This article originally appeared on January 5, 2026.
Nicolás Maduro is in federal custody, decapitating the political movement started by former president Hugo Chávez that transformed Venezuela into a hemisphere-wide vector of misery.
American special operators executed one of the most complex capture missions since the Osama bin Laden raid, neutralizing Venezuelan air defenses, infiltrating a fortified military compound, and extracting Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, without losing a single service member. The men and women who carried out Operation Absolute Resolve deserve high praise for their tactical excellence and their part in ending a decades-long dilemma in American hemispheric policy.
While the administration’s Venezuela strategy over the past few months culminated in success, many Americans are likely still confused, skeptical, or cynical about our interests in Venezuela. The administration has tacitly or explicitly offered a medley of reasons for U.S. intervention, including drugs, oil, migration, regional stability, and power projection. Some of these are complementary, but some create contradictory goals for U.S. policy. Understanding why the administration has stressed some of these reasons over others is essential for understanding what happens next in Venezuela.
