Revolutionizing U.S. Foreign Policy: The Case of Trump’s Approach Toward Venezuela

Trapara, Vladimir (2026) Revolutionizing U.S. Foreign Policy: The Case of Trump’s Approach Toward Venezuela. The Policy of National Security, 32 (2). pp. 29-53. ISSN 2334-959X

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Abstract

A limited U.S. military operation against Venezuela in January 2026, which resulted in the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, sparked considerable debate among observers regarding the factors that led the second administration of Donald Trump to cross the threshold into direct military confrontation with the Chavista regime in Caracas. This paper argues that the decision was neither accidental nor opportunistic, but rather formed part of a broader grand strategy that prioritizes the Western Hemisphere as the primary region of U.S. interest – one in which Washington seeks to reassert its hegemony. This approach contrasts with the policies of previous administrations, which emphasized pursuing global hegemony while largely taking U.S. dominance in the Western Hemisphere for granted, thereby tolerating some dissent among regional actors. In the case of Venezuela, oil interdependence had long acted as a constraint on escalation, with Washington resorting to more radical measures only opportunistically – typically when the Chavista regime appeared particularly vulnerable. Trump’s strategic shift, as articulated in his National Security Strategy, placed the recent intervention within a more coherent regional policy framework. The paper concludes that Trump’s approach toward Venezuela illustrates that the most visible and consistent outcomes of his broader attempt to revolutionize U.S. foreign policy are to be found in the Western Hemisphere.

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