Last week, the U.S. completed an anti-drug trafficking military operation to extract Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores and bring them to New York.
The operation, named Absolute Resolve, “opened with a cyberattack on the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, followed by airstrikes on Venezuelan radar and air defense sites, and a raid on Maduro’s fortified residence,” according to The Dispatch. Maduro and his wife “attempted to escape into a steel-reinforced safe room,” reported to the Wall Street Journal, “but were unable to close the door in time.”
On Monday, January 5th, Maduro pled not guilty to drug trafficking charges brought against him by the Department of Justice. The suit alleges that Maduro has used “his illegally obtained authority and the institutions he corroded to transport thousands of tons of cocaine to the United States.”
During a press conference in Mar-a-Lago on Saturday, President Trump called the military operation, “one of the most stunning, effective, and powerful displays of military might and competence.” Trump also said that the military will stay in Venezuela until the “proper transition can take place.”
The Why
The Trump Administration has multiple reasons for the operation in Venezuela. First, the administration says this is part of the war on drugs, as Maduro was indicted on such charges.
Second, the U.S. is interested in Venezuelan oil. Venezuela is an oil-rich country with the largest untapped oil reserves in the world. During his press conference on Saturday, President Trump announced that U.S. oil companies will go into Venezuela, “spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country.”
Third, the operation represents an update of the Monroe Doctrine. That doctrine, according to the Wall Street Journal, “is named for President James Monroe’s declaration in 1823 that the Western Hemisphere is the U.S.’s sphere of influence.” Ambassador Joseph Cella, the former Ambassador to Fiji, told Drew Mariani this military action is part of protecting American interests close to its shores. “We have to provide for our common defense, whether it is the illicit drug trafficking that has been pipelining through Venezuela” or China’s intelligence post in Cuba, Cella said.
Further Action
During a press gaggle on Air Force One, Trump also put other countries on watch. “Colombia is run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and he’s not going to be doing it very long,” the President explained. When asked if there will be a military operation in Colombia, the President responded, “it sounds good to me.” Trump also insisted that Cuba “was ready to fall” now that Venezuela cannot ship the communist country oil.
Pope Leo
At the Angelus on Sunday, the Holy Father said “It is with deep concern that I am following the developments in Venezuela. The good of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail over every other consideration.”