USA invades Venezuela and captures its President and his wife!

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#3449685 4-Jan-2026 18:22

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/01/03/politics/trump-venezuela-maduro-analysis

The first wave of criticism of regime change Trump-style carried the whiff of critics rhetorically fighting the last war. The Iraq template may not fit Venezuela. Although the latter is often seen as a vast criminal enterprise, the country lacks the religious and tribal schisms and the belligerent neighbors such as Iran that helped push Iraq into hell in 2003. And the Trump administration has not so far dismantled the state apparatus, as Bush’s viceroys did in Baghdad to disastrous results.

CNN has done an analysis and puts forth an argument in this piece how Venezuela may not be Iraq 2.0.

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#3449686 4-Jan-2026 18:31

kingdragonfly:
tdgeek: 100% agree.

You can have regime change to free the downtrodden citizens from a ruthless dictator.

Or you have other non citizens reasons, as Trump continuously has stated.

Trump cannot claim taking the high road on anything.

Remember history: US forced regime change rarely ends well.

Iraq 2003 toppled Saddam but unleashed sectarian chaos and ISIS.

Afghanistan 2001 ousted the Taliban only for them to return after two decades of war.

Chile 1973 helped derail Allende’s elected government, leading to Pinochet’s dictatorship.

Guatemala 1954 overthrew Arbenz, ushering in decades of brutal repression and civil war.

The pattern shows US intervention often worsens stability, not peace.

Might does not make right.

The world is full of bad actors, including one that made Idi Amin looks sane, Trump.

I get that. However if the people voted Machado with a clear mandate, as they did, and if they had to have a constitution mandated election in 30 days, they would

However while the dictator is gone, the regime is not gone. It would take discussions, are you a Maduro fan or a citizens fan? That would and should involve a third party, who needs to be citizen focussed. That is not the US of A

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#3449688 4-Jan-2026 18:40

quickymart:

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/01/03/politics/trump-venezuela-maduro-analysis

The first wave of criticism of regime change Trump-style carried the whiff of critics rhetorically fighting the last war. The Iraq template may not fit Venezuela. Although the latter is often seen as a vast criminal enterprise, the country lacks the religious and tribal schisms and the belligerent neighbors such as Iran that helped push Iraq into hell in 2003. And the Trump administration has not so far dismantled the state apparatus, as Bush’s viceroys did in Baghdad to disastrous results.

CNN has done an analysis and puts forth an argument in this piece how Venezuela may not be Iraq 2.0.

Its not Iraq 2.0, but there is no Trump focus on the citizens. As usual. Factor in China who uses their oil. Russia who has an arms deal. Again, the citizens are ignored. Who knows, China could go after Taiwan as US is stretched militarily. Its clearly "OK" to go after a country, that precedent is set. Trump is fine firing at Iran (yes I get that), then threatening to fire at Iran if protestors are attacked, again I get that, and firing at Venezuela for regime change, I mean oil change.

Again, the citizens are ignored.

Yet, helping Ukraine is not on the table.

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#3449689 4-Jan-2026 18:54

This frames a false choice. Opposing a US-led coup does not make anyone a Maduro supporter.

Large portions of the Venezuelan opposition including left and non-aligned groups oppose Maduro and US intervention.

History shows that foreign military removal of leaders does not produce clean constitutional transitions. Even in recent history, it produces power vacuums, such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Haiti. I'd bet a house payment that Venezuela won't be different.

Saying “the US isn’t citizen-focused” while relying on it to decide when to remove a government is inconsistent. Legitimacy cannot be created by an illegitimate act.

The UN Charter (Article 2(4)) explicitly forbids regime change by force, though frankly Trump doesn't care about UN law.

Durable political change has to come from Venezuelans themselves, not from a foreign power no one appointed as global police.

I oppose Maduro. I also oppose coups carried out on my behalf by any external state. This includes the US, China, or Russia.

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#3449706 4-Jan-2026 19:20

US policy makers and business interests tend to prioritize stability and resource access over democratic legitimacy, especially in resource-rich countries. Authoritarian governments are routinely tolerated, even supported, as long as exports flow predictably.

In Venezuela’s case, Trump's forced regime change will likely produce a short window of reopened oil exports

US foreign policy prioritizes predictable access to resources and trade routes over democratic legitimacy.

There's no need for a hidden cabal / conspiracies. This has been explicitly discussed in declassified State Department and CIA documents, corporate lobbying records, and academic international political economy literature.

Here's a short list of countries and times where the US gives a "nod and a wink" to undemocratic regimes: Saudi Arabia, Egypt (post-2013), Indonesia (1965) Chile (post-1973), Nigeria, Angola, Gulf States.

If history is a guide, I'd expect institutions collapse and armed actors will compete for power. Trump action will likely fuel worse anti-American sentiment. Based on Iraq, Colombia (and throughout Central America), Libya.

Power struggles among armed factions
Criminalization of politics
“Anti-imperialist” legitimacy for extremist groups
Narco-militarization filling governance gaps

quickymart

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#3449720 4-Jan-2026 19:58

tdgeek:

I get that. However if the people voted Machado with a clear mandate, as they did, and if they had to have a constitution mandated election in 30 days, they would

However while the dictator is gone, the regime is not gone. It would take discussions, are you a Maduro fan or a citizens fan? That would and should involve a third party, who needs to be citizen focussed. That is not the US of A

Yes but apparently he didn't win with a clear mandate - he rigged (at least) the last two elections to make it appear that he won.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venezuelan_presidential_crisis

I agree with your second point however.

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#3449723 4-Jan-2026 20:11

quickymart:

tdgeek:

I get that. However if the people voted Machado with a clear mandate, as they did, and if they had to have a constitution mandated election in 30 days, they would

However while the dictator is gone, the regime is not gone. It would take discussions, are you a Maduro fan or a citizens fan? That would and should involve a third party, who needs to be citizen focussed. That is not the US of A

Yes but apparently he didn't win with a clear mandate - he rigged (at least) the last two elections to make it appear that he won.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venezuelan_presidential_crisis

I agree with your second point however.

My first point was Machado not Maduro

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#3449727 4-Jan-2026 20:25

Too many M's, disregard 😁

Speaking of Machado though - the orange buffoon doesn't think she should run the country instead:

https://www.stuff.co.nz/world-news/360920720/venezuelans-wonder-whos-charge-trump-claims-us-will-take-control?cx_testId=87&cx_testVariant=cx_1&cx_artPos=1#cxrecs_s

Asked about Machado, Trump was blunt: “I think it would be very tough for (Machado) to be the leader," he said, shocking many Venezuelan viewers who expected Trump's talk of liberation to mean a swift democratic transition.

“She doesn’t have the support or respect within the country.”

I thought the last election proved to the contrary? 🤷‍♂️

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#3449744 4-Jan-2026 22:07

Why do I have a feeling that for Trump genitalia relates heavily to how much respect a leader deserves.

Next Trump will be lecturing on running an aboveboard, straight-dealing, trustworthy, ethical business, and how to be a loving, faithful self-sacrificing humble husband.

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#3449797 4-Jan-2026 22:21

That takes me back to the 2016 campaign, when he made a comment along the lines of Hillary not having a "presidential" look (whatever that means) 🤷‍♂️

I see little has changed in almost 10 years 🙄

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#3449803 5-Jan-2026 07:22

Funny how (yet again) there's always a tweet.

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#3449805 5-Jan-2026 07:28

I’ll just drop this very interesting interview in here;

It helped clarify a lot of things for me.

Note: It was recorded prior to this latest action and is part of a much longer video.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

kingdragonfly

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#3449811 5-Jan-2026 08:18

This sums it up:

"Now, are the strikes going to overthrow Maduro by themselves striking boats? No. More would need to be done. But is it a good thing because these people are evil and have destroyed our country? Yes. "

It effectively treats military action as a substitute for judicial process, because it offers no lawful alternative.

For the sake of argument, let's say everything he claims on illegality is true, and is somehow more heavily involved in drug traficing than Columbia and Mexixo.

He jumps from "The regime is criminal" to "Therefore, illegal force is justified." It undermines the rule of law.

Moral outrage does not make illegal acts legal.

Remind me: in Libya after Gaddafi, did things improve?

Based on post-regime-change cases like Libya and Iraq, I'd wager a root canal that in two years we'll see another strongman, a military junta, and a fragmentation into criminal fiefdoms.

Panama and Grenada

He does mention succcesses in Panama and Grenada are cited as proof that force can work. This is misleading, because these were small, highly specific cases. Most importantly they had limited institutional decay. Also unlike Venezula they are not entrenched narco-states / transnational criminal economies.

Not that it matters, but Panama's Noriega was a longtime CIA informant and collaborator.
The USA tolerated, even helped, his drug trade because he was anti-communist.

Noriega became a problem not because he suddenly became corrupt, but because he began acting independently. The intervention was driven by power politics, not principle.

Panama did not need to rebuild itself from institutional collapse. The state still functioned.

Grenada is completely irrelevant. Less than 100,000 people, and the government had already fractured internally.

Most importantly there was no entrenched narco-state, military cartel, or regional criminal economy.

Using Grenada to justify intervention in a country like Venezuela is like using a house fire to explain how to stop a country wide wildfire.

This isn’t an argument for inaction. It’s an argument for lawful, institutional, and multilateral approaches rather than unilateral force.

MikeB4

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#3449831 5-Jan-2026 09:05

So Trump insists that the US will govern Venezuela for the foreseeable future, Marco Rubio says they won’t be governing. Maybe someone should introduce the right hand to the left hand. What a bunch of numpties running the clown show.

Here is a crazy notion, lets give peace a chance.

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#3449835 5-Jan-2026 09:23

Mr Global on Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ox71JCe3N8U

Looks like Venezuela could be another Trump Casino...

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