Trump Claims Successful Op, Releases First Pics of Maduro Blindfolded
The operation has ousted a South American strongman blasted by Trump's administration as an “illegitimate” dictator and a “narco-terrorist," a scourge responsible for a steady stream of illegal drugs poisoning the U.S. and Europe
WASHINGTON: With the capture of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro , President Donald Trump and his allies are calling the audacious military operation a major success as the U.S. leader once again demonstrated a willingness to use U.S. forces for risky missions that come with a potential big payoff.
The operation has ousted a South American strongman blasted by Trump's administration as an “illegitimate” dictator and a “narco-terrorist," a scourge responsible for a steady stream of illegal drugs poisoning the U.S. and Europe.
“It was a brilliant operation, actually," Trump told The New York Times shortly after U.S. forces were cleared from Venezuelan airspace. He later added in an appearance on “Fox & Friends” that some U.S. troops were injured in the strike but none were killed.
But the path ahead could be treacherous as the White House faces a series of difficult questions.
Who will fill the power vacuum now that Maduro is gone? How do you maintain stability in a country that’s already endured years of hyperinflation, food and medicine shortages and brain drain despite its vast oil wealth?
What lessons will U.S. adversaries take from Trump’s decision to demonstrate American might in its sphere of influence as China’s Xi Jinping vows to annex the self-ruled island of Taiwan and Russia’s Vladimir Putin has designs on neighbor Ukraine and diminishing NATO’s eastern flank?
Trump takes a big risk The operation to remove Maduro certainly marks another big moment for Trump's foreign policy in his second term, as he hasn't shied away from flexing U.S. military might even as he has vowed to keep America out of war.
Trump has now twice used U.S. forces to carry out risky operations against American adversaries. In June, he directed U.S. strikes on key Iranian nuclear sites .
Saturday's action stirred fresh anxiety in capitals around the world that have sought to adjust to a new normal in Trump 2.0, where the idea of the U.S. trying to find global consensus on issues of war and peace is now passe. On Friday, Trump issued a new threat to Iran that if it “violently kills peaceful protesters” — in protests sparked by the collapse of Iran’s currency — the United States “will come to their rescue.”
