By Alon Ben-Meir
NEW YORK | 7 January 2026 (IDN) — Trump’s actions in Venezuela are morally calamitous, showing a perilous disregard for human dignity and the rights of ordinary Venezuelans to be free from external forces. Although Maduro is a corrupt autocrat who has often ruled by decree, no country has the right to snatch the head of state of another country under any circumstances—let alone committing such a brazenly monstrous act expressly for the purpose of exploiting a country’s natural resources.
On legal grounds, Trump’s action is an impudent overreach that undermines the rule of law and violates the UN Charter. On ideological grounds, it represents an ominous deviation from democratic principles, embracing authoritarian tactics that must be soundly rejected. Trump’s actions in Venezuela starkly betray the fundamental ideals of global solidarity and justice and represent a complete inversion of what the international community should stand for—mutual respect for territorial integrity and the peaceful resolution of conflict.
It is unfathomable that a U.S. president would announce unashamedly to the nation and the world that the United States has invaded Venezuela, captured its president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife—both to be indicted for drug trafficking—and that the U.S. would now “run the country.” In reality, as Trump explicitly explained, the United States will now control all of Venezuela’s oil deposits—the largest in the world—while American oil companies take over, reap the profits, and share them with the U.S. government.
Trump’s claim that this will stop the smuggling of drugs into the United States is hypocritical at best. The fact is that he has just pardoned a convicted drug trafficker and former president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández, and that Venezuela is not a predominant supplier of narcotics to the United States compared to its neighbors. Plain and simple, this is high-noon robbery for the whole world to see. Trump’s moral bankruptcy is on full display in 2026—another year that will live in infamy.
Dire International Repercussions
Has anyone in Trump’s wicked administration told him that what he has done is not only immoral and illegal, but runs contrary to everything America stands for—and that it will have severe long-term international repercussions for the United States?
Being incapable of grasping the dire implications of his actions, Trump should have been told that, at a minimum, his lawlessness will:
1. Accelerate Latin American backlash and regional realignment** away from Washington, with governments invoking non-intervention norms, freezing cooperation, and exploring new security and economic arrangements with Brazil, Mexico, or extra-hemispheric blocs.
2. Deepen China–Russia strategic coordination in the Western Hemisphere**, including expanded military, energy, and technology partnerships with governments alarmed by U.S. “hegemonic” behavior and seeking counterbalancing patrons.
3. Erode U.S. credibility on international law**, weakening Washington’s ability to marshal coalitions on Ukraine, Taiwan, and future crises, as critics cite Venezuela to dismiss U.S. appeals to the UN Charter.
4. Increase diplomatic and legal isolation** in multilateral forums, including hostile resolutions at the United Nations, pushback in the OAS, and renewed calls to constrain U.S. veto power and use-of-force doctrines.
5. Risk heightened lawfare and universal jurisdiction cases** against U.S. officials in foreign courts, alongside renewed campaigns to bring U.S. conduct under ICC scrutiny despite Washington’s hostility to The Hague.
6. Fuel refugee and migration surges** throughout the region, straining neighboring states and reinforcing narratives that U.S. militarism generates hemispheric humanitarian crises.
7. Inflict lasting reputational damage**, framing the United States as a predatory administrator of another country’s oil—complicating energy diplomacy, green-transition negotiations, and Global South perceptions of any future U.S. economic initiatives.
Measures the Democrats Must Pursue
Congressional Democrats, governors of blue states, and the growing number of Republican officials disillusioned with Trump’s failing policies must take immediate action to impede—if not prevent—his ill-fated design for Venezuela. Republican control of both chambers should not deter Democrats from acting swiftly, especially as midterm campaigns are already underway.
First, Democrats must force immediate **War Powers votes** to terminate hostilities in Venezuela and prevent attacks on other countries, including Cuba and Colombia—targets Trump has already floated. Defense or supplemental appropriations must be tied to strict prohibitions on further escalation. Even if unsuccessful, this will expose Republicans defending the indefensible and may encourage defections.
Second, Democrats should launch **public hearings and inspector-general investigations** into the operation’s planning, legal rationale, and contracting, issuing subpoenas and contempt referrals for noncompliance. Even limited success will raise public awareness at a moment when Trump’s popularity has reached a new nadir.
Third, Democrats should file **coordinated federal lawsuits** challenging the operation’s constitutionality and seeking injunctions to block further military action without explicit congressional authorization. Public debate during the midterm cycle could pressure additional Republican lawmakers to defect.
Fourth, they must introduce binding legislation narrowing the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), codifying limits on unilateral regime-change operations, and requiring congressional approval for any “stabilization” or occupation of Venezuelan territory.
Fifth, Democratic governors should exercise **state authority over National Guard deployments**, refusing “voluntary” Guard participation in Venezuelan operations and litigating any attempt to federalize units for offensive missions. Their resistance to Trump’s domestic troop deployments provides a clear precedent.
Finally, Democrats must escalate **political and electoral pressure** through coordinated messaging, censure resolutions, and commitments to condition future confirmations and treaties on reversing Venezuela policy and restoring congressional war powers.
The Public Must Sound the Alarm
The American public has a pivotal role to play in stopping further escalation and reversing the intervention.
Sustained, nonviolent protests, marches, and vigils must demand an immediate end to the Venezuela operation and oppose U.S. occupation or control of Venezuelan oil. Members of Congress should be inundated with calls, letters, office visits, and town-hall pressure demanding votes to terminate hostilities.
Veterans, military families, and Venezuelan diaspora voices must be amplified across media platforms to frame the war as immoral, illegal, and strategically disastrous. Supporting antiwar coalitions through donations, volunteering, legal challenges, and national days of action is essential.
Activists must leverage electoral power by prioritizing antiwar candidates in primaries and general elections, while pressuring city councils, universities, unions, and professional associations to pass resolutions condemning the invasion.
Finally, a word to every federal, state, and local Republican official who remains silent in the face of this travesty: **your silence is not patriotism—it is betrayal**. Trump will eventually go, but you will live with the shame of lacking the courage to stand up when your country’s future was hanging in the balance.
*Dr. Alon Ben-Meir** is a retired professor of international relations, most recently at the Center for Global Affairs at New York University. He taught courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies. [IDN-InDepthNews]