One of the most ironic reactions to the successful U.S. operation under President Donald Trump’s administration in Caracas - which ended with the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife - came from Moscow. Russia condemned Maduro’s arrest and demanded his release, seemingly overlooking the possibility that Trump could respond by describing the move as a “temporary military operation,” echoing Russia’s own characterization of its war in Ukraine - with one key difference: the United States, unlike Russia in Ukraine, does not intend to occupy Venezuelan territory, remain there, or annex it permanently.

It is essential to place the American action against Venezuela in its proper context. Trump is certainly no angel, but Maduro - the successor of Hugo Chávez, an ally of Fidel Castro - is a usurper of power who stripped the Venezuelan people of their country’s resources. He was also part of the so-called “Axis of Resistance” led by Iran and did not hesitate to provide facilities to tools of the Islamic Republic, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

The charges to be filed against Maduro, who was transferred to New York, include a long list of accusations that are expected to be relatively easy to substantiate. Among them are drug trafficking - particularly cocaine - and money laundering.

Notably, Maduro’s arrest in Caracas and his transfer to New York came exactly six years after the United States assassinated one of Iran’s most important figures during Trump’s first presidential term. On Jan. 3, 2020, a U.S. drone strike killed Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. Soleimani was widely regarded as the overseer of Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Gaza and Yemen, and the key coordinator among them. His killing was not a marginal event, but the elimination of a central Iranian figure with both domestic and regional influence.

Trump’s move against Maduro fits into a broader effort to dismantle the “Axis of Resistance.” Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Alawite regime in Syria have all been effectively neutralized. What remains are the Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq and the Houthis in Yemen - along with the Iranian regime itself. There appears to be a clear division of roles between the Trump administration and the Israeli government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Under Chávez and Maduro, Venezuela had effectively become an extension of the Axis of Resistance under Iranian leadership.

This raises a natural question: Who comes after Maduro? It is well known that Washington seeks change in Cuba and is increasingly focused on the American continent. The United States appears willing to go far to reclaim Venezuelan oil resources rather than allow them to remain in the hands of Maduro, his allies and aides, who plunged the country into poverty while denying its people the benefits of its vast oil wealth.

At the same time, Israel’s role in the Middle East is set to expand. Netanyahu is expected to enjoy greater freedom of action in Gaza and Lebanon, after Trump reportedly limited his requests to some consideration for Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

One may describe this approach as the law of the jungle adopted by the U.S. administration. More broadly, it reflects the emergence of a new international order in which the United States plays a central role, increasingly detached from traditional coordination with Europe. This is a new America, operating according to Donald Trump’s temperament and in growing alignment with Netanyahu on issues stretching from Caracas to Tehran. 

What stands out most is the realization that Vladimir Putin can no longer protect his allies. He failed to protect Bashar al-Assad and failed to protect Maduro. As for the Islamic Republic, it appears to be coming to terms with the limits of its power - recognizing that it must now focus on defending its regime within its own borders rather than projecting influence abroad, as it did before Syria slipped from its grasp and Bashar al-Assad fled to Moscow.