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Donald Trump is no longer bending the rules, he is destroying them — and we are witnessing the Putinization of US foreign policy, the end of the West as we know it, and the emergence of a new 21st Century Treaty of Tordesillas, with the world divided between the US, Russia and China.
This Saturday, North American Chinook helicopters, escorted by Apache attack helicopters, crossed the night sky of Caracas, lit orange by the explosions of missiles across the country.
A few hours later, Donald Trump announced that the president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduroand his wife had been transported out of the country. In the Oval Office, there were certainly celebrations – and more praise for Trump from his faithful, like Peter Hegseththe Secretary of Defense/War.
What no one in the White House realizes is that this invasion, this apparent political decapitation, this violation of international lawl, it’s a real strategic madnesssays, in an opinion article, the international affairs editor of , Sam Kiley.
Outside of the White House and President Trump’s MAGA support core, the only applause will be heard in the Kremlin and Beijing.
In NATO, the feeling will be one of horror. But it is certain that the creeping subservience that has characterized the Alliance’s leadership in the face of Trump and Hegseth will continue. According to Kiley, to do otherwise would be to admit that Donald Trump made America stop being friendsthen became an unreliable ally and, now, at the beginning of 2026, Trump’s America is a threat.
Trump said so — and delivered. Your claim that you are overthrow a narco-terrorist state which allegedly exported huge quantities of opiates to the USA, killing hundreds of thousands of citizens, is nonsense. Opiates enter the US coming from Mexico, not Venezuela.
As justification for a regime change and for the invasion, is as false as the claims that Saddam Hussein was manufacture a nuclear weaponsays Kiley.
The invasion of Iraq triggered decades of pain and deathterror and chaos, and gave origin of Daesh. It has also torn the fabric of Western democracies, to the point where some countries have ignored ethical principles and their own laws to pursue alleged terrorists.
The Putinization of the USA
This Saturday, Donald Trump attacked a neighbor without any international support. Imitates the behavior of your great hero and friend, Vladimir Putin. Just like Putin, politicized the armed forces and intelligence services, attempted to destroy judicial independence and enriched oligarchs handpicked.
The Russian President invaded Ukraine in 2014falsely claiming that Russophones were oppressed in that country. The Kremlin wants to control all of the neighboring territory, and Trump supports Russia’s efforts to consolidate the 20% that has already been occupied.
Afterwards, we have Taiwan. In his New Year speech, the president of China, X Jinping renewed threats against the Taiwanese republic, stating that “the reunification of our homeland, a trend of the times, is unstoppable”.At the same time, China carried out major military exercises along the coast of Taiwan.
In the era of Trump, the “trend of the times” is that force makes reason. Trump has said, repeatedly, that the . It did not exclude the use of force for its mineral resources. He insisted that, “sooner or later”, he will be part of the USA. We are talking about NATO countriesnotes Kiley: Greenland belongs to Denmark.
Trump’s unusual threats to neighbors and allies could have been devalued as daydreams of a wild man-child or sarcastic provocations from a disruptive agent. But they are no joke. Despite the lies and bravado, Trump fulfills his threats and ambitions.
At Saturday’s press conference, Trump added Cuba to the list of targeted countries, suggesting that it was “very similar” to Venezuela“in the sense that we want to help the people of Cuba”. Your Secretary of State, Marco Rubioadded that Havana should feel “worried”.
The moment marks the transition of a world mostly governed by rules for one of competing spheres of influence, determined by military strength and the willingness to use it, says Julian Borgersenior editor of international politics, in an analysis in . An American commentator, David Rothkopfcalled it “Putinization of US foreign policy”.
As in a kind of Treaty of Tordesillas in the 21st centurythe American president sees the world divided into three spheres: the Western Hemisphere is to control; the Russia stays with Europe; and China with the rest.
Russian commentators have often suggested that Latin America belongs to the US sphere of influence, just as Ukraine would be under Russia’s shadow. Putin thinks the same about much of Eastern Europe. Xi Jinping will draw his own conclusions.
According to Borger, the danger that has become brutally clear in the early days of 2026 is a danger that will ultimately everyone will face. And this is the moment when Europe needs to stand up — but will continue to sit, as the tide of blood rises to his anklesconcludes Kiley.
