{"id":654009,"date":"2026-01-08T00:35:44","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T05:35:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wvmetronews.com\/?p=654009"},"modified":"2026-01-07T18:48:39","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T23:48:39","slug":"trump-takes-out-maduro-now-what","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wvmetronews.com\/2026\/01\/08\/trump-takes-out-maduro-now-what\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump takes out Maduro. Now what?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The successful mission to snatch<\/a> Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro and his wife reminded me of the phrase coined by long-time New York Times<\/em> columnist and Pulitzer Prize winner Thomas Friedman when the U.S. was considering invading Iraq.\u00a0 He called it the pottery store rule<\/a>: \u201cIf you break it, you own it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Colin Powell used that phrase behind closed doors when he was trying to temper the hawks in the George W. Bush administration as they planned the invasion of Iraq.\u00a0 The ramifications are political and practical.<\/p>\n

On the practical level, the issue is what comes after there is regime change, or in the case of Venezuela, the removal of the country\u2019s dictator?\u00a0 There is a natural vacuum to be filled.\u00a0 Maybe it will be better, but who really knows?\u00a0 So far, it appears not much has changed.<\/p>\n

Trump said Saturday the U.S. would \u201crun the country\u201d in the interim and that he was not afraid to put boots on the ground if necessary. Venezuela\u2019s Vice-President Delcy Rodriguez has been sworn in as interim president. \u00a0She was part of Maduro\u2019s inner circle and has demanded his release.\u00a0 However, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he has talked with her, and she is willing to do \u201cwhatever the U.S. asks.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, who really knows whose side she is on?<\/p>\n

The future leadership of a country of 30-million people is in question.\u00a0 After all, Maduro left behind his cabal of henchmen who helped him remain in power. \u00a0Would we support putting U.S. soldiers in harm’s way if Venezuela dissolves into chaos or the new leaders are just as bad as the old?<\/p>\n

On a political level, the Venezuelan raid triggered more fracturing of the MAGA base.\u00a0 Some on the far right want to know what part of \u201cAmerica First\u201d involves another foreign entanglement?\u00a0 The conservative news outlet The Bulwark<\/em><\/a> said the raid creates a \u201cdivide between right-wing personalities and their audiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEven as Trump celebrates the operation and suggests future raids in Mexico and Colombia, it seems like even hardcore MAGA fans aren\u2019t buying what he\u2019s selling.\u00a0 At the same time, Maduro\u2019s capture has put Trump\u2019s media supporters in a bind: defend Trump or appease their isolationist audiences,\u201d said The Bulwark.<\/p>\n

U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito and Jim Justice, both Trump supporters, back the raid<\/a>, praising the work of the U.S. military and the removal of an illegitimate leader who they say was responsible for the flow of illegal drugs into this country.<\/p>\n

The drug argument is overstated.\u00a0 The most recent report from the DEA concludes<\/a> the Mexican cartels and their networks are \u201cthe primary groups producing illicit synthetic drugs driving U.S. drug poisoning deaths,\u201d and the chemicals for fentanyl and methamphetamine are sourced from China.<\/p>\n

So, what is the true aim of regime change in Venezuela?\u00a0\u00a0 Trump has talked a lot about reconstituting the petroleum infrastructure in the oil-rich country using the assets and expertise of U.S. companies.\u00a0\u00a0 Trump claims oil companies are anxious to return to the country\u2014Chevron remained there even after Venezuela nationalized the energy industry in the 1970s\u2014but the big producers are cautious.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been expropriated from Venezuela two different times,\u201d Exxon Mobile CEO Darren Woods told Bloomberg News<\/em><\/a> in November. \u201cWe\u2019d have to see what the economics look like.\u201d\u00a0 However, Trump is scheduled to meet with leaders of the oil industry Friday, so their positions may change.<\/p>\n

All the oil references by Trump make it sound like the removal of Maduro and the commitment to \u201crun the country\u201d are more of a business deal than anything else. \u00a0Maybe there will be future shortages, but the world is awash in oil currently.\u00a0 Adding more oil out of Venezuela would only depress prices for the oil companies.<\/p>\n

But back to Friedman\u2019s analysis. The rule holds true for Venezuela just as it did for Iraq and any other country that removes the leadership of another.\u00a0 Trump is now indelibly linked to the immediate and long-term future of Venezuela.\u00a0\u00a0 Early victory laps will be followed by a marathon covered with obstacles and a lot of shattered pottery.<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The successful mission to snatch Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro and his wife reminded me of the phrase coined by long-time New York Times columnist and Pulitzer Prize winner Thomas Friedman when the U.S. was considering invading Iraq.\u00a0 He called it the pottery store rule: \u201cIf you break it, you own it.\u201d Colin Powell used that<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[94,52],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-654009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary","category-hoppys-commentary"],"yoast_head":"\nTrump takes out Maduro. 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