The rules-based international order faces its most severe test in decades following the unprecedented and illegal abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from Caracas by United States operatives. The act, ordered by US President Donald Trump and confirmed on January 6, 2026, has sent shockwaves through global capitals, marking a brazen new era of resource-driven adventurism.
A Tuppenny Autocrat's Oil Gambit
In a stark departure from past justifications for intervention, the Trump administration has made no attempt to cloak its actions in rhetoric about democracy or human rights. The motivation, as stated by Trump himself, is singular and stark: Venezuela's vast oil reserves. This raw admission strips away decades of diplomatic pretence, revealing a transaction of pure power politics.
The operation itself flouted international law, bypassing the United Nations Charter and the sovereignty of Venezuela. Critics have been quick to draw a direct legal parallel between Trump's intervention and Vladimir Putin's invasions of Ukraine, arguing both are acts of aggression against a sovereign state. The key difference, observers note, is the US President's candid avowal of economic motive.
From Caracas to Copenhagen: A World on Edge
The repercussions are immediate and far-reaching. The stated US intention to now "run" Venezuela has set a chilling precedent, rattling leaders worldwide. The situation is particularly acute for Denmark, which has repeatedly rebuffed Trump's publicly stated desire to "take control" of Greenland. Analysts fear the Venezuela operation signals a willingness to act on such threats, potentially pitting NATO allies against each other and invoking the alliance's foundational Article 5 mutual defence clause.
Further explicit threats have been levelled at Colombia, amplifying fears of continued US-led chaos across Latin America. The world, which expressed unified horror at Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its full-scale invasion in 2022, now watches to see if it will be mute as another powerful leader openly seizes the resources of a weaker nation.
No Sympathy for the Devil
This analysis does not extend sympathy to Nicolas Maduro. His regime, characterised by rigged elections, repression of opposition, and widespread corruption, had made him a pariah. His downfall, however, was expected to come from within Venezuela or through legitimate international pressure, not via an extraterritorial kidnapping that violates the very legal principles meant to constrain such autocrats.
The grief, therefore, is reserved for the crumbling framework of global governance. The move represents a catastrophic blow to diplomatic norms, suggesting that in this new era, might makes right and resource hunger justifies any action. As one commentator put it, the scale may differ, but the legal principle is identical to Putin's war: one nation violently imposing its will on another.
The world now holds its breath, waiting to see whether this act of abduction in Caracas will be an isolated event or the first move in a destabilising campaign of resource acquisition that redefines 21st-century geopolitics.
