Author: Nicole Kamanzi Muteteri

The U.S. attack on Venezuela and its so-called “management plan,” as analysts observed, is in essence a testament to its scheme to expand the “Donroe Doctrine,” a Trump-modified version of the Monroe Doctrine aimed at controlling the Western Hemisphere and plundering its resources.

“RUNNING” OR PLUNDERING VENEZUELA

Trump told a press conference on Saturday that the United States will set up a working group composed of diplomatic and military personnel to “run” Venezuela until “a safe, proper and judicious transition.”

He also threatened that the United States is “not afraid” to have military forces on the ground and will launch a larger second wave of strikes against Venezuela if necessary.

Although the specific plan remains unclear at present, the so-called “running” by the United States is essentially an attempt to conduct substantive intervention in Venezuela through political manipulation and resource control, experts have noted.

Allan Fajardo, a sociologist at the Honduran National Autonomous University, told Xinhua that there are two possibilities for the so-called “transitional management” by the United States.

One is to maintain the current government and institutional framework of Venezuela in form and continue to interfere in Venezuela’s internal affairs by exerting political and economic pressure.

The other possible method is to foster a pro-American regime directly, without even ruling out the possibility of larger-scale military intervention and occupation of Venezuelan territory in the future, he said.

Trump also mentioned at the press conference that large American oil companies will enter Venezuela to repair severely dilapidated oil infrastructure and start generating revenue.

Cao Ting, director of the Research Center for Latin American Studies at Fudan University, said that judging from the consistent style of the Trump administration, its strategic goal might be to control the oil lifeline within Venezuela by fostering U.S. proxies in the country without engaging in a long-term occupation.

This so-called “running” model is not focused on improving people’s livelihoods or rebuilding the country, but on seizing resources, said Jaime Tamayo, an international relations specialist and political scientist from the University of Guadalajara.

It will lead to the depletion of Venezuela’s governance capacity, the separation of administration and security, the deterioration of public security and the breeding of violence, scholars have said.

POST-MADURO VENEZUELA

According to the Venezuelan Constitution, if the president is “absolutely absent,” power will be transferred to the vice president and a general election will be held within 30 days.

However, Venezuela’s Supreme Court of Justice did not announce that Maduro is “absolutely absent,” although it has ordered Vice President Delcy Rodriguez to immediately take over as acting president after Maduro’s capture, which, according to media analyses, suggests that there might be no general election within 30 days.

Experts believe that Rodriguez and her brother are currently important representatives of the left-wing forces, with relatively moderate positions.

In a televised speech on Saturday, Rodriguez took a tough stance toward the United States, condemning its actions as unprecedented military aggression and saying that Venezuela will never become a colony of any country or a slave of any empire, despite Trump’s earlier claim that she has promised to do what the United States wanted.

Tamayo believes that the current left-wing political forces in Venezuela and their social foundation remain relatively stable, making it difficult for the United States to break the country’s existing political pattern in a short time. It may adopt a strategy of provoking division to win over some senior political or military figures in Venezuela.

LATIN AMERICA ON HIGH ALERT

“Today it’s Venezuela, tomorrow it could be anyone else,” Chilean President Gabriel Boric said on Saturday, raising alarm across Latin American countries over the hegemonic interference of the United States.

Latin American experts and media outlets believe that the U.S. action against Venezuela aims to create a “chilling effect” to deter the regional countries and is an upgraded version of the “Monroe Doctrine.”

Jose Ignacio Martinez, an international relations specialist from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, said that Washington is highlighting its overbearing logic to arbitrarily define who can become the president and which is a “legitimate country,” while casually labelling relevant countries and leaders as “terrorists,” “drug dealers,” or “dictators.”

Leaders of Brazil, Mexico, Cuba, Honduras and Chile, among others, have publicly condemned the United States and called on the international community to take urgent action.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva condemned the U.S. military’s actions as “unacceptable,” saying that they violated Venezuela’s sovereignty and set a dangerous precedent.

The U.S. actions strike at the core of national sovereignty and have raised concerns even among some opposition forces in Venezuela. Under mounting pressure, Latin American countries may seek greater unity and self-reliance to counter hegemony, according to analyses by Latin American media.

Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, speaking on a state-run television station, said the whereabouts of Maduro and his wife are unknown, asking for proof they are alive.

The U.S. military action against the South American nation has drawn widespread international condemnation, with multiple countries calling for a coordinated global response.

WHAT HAPPENED?

A Xinhua correspondent based in Caracas reported early Saturday morning that low-flying aircraft were spotted, and clouds of smoke were seen following loud explosion sounds in the Venezuelan capital.

Photos and videos circulating on social media showed smoke rising from multiple locations in the capital, with residents seen fleeing in the streets.

Reports said brief power outages occurred in some areas, including a military base in Caracas.

According to media reports, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had banned U.S. commercial flights from Venezuelan airspace due to “ongoing military activity” shortly before the explosions were reported.

Hours after the incident, CBS White House correspondent Jennifer Jacobs said that U.S. President Donald Trump had ordered the strikes, citing U.S. officials. FOX News also reported that U.S. officials had confirmed the military action.

Following the attacks, Venezuela condemned the incident as “military aggression” by the United States. The Venezuelan government said that the military strike targeted civilian and military sites in at least four states of the country, including Caracas, as well as the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira, adding that the U.S. action blatantly violated the United Nations Charter.

Later in the day, Trump in a Truth Social post that Maduro and his wife had been captured and flown out of Venezuela.

“The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country,” Trump said in the post.

For months, the United States has maintained a significant military presence in the Caribbean, much of it off Venezuela’s coast, purportedly to combat drug trafficking — a claim Venezuela has denounced as an attempt to bring about regime change in Caracas.

WIDESPREAD CONDEMNATION

Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Saturday called for an urgent meeting of the Organization of American States and the United Nations on the attack in Venezuela. “Caracas is currently being bombed … Venezuela has been attacked,” he wrote on social media platform X.

On the same day, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel condemned what he described as the “criminal U.S. attack” against Venezuela, demanding an urgent response from the international community.

In a social media post, the president said that the Latin American region was being brutally assaulted, and “this is state terrorism against the brave Venezuelan people and against Our America.”

Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the United States committed “an act of armed aggression” against Venezuela, which causes deep concern and condemnation.

Konstantin Kosachev, deputy speaker of Russia’s Federation Council, said the U.S. military operation against Venezuela has no legitimate basis as the South American country has posed no threat to the United States.

Kosachev stressed that the international order should be based on international law rather than on so-called rules imposed by individual countries. He said international law has clearly been violated, adding that “an order established in this manner must not prevail.”

Kosachev also said he believed that most countries would firmly distance themselves from the attack on Venezuela and condemn it.

Also on Saturday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the U.S. military attack against Venezuela as a “flagrant violation” of the Latin American state’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

It said the U.S. military attack against Venezuela was an “act of aggression and in clear violation” of the fundamental principles of the UN Charter and international law, which bans the use of force against sovereign states.

It called on the United Nations as well as all governments caring about the rule of law and international peace and security to immediately and explicitly condemn the U.S. attack.

The Spanish Foreign Ministry on Saturday also said that Spain calls for a deescalation as well as moderation and respect for international law in Venezuela.