On January 3rd, 2026, the United States launched a military attack on Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, and abducted President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. Shortly thereafter, U.S. President Trump announced Maduro’s detention for his alleged involvement in “narco-terrorism.” Underscoring his ambition for US hegemony in the region, he declared that the US would “run” Venezuela, seize oil exports and manage Venezuelan oil revenues “for the good of the American and Venezuelan people.” Although clearly in breach of international law, criticism of the U.S. attack was surprisingly muted, both within the United States and across the international community. The European Union issued a flawed statement reaffirming the need to respect international law in very general terms, while Latin American countries remained divided on the issue.