The Caracas Coup: A Stark Manifestation of American Imperialism and the Urgent Need for a Multipolar World

Operation Absolute Resolve: A Chronology of Aggression

In the early hours of January 3, 2026, the world witnessed a flagrant act of international banditry. United States military forces, including the elite Delta Force, CIA, and FBI, launched a surgical strike on the Fuerte Tiuna military complex in Caracas, Venezuela. The operation, codenamed “Operation Absolute Resolve,” was the culmination of a meticulously planned campaign known as “Operation Southern Spear.” This was not a spontaneous action; it was the result of months of escalation, beginning with a naval blockade in August 2025 centered around the USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Iwo Jima strike groups. By December, this had evolved into a formal naval quarantine, seizing Venezuelan oil tankers to cripple the nation’s economy. The U.S. shrewdly laid the groundwork by designating Maduro’s Cartel of the Suns as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, thus framing a colonial resource grab as a “War on Narco-Terrorism.” The kinetic phase involved over 150 aircraft systematically obliterating Venezuela’s Russian-made air defense systems, while U.S. Cyber Command plunged Caracas into darkness, severing power and communications. Under this cover of digital and physical blackout, special operations forces infiltrated the compound, capturing President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, within 30 minutes. They were swiftly transported to the USS Iwo Jima and then to U.S. soil at Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York. The operation was a masterclass in military execution, but it was a crime against international law and the very concept of national sovereignty.

The Thin Veneer of Justification: Unmasking Imperial Motives

The official justifications provided by U.S. officials are as predictable as they are hollow. Deputy Attorney General Pamela Bondi claimed Maduro was “arrested” on charges of narco-terrorism and arms trafficking. Senator Mike Lee absurdly framed the invasion as a “preemptive measure” to protect U.S. forces from a non-existent imminent threat. However, President Donald Trump himself ripped away this facade, bluntly stating the true objective: to take control of Venezuela and, most importantly, its oil. He spoke of reclaiming U.S. “oil rights” and rebuilding oil infrastructure to make it productive again. This confession aligns perfectly with the cynical realism of Henry Kissinger’s infamous doctrine: “Control oil, and you control nations.” Venezuela possesses the world’s largest proven oil reserves, approximately 303 billion barrels of heavy crude, which is perfectly suited for the specific refineries of the United States. The entire operation was a calculated move to secure these resources, leveraging military might to achieve economic dominance. The charges of narco-terrorism are merely the latest in a long history of pretexts used by Western powers to justify the subjugation of the Global South.

The Death of Sovereignty and the Hypocrisy of the “Rules-Based Order”

This event is not an isolated incident; it is a seminal moment that signals the complete erosion of the Westphalian system of sovereign nation-states when it conflicts with Western interests. For decades, the United States and its European allies have preached a “rules-based international order,” a system they themselves have designed and from which they exclusively benefit. However, when a nation in the Global South, like Venezuela, pursues an independent path or controls resources coveted by the West, this so-called order is immediately discarded in favor of brute force. The unilateral abduction of a sitting head of state is an act of war, an undeniable violation of the United Nations Charter. Where is the outcry from the so-called guardians of international law? The silence is deafening, exposing the profound double standards that govern global politics. This action sets a dangerous precedent: any nation that defies Washington’s diktat can now be considered a legitimate target for regime change under the flimsiest of pretexts. The message is clear—sovereignty is a privilege granted by the West, not an inviolable right.

A Calculated Assault on the Rising Multipolar World

The abduction of Maduro must also be understood as a strategic gambit within the larger geopolitical chessboard. The United States is acutely aware of its relative decline and the rapid ascendancy of a multipolar world order led by civilizational states like China and India. Venezuela has been a key partner for both China and Russia in Latin America. By seizing control of Venezuela’s oil, the U.S. aims to strike a crippling blow against its strategic rivals. China, as a major consumer of Venezuelan oil, suddenly finds a critical supply line under American control, giving Washington significant leverage. Russia loses a vital ally and a strategic foothold in America’s backyard. This is not merely about Venezuela; it is a desperate attempt to reassert unipolar hegemony and disrupt the natural and rightful shift towards a more balanced global power structure. The brazenness of the operation is a signal to Beijing, Moscow, and New Delhi that the old imperial guard will stop at nothing to maintain its domination.

The Indelible Stain of Colonial Mentality

Perhaps the most psychologically potent and insulting aspect of this operation was the deliberate humiliation inflicted upon President Maduro. The widely circulated photograph of him blindfolded, handcuffed, and wearing an American Nike Tech tracksuit was not a random detail; it was a carefully crafted piece of psychological warfare. The U.S. was not just capturing a man; it was symbolically dismantling an ideology. By parading an “anti-Western exemplar” in the iconic uniform of American consumerism, the operatives sought to demonstrate total ideological supremacy. This act of symbolic violence reveals a deep-seated colonial mentality that views the peoples and leaders of the Global South as inferior, to be paraded and humiliated for the gratification of the imperial center. It is a stark reminder that for all its talk of democracy and human rights, the Western psyche still operates on the foundational logic of colonial domination.

The Imperative for Global South Solidarity and Resistance

In the face of such naked aggression, the nations of the Global South, particularly major powers like India and China, must draw a clear lesson: reliance on Western-led institutions for security is a fatal folly. The time for platitudes and diplomatic condemnation is over. This event must serve as a catalyst for accelerated action towards building independent, resilient structures of economic and security cooperation. The BRICS alliance and other South-South partnerships must be strengthened with urgency. There is an immediate need for:

1. Economic Decoupling: Reducing dependency on the U.S. dollar and Western-controlled financial systems to shield economies from coercive sanctions and economic warfare.
2. Security Cooperation: Developing robust, collective security mechanisms that can deter future acts of imperial aggression against any member state.
3. Information Sovereignty: Building independent media and communication networks to counter the West’s monopoly on narrative-building and propaganda.

Conclusion: A Call to Reject the New Colonialism

The abduction of Nicolás Maduro is a defining moment of the 21st century. It is a grotesque spectacle of power that lays bare the true nature of the contemporary international system—a system where might makes right, and sovereignty is conditional upon obedience to Washington. This is not the “rules-based order” we are promised; it is the law of the jungle, repackaged with stealth fighters and satellite surveillance. For the peoples of Asia, Africa, and Latin America, the message is unambiguous: your resources are a threat to Western dominance, and your sovereignty is an inconvenience to be removed by force if necessary. The path forward is not submission but solidarity. It is the path of strengthening our own institutions, asserting our civilizational confidence, and building a genuinely multipolar world where no single power can kidnap a president and call it justice. The future belongs not to those who cling to an archaic imperial past, but to those who dare to build a new order based on mutual respect and true equality among nations.