2026 begins with an increasingly autocratic United States rising on the global stage

Explosions are seen at Fort Tiuna, Venezuela’s largest military complex, Jan. 3, 2026.
Luis Jaimes/AFP via Getty Images
Shelley Inglis, Rutgers University

The U.S. military operation in Venezuela and capture of President Nicolás Maduro on Jan. 3, 2026, topped off months of military buildup and targeted strikes in the Caribbean Sea. It fulfills President Donald Trump’s claim to assert authoritative control over the Western Hemisphere, articulated...