On Jan. 3, without congressional approval, U.S. troops captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife and brought them to the U.S. to face drug and weapons charges. In an address to the nation, Trump said that the U.S. will now “run” Venezuela. Under Trump, is America returning to an era of gunboat diplomacy when the U.S. used military force to seize territory and resources? Will imperialist ambitions try to crush America's democracy building gains of post World War II? What is the rationale for this brash operation? Why apprehend Maduro on drug and weapons charges, while recently pardoning former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández on similar charges? We have questions. Share your thoughts.

Read about it:

• "Don't call it regime change. This is something else entirely," Michelle Goldberg, New York Times, Jan. 5, 2026
• "Trump plunges U.S. into new era of risk in Venezuela," New York Times, Jan. 4, 2026
• "Trump's attack on Venezuela is illegal and unwise," New York Times Editorial Board, Jan. 3, 2026
• New York Times updates on Venezuela, Jan. 3, 2026
• "A pardon and a prosecution in New York show Trump's personal geopolitics," New York Times, Jan. 3, 2026
• "How is Trump planning to 'run' Venezuela? What did the United States just do?" David Frum and Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, Jan. 3, 2026
• "Welch, Sanders and Balint Condemn Military Action in Venezuela," Seven Days, Jan. 3, 2026