Mr Maduro may have turned undemocratic and authoritarian but he is not the first elected ruler to have done so. President Bush Jr became Sheriff in Iraq and three Presidents (Bush Jr, Obama and Trump), successively, became Sheriff in Afghanistan. Shortly after the capture of Mr Maduro, President Trump candidly said that large U.S. oil companies will be allowed to “produce and sell’ Venezuelan oil and ‘make money’. Mr Trump can manipulate India’s export of goods to the U.S. — allow more or less into his country — by playing with tariffs without a trade agreement. We may not shed a tear for Mr Maduro or his wife, but we should mourn the return of imperialism and the demise of sovereignty of nations.

Source: Indian Express January 11, 2026 05:59 UTC