The lightning strike on Caracas and the subsequent “perp walk” of Nicolás Maduro into a New York federal court signals more than just the end of a regime; it marks the definitive arrival of the “Putinization” of American foreign policy.
In an analysis echoing across the halls of Westminster and Brussels, “The Guardian” examines how the Trump administration has effectively traded the “rules-based international order” for a raw, transactional system of spheres of influence.
By treating sovereign borders as mere suggestions and national resources as spoils of war, Washington has not only seized a nation but has signaled to the world—most notably to Moscow—that the era of global norms has been replaced by the law of the strongest.
A Mirror Image of Moscow’s Doctrine
The term “Putinization” refers to a doctrine where a superpower asserts an absolute security right to intervene directly in its perceived “backyard,” mirroring the Kremlin’s justifications for its actions in Eurasia. The Guardian posits that Trump is no longer playing the role of the “leader of the free world,” but rather that of a regional hegemon operating with the same ruthless pragmatism often attributed to Vladimir Putin. President Trump’s declaration that the U.S. will “run” Venezuela until further notice is a radical departure from traditional diplomacy. While previous administrations sought the cover of multilateral coalitions or UN resolutions, the current White House has opted for a “corporate-military protectorate” model. The focus on Venezuela’s oil reserves—described by Trump as “returning the wealth to the people”—strips away the veneer of humanitarian intervention, revealing a foreign policy driven by energy dominance and industrial extraction.
The Strategic Quagmire and the Sovereignty Crisis
Beyond the immediate shock of the military operation, the long-term implications for international law are catastrophic. By unilaterally abducting a head of state and installing a direct administrative mandate, the U.S. has effectively handed a “moral blank check” to other authoritarian powers. If Washington can dismantle a government in the Western Hemisphere to protect its interests, on what grounds can it protest similar maneuvers by Russia in Eastern Europe or China in the South China Sea? The Guardian’s analysis suggests that we are witnessing the “death of the West” as a coherent moral entity, replaced by a world of competing “Great Power” enclaves where might is the only source of right.
The Regional Pulse and the Future of the Proconsul
For the Venezuelan people, the immediate relief of ending the Maduro era is now clouded by the reality of foreign occupation. The U.S. “transition team” faces the impossible task of managing a collapsed economy while being viewed by much of the world as an occupying force. This is the hallmark of the new era: a world where “stability” is bought at the price of sovereignty, and where the lines between a rescue mission and a conquest have been permanently blurred. As the trial in New York begins, the world is not just watching the fate of one man, but the funeral of the international system as we knew it.
Operation Absolute Resolve :Trump Asserts US Governance Over Venezuela After Maduro’s Capture
