'Welcome to 2026, and under President Trump, America is back': These words by US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth best encapsulate the impact of 'Operation Absolute Resolve,' which resulted in the capture of Venezuelan socialist leader Nicolas Maduro. America is certainly back, in news headlines, as a dominating force in geopolitics, reclaiming influence in Latin America, and perhaps also back to its old ways as an architect of regime change. 

The operation was audacious: an integrated effort by the US Navy, Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), 150 military aircraft from 20 different bases launched military strikes across Venezuela in the early hours of January 3. Turning off the electricity grid in Caracas, US forces entered Maduro's compound at 2:01 am local time - with the help of a confidential source who tracked Maduro's exact location. In a matter of minutes, Maduro was captured.

This should come as no surprise: the US deployed more than a dozen warships and military aircraft off the coast of Venezuela since August 2025. Yet, Venezuela was never going to be an easy target. A country twice the size of Iraq, Venezuela has a population of 28 million and more than 130,000 active military personnel, 300,000 paramilitary, 229 military aircraft, a naval fleet of 34 vessels, 172 tanks, and 8,802 armoured vehicles. Conducting an operation on Venezuelan soil without any loss of US life and capturing the country's leader is no small feat.

A combination of factors contributed to Washington's decision to attack Venezuela and capture Maduro. First and foremost is oil. Venezuela is home to the world's largest oil reserves, at more than 300 billion barrels. In his recent press conference, Trump made no........

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