The geopolitical landscape of the Western Hemisphere has been fundamentally altered following a unprecedented US military operation inside Venezuela, resulting in the capture of President Nicolas Maduro. South American experts are characterizing the weekend attack as a pivotal moment with profound implications for regional stability and international law.
According to reports, US forces conducted airstrikes early Saturday before detaining President Maduro and his wife. The Venezuelan leader was subsequently transferred to a New York detention facility, awaiting trial under the US judicial system on drug trafficking allegations that had escalated tensions between the nations for months.
Jorge Heine, Chile’s former ambassador to China and current nonresident fellow at the Washington-based Quincy Institute, dismissed the official US justification linking the operation to narcotics enforcement. “Venezuela is neither a major drug producer nor a key transit country,” Heine stated, instead identifying two primary motivations: “To get US hands on Venezuelan oil, and to appeal to the Cuban and Venezuelan exile vote in Florida.”
The political analyst warned that Maduro’s removal fails to address Venezuela’s internal crisis while potentially exacerbating uncertainty. He specifically questioned the practicality of Washington’s post-intervention plans, noting President Trump’s announcement that the US would now govern Venezuela.
The operation has generated unease among governments throughout South America, with Heine cautioning that the precedent could have extensive regional repercussions. “This intervention will cause great damage to US standing in the region,” he predicted, suggesting it would accelerate calls for greater strategic independence among Latin American nations.
Beyond hemispheric concerns, Heine emphasized the attack represents a severe blow to global governance structures. “This is a flagrant violation of international law and of the United Nations Charter,” he declared. “It constitutes a significant blow to the international legal order and multilateralism.”
Nicaraguan political analyst Xavier Diaz-Lacayo echoed these sentiments, strongly condemning the military action and urging international response. “It is time to say enough,” he told Cuban news agency Prensa Latina, calling for firm condemnation of the aggression and demanding restitution for what he termed an assault on the international legal order.
Diaz-Lacayo emphasized the need for Washington to respect international norms regarding self-determination, advocating for Maduro’s restoration to power. “The world must demand that the US handle international affairs according to the principles of peace and dialogue,” he asserted, noting that Venezuela’s right to sovereign control over its strategic resources, particularly oil, is being unjustly denied through accusations divorced from international legality.
The analyst framed the US position as rooted in “the doctrine of Manifest Destiny and the Monroe Doctrine, aimed at securing strategic, economic, political and military interests in the region,” warning that global condemnation contrasts sharply with persistent US unilateralism.