The objectives of the brutal attack against Venezuela — and the kidnapping of President Maduro — were made explicit in the speech and press conference that Trump, his ministers and the military high command held in Washington hours after bombing Caracas. Trump spoke with brazen cynicism, without euphemisms or diplomatic disguises. “We carried out a large-scale attack,” he declared. “We showed that we have the infinitely most powerful military force in the world.” And he went further: “We (…)

The press conference given on 3 January by the American president after the capture of President Maduro and his wife demonstrates his authoritarian drift and could open the door for major non-democratic powers to act militarily. The kidnapping of the Venezuelan dictator, Nicolás Maduro, appears at first sight to be a victory for democracy. The man who stole power from the Venezuelan people in the last elections, depriving them of their dignity and fundamental freedoms, got what he (…)

The United States, a treaty ally of the Philippines, risks undermining Manila's moral authority in opposing foreign aggression following Washington's attack on Venezuela, several groups have warned. Mamayang Liberal Representative Leila de Lima said the attack on Venezuela and the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro marked a regression of the United States into an “aggressor state”, placing it alongside China, Russia, and Israel in undermining the rules-based international order. (…)