Experts from the University of Michigan are providing analysis on the recent U.S. intervention in Venezuela, which led to the arrest of President Nicolas Maduro during a raid over the weekend. Maduro is scheduled to appear before a judge in New York on Monday to face charges related to drugs and weapons.
Javed Ali, associate professor of practice at the Ford School of Public Policy and former senior U.S. government counterterrorism official, commented on the operation: “The recent U.S. military operation to capture Maduro and his wife and hand them over to federal law enforcement based on long-standing criminal indictments for narcotrafficking and conspiracy charges was the culmination of the Trump administration’s months-long pressure campaign against the Maduro regime.”
Ali explained that this campaign included multiple actions such as strikes against vessels in the Caribbean suspected of being operated by drug cartel members, seizure of oil tankers, new economic sanctions, covert operations, and public statements from President Trump indicating an end to Maduro’s presidency. He also noted: “The administration also signaled a more aggressive approach against perceived threats to U.S. interests in the region with last November’s national security strategy, which is the first one published in the 40-year history of these strategy documents that focused on the Western Hemisphere—and not the Middle East, China or Europe—as the part of the world that the United States will prioritize above all others.”
Ali raised questions about how Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro’s successor, will govern Venezuela and whether her approach toward U.S. relations will change. He added that it remains uncertain how policies regarding Venezuela’s oil sector will be implemented or if similar campaigns could target other governments seen as working against U.S. interests.
Jonathan Hanson, lecturer at the Ford School of Public Policy and director of its MPP/MPA program, addressed concerns about international law: “To invade another country and capture its president, especially without any prior consultation with Congress, is an audacious act that is inconsistent with international law and with Trump’s claimed desire to avoid overseas conflicts and entanglements,” he said. “Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that these actions were a ‘message to the world.’ Rivals, especially those too weak to respond, surely will take notice that the administration feels unconstrained in its use of military power.”
Hanson further stated: “At the same time, vigorous assertion of the right to intervene militarily throughout our region makes it harder to take the position that countries like Russia and China have no right to do the same. Leaders in Ukraine, the Baltics and Taiwan surely cannot be too happy about this kind of hegemonic thinking coming from U.S. leaders, though it’s already been clear that Putin has Trump’s ear when it comes to Ukraine.”
Silvia Pedraza, professor of sociology and American culture at LSA who has studied Venezuelan society extensively, offered insight into local reactions: “I think that any authoritarian regime, whether of the left or the right, creates a lot of opposition,” she said. “Some of that opposition leaves the country in a massive exodus while others end up in prison if they are politically active. Some simply try to remain focused on their families and their own lives staying at margins. I think that most Venezuelans are actually very happy with this outcome. For Venezuelan people who are on streets major issue is democracy.”
Julian Davis Mortenson serves as James G. Phillipp Professor of Law at Michigan Law.
The University of Michigan Ann Arbor operates as a prominent public research university with campuses in Ann Arbor—where its main campus is located—as well as Dearborn and Flint (official website). Founded originally in Detroit in 1817 before moving to Ann Arbor two decades later (official website), it offers diverse undergraduate through professional programs across various fields (official website) while aiming to advance knowledge for Michigan residents and beyond (official website).
