The Washington Roundtable discusses Donald Trump's use of force in Venezuela, his desire to take over Greenland, and the historical echoes of the Administration's new imperialist projects. The panel also considers Trump's brand of "narcissistic unilateralism" and the increased risks of global conflict when foreign policy is based on one man's whims.
The U.S. mission to seize Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro has pushed the concept of regime change back into everyday conversation. "Regime Change in America's Back Yard," declared The New Yorker in a piece that typified the response to the Jan. 3 operation that saw Maduro exchange a compound in Caracas for a jail in Brooklyn. Commentators and politicians have been using the term as shorthand for removing Maduro and ending Venezuela's crisis, as if the two were essentially the same thing.
For an inveterate liar, Donald Trump is remarkably honest. The best guide to what he thinks is what he says. When forecasting his likely course of action, start with his declared intentions removing the president of Venezuela, for example and assume he means it. When he says the US must take possession of Greenland, he is not kidding. The motives are sometimes muddled but rarely hidden.
These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us: that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.
By many accounts, those most impacted by the attacks - Venezuelans living and working in Venezuela - are resolutely opposed to the strikes, with thousands mobilizing in numerous Venezuelan cities in protest. (The death toll from the US strikes currently stands at 80 soldiers and civilians, a figure whichwill likely go up as the dust settles.) Though the attacks are still too recent to get accurate polling data of the country's sentiments, a November survey found that 86 percent of Venezuelans preferred for Maduro to remain head of state to resolve the country's economic woes.
With disbelief, shock, and confusion, after more than 20 weeks of political tension, Venezuela awoke to the news of the arrest of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, following a combined military operation by U.S. forces in Caracas. The question now is what will happen to Chavismo and who will assume power. With Maduro and Flores detained, the 1999 Constitution stipulates that the vice president, in this case Delcy Rodriguez, a close confidante of the president, assumes the reins of the executive branch.
The United States, once again, decided to act against international laws, kidnapping a sitting leader of a foreign government with no rhyme or reason that could be justified, and is looking to further destabilize countries whose governments they don't agree with. We need to be out here in the streets making that known that we don't agree with it, protester William Novello said, adding that he wants the world to know that not every American agrees with the military strike.
"It is the good old military regime, but they have changed the clothing to make it look civilian in nature," said Adib Saani, a foreign policy and security analyst at the Jatikay Center for Human Security and Peace Building in Accra, Ghana.
Writing on New Year's Day 2026, I feel the need to try to make some sense of the worst year of my 73-year life. I don't mean worse personally. My close family and I live in the relative safety and affluence of London, England, and we are all healthy and have fulfilling jobs. I mean, worst in the global sense.
The year we are leaving behind has been plagued from the start by a series of social, economic, environmental, technological and institutional challenges, all happening with such speed and intensity that we are yet to fully comprehend their impact on our lives, let alone on future generations. As the overwhelming strain of domestic and geopolitical changes continues to build up, I cannot help but remember the man's words. Too much pressure. Unstable, uncertain and replete with deep inequalities.
The pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) claimed an overwhelming victory. One senior party official suggested the USDP, led by retired generals and often described as a civilian proxy for the military, had won more than 80 percent of seats contested in the lower house of the legislature. Rights advocates and Western diplomats have slammed the vote as a sham, citing the military's broad crackdown on dissent and the exclusion of parties critical of its rule.
