11 h. ago Before Maduro’s capture in Venezuela, US spoke with minister who is his loyal ally

Trump administration officials had been in discussions with Venezuela’s hardline Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello months before the US operation to seize the country’s leader, Nicolas Maduro, and have been in communication with him since then, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. The officials warned Cabello, 62, against using the security services or militant ruling-party supporters overseen by him to target the country’s opposition, four sources said. That security...

Politics

3 d. ago U.S. Venezuela Operation Likely Emboldens China, Risks Strategic Neglect of

U.S. Venezuela Operation Likely Emboldens China, Risks Strategic Neglect of  Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies

Events

6 d. ago Zheng Yongnian on Trump, Venezuela and why China doesn’t want ‘a separate kitchen’

Zheng Yongnian is a leading Chinese political scientist and government adviser, with a focus on the country’s transformation and foreign relations. In his third interview for the Open Questions series, Zheng discusses the “Donroe Doctrine” and its implications for the existing world order – and an emerging one. For other interviews in the series, click here. On Venezuela, you have noted that the US pivot to Latin America could reshape the regional order and that Donald Trump’s warnings to other...

Politics

6 d. ago Open Questions | Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

Open Questions | Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China  South China Morning Post

Politics

7 d. ago How the US raid in Venezuela has triggered Brazilian fury and a Chinese opening

Last weekend, following the US military operation in Venezuela abducting its leader, Nicolas Maduro, Brazil’s president denounced the attack as a “flagrant violation of international law” and having “crossed an unacceptable line”. “These acts represent a grave affront to Venezuela’s sovereignty and yet another extremely dangerous precedent for the entire international community,” Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wrote on social media. Lula, who said attacking countries was “the first step towards a...

Politics

8 d. ago China's strategic partnership with Venezuela uncertain after U.S. operation to capture Maduro

China's strategic partnership with Venezuela uncertain after U.S. operation to capture Maduro  NBC News

Politics

8 d. ago Are U.S. Operations in Venezuela a Blueprint for China for Taiwan?

Are U.S. Operations in Venezuela a Blueprint for China for Taiwan?  CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies

Politics

9 d. ago Top South Korean official calls Trump’s Venezuela raid ‘violent atrocity’, stirring unease

Senior officials in South Korea’s Prime Minister’s Office are voicing concern over Park Seok-woon, a committee chairman under its authority, after he joined protests criticising US President Donald Trump and his administration over American military operations in Venezuela. Park, a long-time liberal activist, took part in a rally on Monday in front of the US embassy in Seoul, following an American military operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, who has been in power since 2013,...

Politics

9 d. ago Maduro’s fate in Venezuela hardens North Korea’s nuclear resolve

The US removal of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro from power has reverberated far beyond Latin America. In Pyongyang, where regime survival is the paramount concern and every US action is scrutinised for hostile intent, the deposing of a sitting head of state sends an unmistakable message: dialogue with Washington is a dangerous gamble, and only nuclear weapons guarantee survival. The Venezuela operation may have killed the prospects for meaningful US-North Korea diplomacy in 2026 before they even...

Events

9 d. ago Trump’s Greenland gambit puts China on edge after Venezuela operation

Trump’s Greenland gambit puts China on edge after Venezuela operation  CNBC

Politics

9 d. ago North Korea’s Kim expected to cling to nuclear security blanket after Venezuela operation

The United States’ decapitation operation against Venezuela will reinforce North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, an aspiration that will continue to draw China’s “tacit tolerance”, according to analysts. After the US military abducted Nicolas Maduro during an attack on Venezuela on Saturday, Pyongyang criticised Washington’s actions as “wildly” violating the sovereignty of Caracas. It was one of a slew of countries that issued swift criticism of the US move. In a statement on Sunday, the North Korean...

Events

1 week ago The U.S. Venezuela Operation Will Harden China’s Security Calculation

The U.S. Venezuela Operation Will Harden China’s Security Calculation  Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Events

1 week ago The US, Venezuela and why China is even less keen on talk of a G2

When Donald Trump alluded to the Group of Two before meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea in October, his choice of phrase was widely seen as Washington’s acceptance of Beijing as its peer. Diplomatic observers said the US leader’s terminology at the time was ill-suited for Beijing’s strategic calculus. And following America’s military operation in Venezuela, China would appear more likely to reject any talk of a G2, they added. Analysts also said Beijing would seize on the...

Politics

1 week ago How China and Russia will be impacted by the U.S. operation in Venezuela

How China and Russia will be impacted by the U.S. operation in Venezuela  CBS News

Politics

1 week ago Venezuela seeks to show it is operating free from US control

The Venezuelan government has sought to show its people and the world that the country is being run independently and not controlled by the United States following its stunning weekend arrest of President Nicolas Maduro. Lawmakers aligned with the ruling party, including Maduro’s son, gathered in the capital, Caracas on Monday, to follow through with a scheduled swearing-in ceremony of the National Assembly for a term that will last until 2031. Delcy Rodriguez, who served as vice-president to...

Politics

1 week ago China, Russia won’t ‘dare test’ US, says Hegseth after show of military might in Venezuela

US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth delivered a stark warning to China and Russia on Monday, declaring that the United States is rebuilding military dominance to a level so absolute that its enemies would “not dare” test it. Addressing shipyard workers and naval personnel at Newport News Shipbuilding, the nation’s largest military shipyard, Hegseth pointed to the recent US military operation in Venezuela as evidence of renewed American military readiness and the limits of non-American defence...

Events

1 week ago Venezuela operation magnifies Pentagon's shift west — and away from China

Venezuela operation magnifies Pentagon's shift west — and away from China  Politico

Politics

1 week ago US ouster of Maduro prompts region to reassess China – and Trump’s next move: analysts

The US military operation that captured Venezuela’s president on Saturday is likely to force governments across Latin America to reassess how far China and Russia can protect their partners when Washington decides to act, according to analysts, as the United States signals a more assertive approach to the region. The operation, which removed President Nicolas Maduro and placed Venezuela under a US-managed “transition”, marked the most direct American military action in Latin America in...

Politics

1 week ago US ousting of Maduro prompts region to reassess China – and Trump’s next move: analysts

The US military operation that captured Venezuela’s president on Saturday is likely to force governments across Latin America to reassess how far China and Russia can protect their partners when Washington decides to act, according to analysts, as the United States signals a more assertive approach to the region. The operation, which removed President Nicolas Maduro and placed Venezuela under a US-managed “transition”, marked the most direct American military action in Latin America in...

Politics

1 week ago US attack on Venezuela ‘death certificate’ for UN, will trigger global arms race: analyst

The American attack on Venezuela on Saturday could further undermine international institutions and accelerate a global arms race, analysts warned, with one likening Washington’s actions to issuing a “death certificate” for the United Nations. On Saturday, in a surprise precision operation, the US military struck Venezuela and captured its leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, who were later placed in detention in New York. President Donald Trump later said the US would run the South American...

Events