U.S. Capture of Nicolás Maduro Intensifies Divisions Across Latin America

The United States carried out strikes and a helicopter operation that seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro after explosions, disabled air defenses and a power outage in the city, The New York Times reported. The operation and Mr. Trump’s subsequent celebration — in which he mentioned Venezuela’s oil 20 times, according to the report — deepened sharp divisions in the region.

Left-leaning governments and parties called the action an imperial intervention and several nations led by leftists, including Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Spain and Uruguay, jointly denounced it as "an extremely dangerous precedent," warning against any attempt to appropriate Venezuela’s resources.

Right-leaning leaders cheered the move; Argentina’s Javier Milei said, "There’s no middle ground here." The article said Mr. Trump framed the action as part of a renewed U.S. dominance in the hemisphere, invoking the Monroe Doctrine and saying "Under our new national security strategy, American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again." It also noted Mr.

Trump has shifted U.S. policy toward transactional measures, citing tariffs on Brazil, sanctions on Colombia’s president, an endorsement in Honduras and a $20 billion lifeline to Argentina.

Key Topics

World, Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela, Donald Trump, Monroe Doctrine, Celac