US President Donald Trump was elected partly on an “America First” platform, but his illegal and contrary military attack on Venezuela contains the seeds of a wider humanitarian tragedy that risks opening the door further to authoritarian regimes in China, Russia and the Middle East who wish to dominate their neighbours.

That said, the removal of Nicolás Maduro, an undemocratic and self-serving president whose regime has generated economic and political disruption throughout the Western hemisphere and caused the exodus of some 8 million people, will be little lamented.

Venezuelan citizens dance during a rally on the Colombia-Venezuela border after the confirmation of Nicolás Maduro’s capture in Caracas.........

© The Sydney Morning Herald