The announcement that the United States had captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and would temporarily “run the country” until a political transition is arranged landed like a geopolitical shockwave, instantly reshaping debates about sovereignty, intervention, and American power in the Western Hemisphere.
President Donald Trump’s declaration, delivered with unusual bluntness, marked a dramatic escalation from months of pressure, sanctions, and limited military actions to an overt assumption of control over a sovereign state. While Maduro’s rule had long been condemned for authoritarianism, economic collapse, and human rights abuses, the method chosen by Washington has raised immediate questions about legality, precedent, and strategic intent. Allies expressed uncertainty, adversaries seized rhetorical opportunities, and global institutions struggled to respond to a move that defies conventional diplomatic categories.
