There was no surprise in the attack that US President Donald Trump ordered to take out Nicolás Maduro, the dictator of Venezuela. Trump had asserted bullying power over Venezuela for months. The shock of the explosions erupting in Caracas was only a matter of time.

Deposing Maduro is one thing. But Trump’s assertion throughout his press conference on the attack that the United States would be running Venezuela, and that the United States would take over Venezuela’s oil industry to benefit the United States, was another.

Protesters gather outside the UN Plaza in San Francisco after Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s ouster. Credit: AP

Was Trump going back to Bush-Obama nation-building and the forever wars he decried?

While there are Trump MAGA isolationists not happy with this adventure, the clear military success of the mission has subdued their voices – for now.

Trump’s framing opened another front: between the president and the Democrats in Congress. But just like so many other times over the last year, the Democrats have less impact when they fire in multiple directions.

Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut said Trump’s boost in military........

© The Sydney Morning Herald