Venezuela

keep fighting the good fight comrade. The west is evil and decadent and must be destroyed.

@briany said:

I've thought that the US, Russia and Chine will eventually come to an arrangement where they're each allowed to boss their geographic neighbourhood without foreign interference or condemnation from the other. I think this may be the beginning of that… If China can invade Taiwan with no pushback, that'll seal it.

Its called SPHERE OF INFLUENCE apparently

"Trump’s 2025 National Security Strategy is grounded in this perception of overreach. It signals a deliberate turn toward a more realist, sphere-of-influence-based framework: consolidating U.S. power in regions of vital importance, retrenching from peripheral commitments, and preventing the emergence of rival regional hegemons—particularly in East Asia. This approach suggests a recalibration of American strategy away from global primacy and toward a more selective, interest-driven posture."

So Trumps/US sphere is the Americas basically. Putin/Russia sphere is Europe. Then Xi/China sphere is Asia/pacific. Trump, Putin, Xi rule you and me and the world .. this is where we are going perhaps. Be interesting to see if Trump goes at all the South americam countries now and also Greenland, maybe canada eventually

This is not an invasion. Maduro was on borrowed time. US is not going to take over.

Reports Maduro has been captured by the US.

Trump has confirmed this. Trump also saying the US would be strongly involved in the country's oil industry. As bad as Maduro is, I personally think this is the main reason this is happening.

AG Pam Bondi saying Maduro and his wife "will soon face the full wrath of American soil in American courts".

However, Defence Minister saying his country would resist and claims some civilian areas have been hit.

The Opposition won the legislative elections last year but Maduro ignored them.

its all about the narcos or is it..

Trump says US will be 'very strongly involved' in Venezuela oil industry

The United States is going to be “very strongly involved” in Venezuela’s oil industry after the operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, President Donald Trump told Fox News on Saturday.

He said:

We have the greatest oil companies in the world, the biggest, the greatest, and we’re going to be very much involved in it.

The fall of this regime will also be a blow to Russia's evasion of the oil sanctions, and the flow of Venezuelan mercenaries fighting for Russia.

It will also be a blow for the Cuban regime, which was propped up with Venezuelan oil under Chavez and Maduro (at least before the collapse of the economy). The costs of giving Cuba cheaper oil was criticised as a factor in the economic crisis.

• Beginning in the early 2000s, Venezuela supplied Cuba with heavily discounted oil (often ~90,000 barrels/day at its peak).

• In return, Cuba sent doctors, teachers, intelligence advisers, and security personnel to Venezuela.

• Cuba could resell part of the oil on the open market, giving it hard currency — crucial after the Soviet Union collapsed.

Reports Maduro on a US warship headed for New York.

Israel welcoming the operation. Accusing Maduro of "heading a network of drugs and terror".

Opposition figure Marina Machado says this will "bring order to Venezuela" and could lead to the freeing of political prisoner. She also says that Edmondo Gonzalez should assume the presidency.

Cuban regime has called for (probably orchestrated) protests. Sky showing them now.

Russia, France, Brazil criticising the operation. Yesterday, Russia asked the US to stop pursuing a sanctioned vessel.

The Russian foreign ministry said in a statement:

We are extremely alarmed by reports that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were forcibly removed from the country as a result of today’s US aggression. We call for an immediate clarification of the situation.

Earlier, Venezuela’s vice-president, Delcy Rodríguez, said the US needed to provide “proof of life” for Maduro.

France says the operation breaks international law. Brazil said

Cubans are not a surprise since they hate the Americans but then again they likely aren't happy because someone pointed out Venezuela is how they got hard currency since the 2000's. Probably the fallout going to hit them harder.

Russia? pff they're just uppity because they'd lose a regional ally in all of this but then again they're spinning the drain in more ways than one these days and lost all legitimacy a long time ago so feck em. France and Brazil criticising is probably more a position of realpolitik than anything else. Having Maduro removed was probably the only option its rather the how they did it rather that's going to be the issue as it creates fallout that they're going to be forced to deal with on other issues. You can bet the Chinese might get notions on this though.

Now that you have restored democracy to Venezuela, who are you going to appoint as its next President?

What is very telling is the media use of the words captured Maduro. They kidnapped him in a terrorist raid and we don't know yet know about how many innocent fatalities there were to enforce US imperialism.