Is This MAGA Foreign Policy or Something Else Entirely? | ‘The Opinions’ podcast
In Trump’s and Trump supporters’ minds, does making America great again mean power and majesty, or peace and prosperity?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3gtPYupWIQ
Tag: South America
Trump Should Have Tried To Get Congressional Authorization If He Wanted To Strike Venezuela and Capture Maduro
“The U.S. Constitution gives Congress the sole authority to approve military strikes against foreign countries. Federal laws, like the War Powers Resolution, allow for unilateral executive action only in response to an imminent threat against Americans or U.S. troops. That separation of powers is fundamental to American democracy—not an optional arrangement for presidents to discard when it is politically or logistically inconvenient.
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Trump’s violation of the rule of law on Saturday morning is not without precedent. That creates some awkward considerations. Trump’s critics often want to frame him as a radical and unique threat to democracy. But, as is often the case, Trump is merely pulling levers of power that already existed. Congress shrugged off the elder Bush’s attack on Panama, which paved the way for its sequel.”
https://reason.com/2026/01/03/trump-should-have-gotten-congressional-authorization-to-strike-venezuela-and-capture-maduro/
Regime Changed?
“The U.S. Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war. Bombing a foreign country’s capital and arresting its president are plainly acts of war that received no authorization from Congress. The Trump administration clearly seems to have violated the Constitution.
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If Vance were correct, all any president would need to do to start a war is have his Justice Department file charges against a foreign leader. That’s hardly compatible with Congress controlling the power to initiate hostilities.
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The most direct historical parallel to the Maduro operation would be the U.S. ouster of Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega in 1989 after he stole an election and was indicted on drug smuggling charges.
But as Ilya Somin points out, there are some important legal differences. Panamanian forces had killed a U.S. Marine in the Panama Canal Zone and captured other U.S. citizens. Also, the Panamanian government declared war on the United States.”
https://reason.com/2026/01/05/regime-changed/
Why Trump’s Venezuela Intervention Is Different
“Congress is supposed to declare wars under the U.S. Constitution, and we have laws that are supposed to constrain unilateral military deployments without congressional consultation. The Trump administration has blown through both of those domestic legal prohibitions, either because it could not be bothered to get consent from Congress or it did not think it would get the votes.”
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2026/01/04/trump-venezuela-legal-fallout-column-00710331
Has the US Now Gone Completely ROGUE?
Trump’s aggression could weaken the US in the long term by turning off current and potential allies and partners.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3AdMQAOHKQ
How U.S Delta Force Raid Captured Maduro
How U.S Delta Force Raid Captured Maduro
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PC3tUZ1qGws
Maduro’s Arrest Isn’t About Oil — It’s About China
This war may have really been about China. China has been working hard to expand its influence in South America, and had been succeeding heavily in Venezuela. China may have had plans to base missiles in Venezuela. In a war over Taiwan, China could disrupt US shipping in the Caribbean. It is in US’s interest to not have great powers like China and Russia threatening it from nearby countries like Venezuela.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9dHm4b6Klg
Venezuelan President Maduro arrives in New York following U.S. capture: Full coverage
“Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, criticized the U.S. in a nationally televised address, calling the operation that captured Maduro an act of “military aggression” aimed at regime change. The comments appeared to contradict Trump’s claims that the U.S. could work with her to oversee the country’s transition. Earlier Saturday, the Venezuelan government declared a state of emergency and said said it would mobilize to “defeat this imperialist aggression.””
https://www.yahoo.com/news/live/venezuelan-president-maduro-arrives-in-new-york-following-us-capture-full-coverage-161238959.html
Understanding the U.S. Strike on Venezuela | Explainer
The US as a rule of law democracy, and international norms and values against military action against other countries, are under threat with this attack on Venezuela.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wu9QSeAI22I
Who might fill the power vacuum in a post-Maduro Venezuela? | DW News
It sounds like the Maduro regime is still in power. If the regime stays in power, was the military operation worth it?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HHNKVhH2p4