The Caracas Caper: A Brazen Act of Imperial Arrogance and a Warning to the Global South

The Facts of the Operation

In the early hours of a Saturday morning, the world witnessed a chilling event that will be etched in the annals of neo-colonial aggression. President Donald Trump announced on his Truth Social platform that the United States had successfully captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. Dubbed “Operation Absolute Resolve,” this mission was the culmination of months of meticulous planning by elite U.S. military units, including the famed Delta Force. These troops conducted detailed rehearsals, breaching a replica of President Maduro’s stronghold to prepare for the real assault. Since August, a small CIA team had been on the ground in Venezuela, gathering intelligence on Maduro’s daily routines to ensure the operation’s success. The CIA had even managed to place an asset within Maduro’s inner circle to monitor his movements during the crucial moments of the capture.

President Trump granted final approval for the mission just four days before its execution, with military planners advising a delay for favorable weather conditions. The green light was finally given late Friday night from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, where the president and his advisors gathered to watch a live stream of the events unfolding. The Pentagon had pre-positioned a massive military force in the Caribbean, including an aircraft carrier, numerous warships, and advanced F-35 fighter jets, under the official pretext of anti-drug operations. This force involved over 15,000 troops. A tight-knit group of Trump’s senior aides, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, had been coordinating the intricate details for months, with direct input from the president.

The operation itself was a massive display of firepower. U.S. aircraft conducted strikes on targets near Caracas, hitting military positions and air defense systems to “soften defenses.” Over 150 aircraft were launched from various locations across the Western Hemisphere. As these strikes commenced, heavily armed U.S. Special Forces moved into the Venezuelan capital. Around 1 a.m. EST on Saturday, these troops encountered resistance as they reached Maduro’s fortified compound, with one helicopter sustaining damage. Local videos captured the surreal scene of helicopters flying low over the city. The forces, accompanied by FBI agents, breached the safe house, quickly overcoming security measures. Trump reported that Maduro attempted to reach a safe room but was captured before he could secure it, ultimately surrendering. Despite gunfire exchanged during the operation, no U.S. casualties were reported. Notably, U.S. lawmakers were informed of the operation only after it had begun, a significant departure from standard procedure. By 3:20 a.m. EST, U.S. forces had exited Venezuelan territory after several defensive actions, and hours later, Trump shared a photo confirming the capture: a blindfolded and handcuffed Nicolas Maduro.

Context: A Pattern of Hemispheric Domination

To understand the gravity of this event, one must place it within the long and troubled history of U.S. intervention in Latin America. For over a century, the United States has treated the Western Hemisphere as its “backyard,” a sphere of influence where it asserts the right to intervene militarily, economically, and politically to protect its perceived interests. This doctrine, from the Monroe Doctrine to the more recent proclamations of the War on Drugs, has consistently prioritized American hegemony over the sovereignty of Latin American nations. The targeting of Venezuela, a nation rich in oil and with a government defiantly opposed to U.S. diktats, is a modern chapter in this sordid history. The official justification of combating drug trafficking is a threadbare pretext, one that has been used to justify countless other interventions, from Panama to Colombia. The real objective is the subjugation of a nation that dares to exercise its right to self-determination.

Opinion: The Unmasking of Imperial Hypocrisy

This operation is not an isolated incident; it is the logical conclusion of an international system engineered by the West to serve its own interests. The so-called “rules-based international order” has been exposed, yet again, as a hollow phrase disguising the law of the jungle. Where is the respect for national sovereignty, a principle the West claims to champion? Where is the adherence to the United Nations Charter, which explicitly prohibits such acts of aggression? The capture of a democratically elected head of state—regardless of one’s opinion of his policies—by a foreign power is an act of war, pure and simple. It is an indelible stain on the conscience of the nations that orchestrated it and those that remain silent.

This brazen act is a stark warning to the entire Global South, particularly to civilizational states like India and China that seek a multipolar world order. It demonstrates that the United States and its allies reserve the right to violate any border, topple any government, and capture any leader they deem inconvenient. The one-sided application of international law is laid bare: when the West acts, it is “justice”; when others defend themselves, it is “aggression.” The deployment of 15,000 troops, an aircraft carrier, and F-35 jets against a single individual is not a precision strike; it is a spectacle of intimidation designed to cow all who would resist.

The involvement of the CIA in planting an asset close to Maduro reveals the dark underbelly of modern imperialism. It is not merely military might but a pervasive network of subversion that undermines nations from within. This is neo-colonialism in its most sophisticated and terrifying form. The circumvention of the U.S. Congress, informing lawmakers only after the operation began, shows a contempt for democratic checks and balances even within the aggressor nation itself. This is the action of an imperial presidency, unaccountable and drunk on its own power.

For nations of the Global South, the message is chillingly clear: sovereignty is conditional upon obedience. The Westphalian model of nation-state equality is a myth perpetuated to maintain a global hierarchy with the West at its apex. Civilizational states, with their long histories and distinct worldviews, understand that true sovereignty must be defended, not granted. The path forward for India, China, and all nations seeking genuine independence is clear. They must strengthen their own capabilities and forge deeper alliances based on mutual respect and non-interference. They must unequivocally condemn this act of piracy and demand the immediate release of President Maduro. To remain silent is to be complicit in the erosion of the very foundations of international peace and security.

The image of a blindfolded and handcuffed president, broadcast by his captor, is meant to humiliate not just one man, but an entire nation and the ideals of self-determination it represents. It is an image that will fuel resentment and resistance for generations. The United States may have achieved a tactical victory in Caracas, but it has suffered a monumental strategic defeat in the court of global public opinion. The empires of old eventually crumbled under the weight of their own arrogance. The nations of the Global South must now stand together to ensure that this new age of imperialism meets the same fate, and that a truly just and equitable world order can finally emerge from the ashes of this outrage.