Background

The Maduro government had become internationally contested and domestically repressive, with a prolonged institutional and economic collapse and large-scale emigration. The United States intervened directly and detained Maduro. The action was not authorized under international law, but was welcomed by parts of the Venezuelan population and some external actors.

Key Moment

Legacy

– Immediate power vacuum and urgent need for transitional governance capacity.
– Long-term legitimacy dispute: “liberation” vs “illegal intervention” becomes the central fracture line.
– Precedent risk: normalization of regime-change tactics in the hemisphere.

Perspective & Relations