Trump's 4,500 troops can topple Nicols Maduro--not fix Venezuela

[Judi Lynn]

The US troops could dislodge the government in Caracas, but it won’t be enough to police a country ringed by drug cartels and insurgents.

Praveen Swami
03 September, 2025 08:00 am IST

The contest was not, most might agree, a fair fight. Eight-inch guns trained toward the walls of the Puerto Cabridis fort, the German naval ship SMS Vineta had brought an impressive fleet with it: The Falke, Gazelle, Panther, Charlotte, Stosch, and Restaurador, as well as the British Navy’s HMS Retribution and HMS Quail. The Venezuelan navy—“a few antiquated old tubs crewed by men who were more fishermen than sailors,” historian Nancy Mitchell records—soon surrendered. Two seized ships had to be scuttled, since they were too decrepit to be towed up the Orinoco River to the sea and on to Curaçao.

Leaving for home on 9 December 1902, the ships lobbed a few shells at Puerto Cabello. The Germans shelled Fort San Carlos de Maracaibo twice, since the guns of Panther jammed the first time—but the Venezuelan soldiers had by then evacuated the citadel, and no losses to life were caused.

This week, US President Donald Trump dispatched a somewhat more serious naval force into the waters off Venezuela. The fleet is reported to contain at least three guided-missile destroyers, as well as some 4,500 troops trained in amphibious operations. To many in the region, it seems like Trump is preparing to bring down the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, on whose head the United States has announced a bounty of $50 million.

Even though the stated mission of the naval fleet is counter-narcotics, the real message hasn’t been missed by anyone. Large Chinese investments are being made in Venezuela’s oil fields, which hold the world’s largest proven reserves. Following on from his earlier threats to take over the Panama Canal and his offer to commit United States troops to Mexico, Trump is letting it be known he intends for America to regain hegemonic power over the Western Hemisphere.

More:
https://theprint.in/opinion/trump-4500-troops-nicolas-maduro-venezuela/2734522/