One of the few benefits of being an anthropologist is the uncanny exhilaration one feels watching novel current events as re-runs from previous episodes in the history of mankind.

Donald Trump’s capture of Nicolas Maduro, President of Venezuela, is no exception. Kidnapping Latin American emperors is a continental tradition. It’s simply the most practical method for breaking the chain of command in the region. It triggers succession chaos, enables the extraction of resources, and keeps the rest of the hierarchy more or less intact. In earlier centuries, it was Spain and Portugal. Today, it’s the United States.

In the colonial era, the objective was to secure enough gold to beat European rivals. Now, with an astonishing 90 per cent of Venezuela’s oil produce heading to China, it’s about ensuring dominance over East Asia. And there has never been a better way of establishing dominance than by carrying out a good kidnapping.

‘Stuck in his cell in New York, awaiting trial, Maduro will take little comfort in the knowledge that he’s just the latest Latin American leader to go through this process.’

The first to try it in Latin America were the original Spanish conquerors led by Christopher Columbus. When he sunk his leather boots into the warm........

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