The forcible abduction of President Nicolas Maduro and Celia Flores—who is not only Maduro’s wife but also a former head of the National Assembly—along with the killing of at least 80 civilians and military personnel, including 32 Cuban guards of Maduro, clearly represents a serious violation of Venezuelan sovereignty and the UN Charter. Trump’s assertive approach resembles the gunboat diplomacy of the 1850s, in which military powers seized resources from weaker nations. This confrontational approach reinforces the view that the US’s usual 21st-century foreign policy emphasises violence and dominance.

The recent increase in violence and Maduro’s abduction are linked to a new National Security Strategy that openly announces a “Trump corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine:

On December 2, 1823, the doctrine of American sovereignty was immortalized in prose when President James Monroe declared before the Nation a simple truth that has echoed throughout the ages:  The United States will never waver in defense of our homeland, our interests, or the well-being of our citizens. Today, my Administration proudly reaffirms this promise under a new “Trump Corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine: That the American people—not foreign nations nor globalist institutions—will always control their own destiny in our hemisphere (Trump, 2025)

The Trump administration clearly indicated that Venezuela and its enormous oil reserves, the largest globally, are the main focus of these aggressive measures, rather than the unsupported claim that Maduro is engaged in the illegal drug trade. Trump has openly stated this in media interviews and provocative social media posts that US military actions will only intensify “Until such time as they return to the United States of America all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us”. In support of these threats, the US has intercepted oil tankers at sea in a manner that resembles piracy and has enforced a blockade—an act of war intended to deprive Venezuela of resources.

The recent attack on Venezuela is not the first time the US has taken action against that country; the pressure campaign began in the early 2000s when Hugo Chavez sought to change the terms of the 1990s oil deals. In the 1990s, almost all the major international oil companies were in Venezuela, investing in and exploiting Venezuelan oil. BP, CNPC, Conoco, Chevron, ENI, Exxon, Petrobras, Repsol, Shell, Statoil, and Total, among others, had significant business interests. In 2001, Hugo Chávez’s government unilaterally enacted the Decreto con Fuerza de Ley Organica de Hidrocarburos (Hydrocarbons Law), which established state ownership of all oil and gas reserves and regulated upstream exploration and extraction via state-owned companies. However, it allowed private firms—both domestic and foreign—to participate in downstream activities such as refining and marketing sales. This action angered US oil giants such as ExxonMobil and Chevron, which called on the Bush administration to pressure Chávez to reverse the industry’s nationalisation. This tension led to an April 2002 US-supported coup that temporarily removed Chávez and placed him in detention, but widespread protests forced his return.

Between December 2002 and February 2003, the White House supported an executive lockout in the critical oil sector, backed by corrupt trade union officials aligned with Washington and the AFL-CIO. After three months, the lockout ended through an alliance of loyalist trade unionists, mass organisations, and overseas oil-producing countries. In 2007, the Chávez government initiated another wave of nationalisations, undoing the decade-long privatisation and transfer of operations to US-based corporations. This step was taken after ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips declined to agree to new terms for continued heavy oil extraction in Venezuela’s Orinoco River basin, indicating their exit from one of the world’s largest oil regions.  Four other oil companies — U.S.-based Chevron Corp., BP PLC, France’s Total SA and Norway’s Statoil ASA — signed deals to accept minority shares in the oil projects under new terms set by President Chavez’s government.

Following Chávez’s death and Nicolás Maduro’s succession in 2013, Venezuela’s economy contracted sharply amid a drop in global oil prices. As a result, the country faced widespread migration and a sharp decline in living standards. Many factors have contributed to Venezuela’s crisis, including mismanagement of oil wealth, criminality, lawlessness and the black market. While all........

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