Venezuela, Explained (unpaywalled)

What the USA did, why they did it, and how Venezuelans feel about it.

Jan 05, 2026

Hi my angels! While I was off trying to have a relaxing Kiwi summer holiday, the United States launched a full-blown military operation in Venezuela, and you know that nothing pulls me out of holiday mode like the need to explain a new global crisis to you. So let’s do it!

What did the US just do?

In the early hours of Saturday morning, the United States launched a surprise military attack on Venezuela.

The operation, ordered by Donald Trump, resulted in the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Trump called it an “assault like people have not seen since World War II.” He said the US would now be “running Venezuela until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.”

And now?

Now, the US has claimed control of the country, which happens to have the largest oil reserves in the world.

Why did the US do this?

If I were to put it extremely bluntly, I would give you one word: oil.

Venezuela is one of the most resource-rich nations on Earth. But despite all that wealth under the ground, Venezuelan people have been struggling for years above it.

But, since I am a good teacher, and want to give you more context, I’m going to give you two perspectives: what Trump says his reasons are for doing this, vs what legal experts and the international community believe.

What Trump says:

“Maduro is a narco-terrorist.”
Trump says Maduro has been running a criminal drug empire that’s hurting Americans. (He and his wife are now facing charges in New York.)
“This is for the Venezuelan people.”
He’s framing this as a humanitarian mission to free people from dictatorship.
“The US will ‘run’ Venezuela until it’s safe.”
Trump says the US will oversee the country until a proper transition of power can happen.
“It won’t cost Americans a cent.”
Because Venezuela’s oil (the biggest reserves in the world) will pay for everything.
“We’ll send more troops if we have to.”
He’s open about the possibility of a larger military presence if “things get messy.”

What legal experts and the international community say:

“This is regime change, not rescue.”
Critics say this wasn’t about freedom. It was about removing a leader the US didn’t like, without international backing or a plan.
“This is about oil.”
Trump’s own comments about sending in US oil companies speak volumes. Many believe this is about control of resources, not rebuilding a country.
“It breaks international law.”
There was no UN approval and Venezuela hadn’t attacked the US.
Legal scholars are calling it a “crime of aggression” aka the same thing the US condemned Russia for in Ukraine.
“It sets a terrifying precedent.”
If the US can do this without consequences, what stops other powers (like China or Russia) from doing the same?
“There’s no roadmap.”
The US has no clear plan for what comes next, just vague talk of “designating people to lead.” And Venezuelans, both inside and outside the country, are bracing for more chaos.

Is this even legal?

According to nearly every international law expert? No.

The UN Charter (a founding document of international law) strictly forbids military force against another state unless:

You’re defending yourself from an armed attack, or
The UN Security Council authorises it

Neither of those things happened here.

Trump justified the strike by calling Maduro a “narco-terrorist” and claiming the US would be “paid back” with oil revenue. He also vaguely gestured at a “group” that would now govern the country. In a press conference, he stood flanked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and others, but offered no real plan for what comes next.

So lawyers call it a “crime of aggression,” and global leaders call it “imperialism,” but what about the Venezuelan people?

Most importantly: how are Venezuelans reacting?

With a bit of everything. Venezuela is home to the largest oil reserves in the world, and should be thriving because of it, but decades of authoritarian rule, economic collapse, and corruption have left its people hungry, scared, and scattered across the globe. So while the idea of American interference raises alarm bells globally, many Venezuelans (especially those in exile) have met Maduro’s removal with relief, and even a sense of hope.

For them, this isn’t a new crisis. It’s the break in a crisis that’s defined their lives.

“It’s impossible not to feel relief”

Cinzia de Santis, a Venezuelan woman now living in the UK, described waking up to the news with mixed emotions. On one hand, she said, “he’s gone, which is kind of good news.” On the other, she was deeply unsettled by the way it happened.

“No one who loves their country is happy to see foreign troops on its land. War and invasions are always a tragedy,” she said.
“But it’s also impossible not to feel relief when you know a system that has been built on fear, hunger, tortures, repression – it begins to collapse.”

Cinzia knows that system intimately. She left Venezuela more than two decades ago after her name appeared on the Tascón List – a list used by the government to punish people who opposed Hugo Chávez.

She’s clear-eyed about Trump, too. She calls him her “least favourite person in the world” and says she’s certain his interest in Venezuela is business, not compassion.

That tension shows up again and again in Venezuelan voices.

Alejandro Arenas-Pinto, a Venezuelan doctor with family still in the country, said it’s hard to justify the methods used to remove Maduro – but also hard to ignore the scale of the humanitarian crisis people have been living through.

“If you ask many people in Venezuela about the legality of this, that isn’t their main concern,” he said.
“The main concern is far more existential and far more basic.”

Across the ocean, a very different kind of reaction was playing out.

In Doral, South Florida, home to one of the largest Venezuelan populations in the US, people flooded the streets in celebration. The mood wasn’t ‘war,’ it was freedom.

“It’s 26 years of waiting for a better Venezuela, and now they’re going to be able to go back and enjoy it with their families,” one man told CBS.

Outside El Arepazo, a restaurant long known as a gathering spot for Venezuelan exiles, chants of “Libertad” rang out. People described the moment as historic.

Valeria, a young demonstrator born in the US, said:

“This means everything. Since the moment I was born we lived under an abusive dictatorship. I feel so lucky and privileged to be out in the street, whereas people back home in Caracas are scared for their lives.”

Why do Venezuelans hate Nicolás Maduro?

Maduro has ruled Venezuela since 2013. He was chosen by the late Hugo Chávez, the country’s revolutionary president who built a powerful leftist movement and is still seen as a hero by some and a dictator by others.

After Chávez died, Maduro took power and oversaw a devastating collapse.

Hyperinflation
Food and medicine shortages
Mass migration
A crumbling healthcare system
Political repression
Hundreds of political prisoners.

Millions of Venezuelans fled the country - nearly one in four people. Families were separated. Lives were upended. Hope became scarce.

So… what now?

No one really knows. The US has removed Nicolás Maduro, but not the system that enabled him. There’s no clear leadership plan, no roadmap, and no international consensus.

What we do know is this: Venezuelans deserve better than what they’ve had, but they also deserve better than becoming a pawn in someone else’s empire game.

This story is far from over, and obv I will be here to keep you informed as it continues to unfold!

Love you the most,

Luce xxx