Americas War: Trump To Run Venezuela! The Masterplan To Capture Nicolas Maduro, Is It Legal Or Violation?

The post-Covid era has seen more wars than any other time in the early 2000s. This time the latest geopolitical tension has escalated between the world economic leader, the USA, and the country with the largest oil reserves, Venezuela. The residents of Caracas, the capital city of Venezuela, woke up on January 3 to the sounds of missile strikes, intense blasts, and booms, which led to the dramatic capture of the South American country's president, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores.

The reason behind the missile attacks on Venezuelan soil and the capture of Maduro is drug trafficking. But what makes the tension between the US and Venezuela different from any other modern-time wars, like Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Gaza, is that none of them captured any president, the leader of a country, unlike the US. Also, none of these countries accused the other of narcoterrorism.

President Trump has warned of the full wrath of America on Maduro and his wife. But the real question that arises is whether it is legal for a US president to capture another country's president. Whether this whole situation is an act of war or a violation of Venezuela's sovereignty. Where do the US and Venezuela go from here?

The plan to capture Maduro did not magically appear after returning to the White House as the 47th president but was a many-year master plan that Trump orchestrated from his first tenure.

US Attacks Venezuela:

Through his Truth Social account, Trump said in the afternoon of January 3rd that the United States of America has successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the country.

The operation was carried out in conjunction with U.S. law enforcement.

A few hours later, Trump further confirmed Maduro on the board of the USS Iwo Jima, a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship of the United States Navy.

President Donald Trump's Statement After Capturing Maduro:

During his conference at Mar-a-Lago, Trump said, "The USA will run Venezuela until a safe, proper, and judicious transition." He called Maduro an illegitimate dictator, responsible for planning and infusing colossal amounts of deadly illicit drugs into the US.

Furthermore, Trump accused Maduro of overseeing the Cartel de los Soles, which translates to 'Cartel of the Suns,' an alleged criminal network within the Armed Forces of Venezuela.

Trump called the attack on Venezuela one of the most stunning, effective, and powerful displays of American military might and competence in American history. He assured US citizens that no US military armed forces were injured or killed during the operation and is prepared for a much larger attack on Venezuela if needed.

He told the media that Maduro and his wife, aboard the USS Iwo Jiwa, are headed towards New York. However, a decision will soon be made between New York and Miami for the accused couple. Trump warns, "They're not going to suffer any more."

That being said, is it legal to capture another country's president?

The master plan of capturing Nicolas Maduro!

This is not the first siege of another country's leader by the United States Of America. It happened in 1989, when the US invaded another South American country, Panama, whose dictator, Manuel Noriega, was captured and shipped to the US as well. Noriega was also blamed for drug trafficking. This became the first ever criminal indictment prosecuted by the US against an entrenched dictator.

In the US vs. Noriega's case, despite the latter's plea for immunity, the US court denied his appeals and convicted him of crimes against humanity, money laundering, and murder.

In the case of Maduro, the elephant in the room is that the US Department of Justice has classified Maduro as a private citizen involved in a "narco-terrorist organization" and not a president of Venezuela since 2019. Accordingly, Maduro is not captured 'head of state', dimming his chances of claiming diplomatic immunity in the US court.

Another key factor is that the US Supreme Court follows "Male captus, bene detentus," a 100-year-old doctrine. This practically means "wrongly captured, properly detained," which makes it a legal doctrine. Thereby, even if Maduro was captured illegally and shipped to the US illegally, the US law will command him and his wife to be on trial.

The second nail in the coffin to capture Maduro would be in March 2020, when the US DOJ convicted Maduro for "narco-terrorism" and declared a $15 million bounty on his head. This makes Maduro a fugitive felon in the eyes of the US.

A geopolitical expert, Vlada Galan, partner at the Oracle Advisory Group, in an interview with OneIndia, said Washington's strategy has moved beyond diplomatic pressure and sanctions and is now firmly rooted in a legal and security framework aimed at dismantling the current power structure in Caracas.

During the interview, Galan also emphasized on the long-standing allegations involving narcotics trafficking and arms-related networks, which US agencies have repeatedly linked to the Venezuelan leadership. She added, the charges by the US are not symbolic but form part of a broader enforcement doctrine.

Furthermore, as per reports, the US is moving to implement a 'transitional government.' This is not a new notion but is called an interim, emergency, or temporary government to manage a period of transition, which often has been linked to state collapse, revolution, civil war, or some combination thereof.

Is Capturing Nicolás Maduro a Violation of International Law?

While the capturing of Maduro does threaten the sovereignty of Venezuela, the US has argued that the attack was in self-defense and to bring Maduro to justice on US soil.

UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said, independently of the situation in Venezuela, these developments constitute a dangerous precedent. The Secretary-General continues to emphasize the importance of full respect-by all-of international law, including the UN Charter. He's deeply concerned that the rules of international law have not been respected.

Lastly, the UN Secretary-General has asked Venezuela to engage in inclusive dialogue, in full respect of human rights and the rule of law.