February 26, 2026

Simon Bolivar, he died in 1830, the ‘Liberator’ of Venezuela, would have celebrated new year 2026 by turning in his grave, when the president of the Republic of Venezuela was kidnapped from his presidential residence, handcuffed and taken like a criminal thug because Bolivar liberated Venezuela from the rule of the Spaniards in 1807, just as he liberated Colombia, Bolivia and Peru. The parading of the president of an independent nation like an outlawed bandit by another democratic country, to be tried under the latter’s laws is abominably condemnable and the international community ought to disapprove of the action of a powerful country, which describes itself as democratic. More than anything else, it is an unacceptable human rights violation. If any country is involved in drug trafficking with a neighbouring country, it is the latter’s responsibility to check the infiltrations. 

Troupial 

Tocororo

Venezuela is a beautiful country with two thirds of its land as forests and meadows. One half of Bolivar’s original Colombia, Venezuela is more urbanised than the other nations in South America. It is interesting to note that the Venezuelans are also known as handsome and beautiful people because the country holds the record for the maximum number of beauty queens crowned by the world’s four major international pageants. The country is also celebrated for natural beauty as its national bird Troupial, with its black head and orange body, known world over for its beauty and its melodious calls, similar to the Cuban national bird, the endemic Tocororo captivates everyone’s attention. The indigenous groups like Arawaks, Caribs, Caquitios and Maricha communities, who lived by hunting, fishing, gathering and terraced farming got mixed with the Spaniards and the African slaves brought to the region. A 2008 DNA study conducted by the University of Brasilia showed that 60% European, 23% Native Americans and 16% African blood constituted the typical Venezuelans. Along with the Spaniards, there were also Italians who contributed to the Venezuelan blood.

Simon Bolivar was the first president of Colombia then known as Gran Colombia, of which Venezuela was a part. In 1813, Venezuela separated to become an independent republic. As the primary symbol of South American independence, Bolivar is referred to as the ‘Liberator’. New Granada was liberated in 1819, Venezuela in 1821, Quito in 1822, Peru in 1824 and Bolivia in 1825. Of course, Jose de San Martin is also considered a liberator of Spanish America alongside Bolivar. Into the second half of the twentieth century, South American countries started standing together and Cuba, under Fidel Castro, became the support for all others. In the last quarter of the twentieth century, Venezuela entered a phase of political restlessness.

Hugo Chavez

In the mid 1990s, President Rafael Caldera became weak and there was a civil war in which Hugo Chavez emerged as a leader of the Fifth Republic Movement. He became the president of Venezuela in 1999 and continued to rule till his death in 2013. Nicolás Maduro; he was the vice president during Chavez time; became the president, and continued to get reelected till he was removed in the beginning of 2026 by the United States.

Fidel Castro

Until the end of the twentieth century, Venezuela was a wealthy country,oil being the primary driver of the country’s economy. However, things began changing because of the low priced oil sales. Chavez as president was briefly deposed and arrested for a short time by the military with the support of the American CIA on 11 April 2002. It lasted for forty-seven hours and power was restored to him because of his popular support and the external support he received from Fidel Castro, the Cuban leader. Castro’s physically delivered letter to Chavez -urging him not to take his life, as was done by Salvador Allende, president of Chile, who was deposed by the Chilean military with the support of CIA in 1973, became a document validating the personal power of Castro as a man and a world leader. He also promised Chavez that the Caribbean countries would stand by him. This was an irritation for the all powerful United States.

Manuel Noriega

The United States did the same thing in Panama too in 1989 in which twenty thousand soldiers were involved. However; unlike Maduro, who was captured from his protected special residence far away from the presidential palace; Manuel Noriega, the president of Panama could be caught only after one week. He was also caught for the same drug story like Maduro and tried and punished in the US, and transferred to Panama and tried again. He died in prison. All these events point to one single theory of disrespect of the United States to other countries and their leaders, especially in South America.

The attack on Venezuela and arrest of its president and kidnapping of him with his wife is to be challenged in the International Court of Justice and undoubtedly the court is bound to order the arrest of the president of the United States. However, such a judgement will be difficult to be implemented just as the arrest of the Prime Minister of Israel for heinous crimes against the Palestinians, and other Arabs too, has not been implemented after the judgement by the International Court of Justice. The United Nations and the International Court of Justice are not functioning democratically because of the power of the leading nations in the world. The United Nations itself is undemocratic in its structure and functioning because of the veto power of five nations even after the UN Security Council would have decided unanimously.

The United States attacked Mexico in 1864, Nicaragua in 1912, Haiti in 1915, Cuba in 1961 and Dominican Republic in 1965 in which some of these countries were occupied for several years under one pretext or another. In the second half of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first century, the United States attacked several countries like Iraq, Libya, Iran and South Yemen.

Commentators on world affairs are of the opinion that the flamboyant vainglorious president of the United States has done this at this time only to cover up his failure in the mediation between Russia and Ukraine war. As a man who wants everyone to submit to him and also make the maximum exploitation of wealth to accrue to his country in the processes of war, he has already declared that the oil companies in Venezuela will be taken over and managed by the United States. Also, it is to be specially noted that the nineteen Cuban soldiers who were killed in Caracas were the members of the special protection troop, drawn from Cuban forces. Maduro was aware of the possible attack and that is why he moved out of the presidential palace to stay in a place protected by special soldiers. It is to be noticed that other than Caracas, three other states were also attacked where the oil refineries could easily be taken over. The very declaration of fifty million on Maduro’s head in August 2025 was a warning for his country about the imminent danger.

María Corina Machado

International political observers have specifically referred to an underlined statement that all the countries that the United States attacked, especially the South American ones, are bent towards socialist ideas and ideological problems are possible for the United States because of their influence on the Americans. The fact that Venezuela is selling oil at cheap rates to China is another reason because China gets a foothold, just as Russia already has established trade relations with Venezuela. More importantly, the United States has an eye on the unexploited gold reserves of Venezuela. Additionally, there is a mass migration from Venezuela and the United States is afraid that they will land up in their country through other countries. So, the drug trafficking allegation is a pretext whereas there are major other reasons like those referred above. The United States also does not want any leader in any South American country to voice his or her opinion. If or when María Corina Machado, the Nobel Laureate and her party may come to power, what will be the attitude of the US to Venezuela is yet to be known. The US President is a man of personal prejudices and vainglorious attitudes. When he says that he wants to be made happy by the leader of the most populous democratic country, anything can happen to the world. With such a man, placed in the most powerful position, it is a tragedy for the world, and all the more so for the countries of South America.