The international landscape has been fundamentally reshaped following a dramatic military operation authorised by former US President Donald Trump. In an audacious move, US forces entered Caracas and extracted Venezuela's leader, Nicolás Maduro, to face trial in the United States. This act, detailed in the 9 January edition of the Guardian Weekly, is seen by analysts as effectively discarding the established rules-based global order.
The Justification and the Real Motive
In the lead-up to the military buildup and blockade, Donald Trump publicly stated that Nicolás Maduro needed to be "brought to justice" for alleged involvement in drug trafficking. Trump claimed this trade had caused thousands of American deaths. However, as noted by commentators Julian Borger and Nesrine Malik, this justification was widely viewed as thin. By the time of the operation on the weekend of January 6th, it was evident that Venezuela's vast oil reserves were a primary strategic objective for the Trump administration.
On-the-Ground Reaction and Military Execution
The Guardian Weekly's reporting team, spearheaded by Latin American correspondent Tom Phillips, has been gauging the immediate fallout. The report captures reactions from the streets of Caracas and from Venezuela's closest regional neighbours, who are now adjusting to this bold assertion of US power in what Washington calls "our hemisphere." Meanwhile, defence editor Dan Sabbagh provides a detailed explanation of how the US military meticulously planned and executed the complex extraction operation.
Highlights from the Forthcoming Guardian Weekly
While the Venezuela intervention will dominate the news agenda, the edition features several other essential reads:
- Spotlight | Iran in Turmoil: Deepa Parent and William Christou report on major street protests in Tehran, driven by a failing economy and a plummeting currency.
- Science | Is De-Extinction Possible?: Patrick Greenfield examines the realistic prospects of bringing species like woolly mammoths back to life.
- Feature | The Power of Guilt: Psychologist Chris Moore discusses the complexity of this emotion with Emine Saner.
- Opinion | Adieu to the French Lunch: Paul Taylor laments the decline of the traditional, convivial French bistro lunch.
- Culture | The Crisis in Masculinity: Matthew Cantor explores a new genre of social media comedy that pokes fun at the "manosphere."
The magazine also includes remarkable personal stories, such as that of surfer Ingrid LeFebour, and an obituary for the celebrated artist and fashion journalist Molly Parkin, who died at 93. Further online highlights include a podcast on the crude appeal of Venezuela's oil and a gallery of global images from photographer Ed Kashi.
This geopolitical earthquake marks the start of a year that promises significant and ongoing global realignment, with the full implications yet to be understood.
