US ousting of Maduro prompts region to reassess China – and Trump’s next move: analysts

The US military operation that captured Venezuela’s president on Saturday is likely to force governments across Latin America to reassess how far China and Russia can protect their partners when Washington decides to act, according to analysts, as the United States signals a more assertive approach to the region.

It gave concrete form to US President Donald Trump’s newly released national security strategy, which asserts US primacy in the western hemisphere, according to US officials.

“What matters is not the rhetoric, but whether it is followed by action,” said Eric Farnsworth, a senior associate with the Americas Programme at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

“What happened in Venezuela shows this is not just language in a strategy document,” he added.

Trump said US forces would remain in place for the foreseeable future and that Washington would oversee a political transition while keeping Venezuelan oil flowing to global markets, including China.