Key Takeaways
- The U.S. military operation in Venezuela, which resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, marks a significant shift in U.S. foreign policy towards unilateral power and away from traditional American values of democratic freedom and the rules-based international order.
- The Trump administration’s approach to international relations, emphasizing military power and economic pressure, contrasts with decades of diplomatic efforts to build peace processes that last.
- The U.S. military action in Venezuela may violate domestic and international law, and undermines international cooperation and the rule of law.
- The Trump administration has dismantled U.S. expertise and resources for sustainable peacemaking and preventing conflict, and has cut funding for conflict prevention and key peace programs.
- The administration’s approach is likely to drive more global conflict and violence in 2026, as major powers begin to understand the new rules and learn to play the new game.
Introduction to the U.S. Military Operation in Venezuela
The U.S. military operation in Venezuela, which resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro on January 3, 2026, marks a significant shift in U.S. foreign policy towards unilateral power and away from traditional American values of democratic freedom and the rules-based international order. This operation, which was carried out without U.S. congressional approval or U.N. Security Council authorization, fulfills President Donald Trump’s claim to assert authoritative control over the Western Hemisphere, as articulated in his administration’s 2025 National Security Strategy. However, some national security experts argue that the U.S. military action in Venezuela is unlawful and may violate domestic and international law.
The Shift from Traditional American Values
The Venezuela attack represents the clearest example during Trump’s second presidency of the shift from traditional American values of democratic freedom and the rules-based international order to an America exerting unilateral power based purely on perceived economic interests and military might. Autocratic leaders are unconstrained by law and balance of power, using force to impose their will on others. This transition is evident in the Trump administration’s approach to international relations, which emphasizes military power and economic pressure, rather than diplomatic efforts to build peace processes that last. The administration’s focus on deal-making and bargaining between positions misses the point of peacemaking, which is to address underlying interests shared by parties and build the trust required to tackle the drivers of conflict.
Peace and Conflict Prevention
The Trump administration’s actions in Venezuela reflect its "peace through strength" approach to international relations, which emphasizes military power. This approach contrasts with decades of diplomatic efforts to build peace processes that last. Foreign policy experts point out that the Trump administration’s emphasis on business deal-making in its conduct of foreign relations is not effective in preventing conflict and promoting sustainable peace. The administration’s cut in funding for conflict prevention and key peace programs, such as the Bureau of Conflict Stabilization Operations in the U.S. Department of State, has dismantled U.S. expertise and resources for sustainable peacemaking and preventing conflict. The limits of the Trump administration’s approach were already showing in the global conflicts Trump claims to have halted, such as the ongoing violence between Thailand and Cambodia and ceasefire violations in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Democracy and Human Rights
Since the 1980s, U.S. national security strategies have incorporated aspects of democracy promotion and human rights as U.S. values. However, Trump has not highlighted human rights and democracy as rationales for capturing Maduro. The administration has rejected claims to the Venezuelan leadership by opposition leader María Corina Machado and Edmundo González, widely considered the legitimate winner of the 2024 presidential election. The Trump administration has cut funding for foreign assistance, which was worth over $3 billion in 2024, by nearly 75% in 2025. These funds sought to promote fair elections, supporting civil societies and free media globally, and help enable independent and corruption-free judiciaries in many countries, including Venezuela.
International Cooperation
The Trump administration is ignoring or denying many transnational threats, including terrorism, nuclear proliferation, pandemics, new technologies, and climate change. The tools that America helped build to tackle shared global threats, such as international law and multilateral organizations like the United Nations, have been disparaged and undermined. The administration has proposed eliminating its contributions to U.N. agencies, such as the fund for children, and is allocating only $300 million this year to the U.N., which is about one-fifth of the membership dues it owes the organization by law. The administration’s call to reframe global refugee protections, to undermine the principle that prohibits a return of people to a country where they could be persecuted, would alter decades-old international and U.S. domestic law.
Conclusion
The U.S. military operation in Venezuela marks a significant shift in U.S. foreign policy towards unilateral power and away from traditional American values of democratic freedom and the rules-based international order. The Trump administration’s approach to international relations, emphasizing military power and economic pressure, is likely to drive more global conflict and violence in 2026, as major powers begin to understand the new rules and learn to play the new game. The administration’s disregard for international law and cooperation, as well as its undermining of democracy and human rights, has significant implications for global security and stability. As the world adjusts to this new reality, it is essential to consider the long-term consequences of the Trump administration’s actions and the impact on the global order.