Those ever-present fears of World War III are once again rearing their head, and while we're still months away from seeing whether the Doomsday Clock has edged closer to midnight, we're not exactly off to a good start.
Shortly after Donald Trump referred to fentanyl as a 'weapon of mass destruction' and signed an executive order that teased military action against Venezuela, the President of the United States mobilized troops for an attack that targeted the country and its leader.
In the early hours of Saturday morning, the USA launched a series of 'large-scale' attacks on Venezuela, with explosions heard in the capital of Caracas and surrounding areas. A spokesman for Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado told CBS News that the Fuerte Tiuna military base and La Carlota airbase were among the targets hit.
It was initially unclear what the focus of these strikes was, but in the aftermath, President Trump took to Truth Social to confirm the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his family. There were questions about whether Maduro had actually been detained, and with the media asking for proof of life, the USA released images of him sporting a blindfold and a snazzy Nike Tech tracksuit.
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Maduro was supposedly whisked away to New York to face charges of drug trafficking today, January 5.
Although all of this might seem sudden, the Pentagon has been increasing its naval presence in the Caribbean through the likes of the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier.
There has also been the seizure of oil tankers near Venezuelan waters, strikes against around 30 ships said to be carrying narcotics, and the bombing of a port that Trump claimed was loading drugs onto boats.
Maduro has been indicted on charges that include “narco-terrorism” conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. His wife similarly faces charges, including cocaine importation conspiracy.
It’s unclear what happens next, especially after Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez spoke on television shortly after Maduro’s capture and denounced the USA's actions: "We demand the immediate release of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores."
Despite Rodriguez saying Maduro is "the only president of Venezuela," a Venezuelan court ordered her to step up as interim president.
While Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the USA won't directly govern Venezuela, he suggested an 'oil quarantine' will continue in an attempt to influence policy.
There are mixed messages across the board, as speaking from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, the POTUS raised more concern when he told reporters that he was putting Venezuela under temporary control of the USA: "We will run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition. We can't take a chance that someone else takes over Venezuela who doesn't have the interests of Venezuelans in mind."
Trump has also said that the takeover will push US oil companies into Venezuela and benefit the country as it makes the most of the world's largest oil reserves. Still, experts say that plans to refurbish Venezuela's badly degraded oil infrastructure would likely take years.