On Friday night 1-2-26, the Trump administration executed "Operation Absolute Resolve," a large-scale military strike in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The operation, involving approximately 150 aircraft launched from 20 bases, was tactically successful with minimal reported U.S. casualties. Maduro is now being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, facing federal prosecution in the Southern District of New York.

Despite its tactical execution, the operation raises profound legal, strategic, and geopolitical concerns. The administration justifies the invasion as an act of "self-defense" against drug trafficking, an interpretation of international law that is tenuous at best. The capture of a sitting head of state is defended by arguing Maduro's rule is illegitim ...