us military
Team America is back! And keeping with history, has no real plan
Trump's attack on Venezuela leaves a power vacuum and a potentially huge price tag for the US, but lots of opportunities for Wall Street
Analysis | Latin Americagoogle cta
regions latin america venezuela
Douglas Macgregor
Jan 03, 2026
The successful seizure and removal of President Nicolas Maduro from Venezuela demonstrates Washington’s readiness to use every means at its disposal — including military power — to stave off any diminishment of U.S. national influence in its bid to manage the dissolution of the celebrated postwar, liberal order.
For the moment, the rules-based order (meaning whatever rules Washington wants to impose) persists in the Western Hemisphere. As President Donald Trump noted, “We can do it again. Nobody can stop us. There’s nobody with the capability that we have.”
Put differently, “Team America” is back!
The question is what happens next? How will Washington consolidate its latest victory over Maduro and his regime? The plan seems murky if non-existent.
Presumably, Maduro will be tried and convicted in a U.S. court for drug-related crimes. Meanwhile Trump said Saturday that the U.S. will “take over” during the transition. Can Washington actually set up a new political order that will prevent Venezuela from sliding into civil war, or, more important, from hosting future drug-fueled violence?
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/trump-take-over-venezuela/
