Early on the morning of Saturday 3rd January 2026 the United States carried out an unprovoked and illegal attack on Venezuela and kidnap of President Maduro and his wife.
President Trump has boasted that the capture of President Maduro assures that the United States has access to the oil reserves of Venezuela.
He also stated that the US intends to run the country and that a top priority is that US Oil companies be allowed to return to Venezuela to resume operations.
Venezuela has the world’s largest oil reserves estimated at over 300 billion barrels while the US has 45 billion barrels. The US’s top priority is also containing the influence of China and Russia in Venezuela and the Western Hemisphere.
Trump also dismissed a proposal for Maria Corina Machado to become the next leader of Venezuela. His endorsement of Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro’s right hand and Vice President of Venezuela has put to rest the notion that the blockade and attacks on Venezuela were undertaken to install a “democratically elected leader”.
So now the duplicity is evident for all to see. It was never about fighting drug trafficking. It was not even about supporting a transition to a free, democratic society. It was always about the acquisition of control over Venezuela’s oil reserves.
The fact that oil was mentioned over 20 times in Trump’s first address on the capture of Maduro reveals that the intention was always to gain access to the rich oil reserves for the benefit of US companies.
The US attack on Venezuela is also part of a hegemonic plan to revitalise the Monroe Doctrine of 1823 (now called the Donroe Doctrine) to control the assets of resource-rich countries in the Western Hemisphere and to exclude non-regional powers, namely China.
The lack of planning regarding the governance arrangements for the post-Maduro period shows the US President’s disregard, if not disdain, for the welfare of the people of Venezuela.
The US attacks on Saturday and the kidnapping of President Maduro and his wife have been denounced by the international community as being in contravention of Article 2 of the United Nations Charter.
In the press conference, President Trump declared that the mission was conducted to take control of Venezuela’s vast oil reserves and to ensure access to US oil companies.
Yet Trinidad and Tobago citizens were viciously accused by the Prime Minister as being supporters of the PNM and drug traffickers for denouncing US attacks on fishing vessels as being undertaken to allow the US to seize Venezuela’s oil assets.
Trump has also stated his intention to ensure that leaders in the Western Hemisphere are pro-US while identifying his intention to intervene in Cuba, Mexico, Colombia, Greenland and even Canada.
This development puts all countries at risk including Trinidad and Tobago. The US attack on Venezuela indicates that the US has eschewed the rules-based order and replaced it with the law of the Jungle – might is right.
This approach will see the Trump administration pursuing action to enforce their will on other countries to advance the US economic, energy and strategic interests. To prevent this descent into chaos, all countries need to support the call for a recommitment to the UN Charter and a rules-based international order.
While claiming that Trinidad and Tobago did not participate in the attacks, Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar has reaffirmed her support for the US action at no less an august body than the United Nations. Once again, PM Persad-Bissessar is on the wrong side of history!
More importantly after selling our country’s sovereignty to the US for 30 pieces of silver and vilifying the Venezuelan government, the Prime Minister finds herself dependent on the same regime in Venezuela for access to oil.
T&T’s economy is also jeopardised because the Prime Minister has soured relations with our CARICOM neighbours which contributes over US$1 billion in exports.
The true cost to Trinidad and Tobago’s unstinting support of the US will only be known in the future. However it is clear that we are well on the way to becoming a rogue state that does not endorse the rules-based international order.
Cecila Melville