by Joe Paine
On January 3, 2026, the United States carried out Operation Absolute Resolve, a military strike on Venezuela that removed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Trump’s stated rationale for US military action is that Maduro is a ‘narcoterrorist’ engaged in drug trafficking. This comes just over a month after President Trump pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted of similar charges in a so-called “Biden witch-hunt”.1
Drug trafficking is not treated as a crime, but as a political tool. When an accused trafficker is aligned with US interests, they are pardoned. When they are not, they become the justification for war.
Fortunately, we do not have to think very hard to know the real reason for the illegal attack as President Trump made it clear:
● “We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars and fix the badly broken infrastructure.”2
● “We’re in the oil business. We’re going to sell it.”3
● “We’re going to be taking a tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground.”4
● “We’re going to rebuild the oil infrastructure, which will cost billions of dollars, it will be paid for by the oil companies directly, and we’re going to get the oil flowing the way it should be.”5
These remarks make it clear. This was about oil and extraction of wealth rather than democracy, drugs, or terrorism.
Forbes reports that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Trump are laying the ground-work for similar regime changes:6
● “If I lived in Havana and I was in the government, I’d be concerned.” – Secretary Rubio
● [Columbian President Gustavo Petro] “has to watch his ass.” – President Trump
● “The cartels are running Mexico…. Something’s going to have to be done with Mexico.” – President Trump
The American Peace Information Center (APIC) agrees with the widespread condemnation of this attack. The operation violates international law and violates the US Constitution by bypassing Congressional authorization.
This is not peacekeeping. It is strong-arming resources.
Retrieved from the American Peace Information Center – American Peace Information Center – Continuing the work of the Peace Information Center, founded in 1950
