unclear how deep any regime change will be — whether it ends with Maduro or becomes a broader effort potentially involving boots on the ground and provoking resistance seen as American occupation.

Key Topics

Politics, Dominic Tierney, Donald Trump, Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela, Oil